Toronto Crosstown Community | 135.02m | 44s | Aspen Ridge | Sweeny &Co

[Midtown Urbanist]

I was thinking, this would have been a nice spot for a college campus.

Maybe if Centennial was feeling like moving or something.

 

[maestro]

Looks okay. Too suburban for me with only 3 access points into this sizable, large block, master plan. I guess there is potential to connect to Leslie one day.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

I was thinking, this would have been a nice spot for a college campus.

Maybe if Centennial was feeling like moving or something.

A technology park would be nicer - there is no reason why the city can't be competitive in this regard.

AoD

 

[interchange42]

A technology park would need two major transit lines meeting here!

(I'm crossing my fingers that the Build Toronto doesn't not go for just-another-condo-development at the southwest corner, because with Celestica going back into this site on the northwest side, and the Crosstown opening in 5 years, (and the promise of a Relief Line interchange station in 20 years), and the Science Centre sitting just to the south of the southwest corner…

I'd like to see a big deal mixed-use development with a substantial office component, possibly a college science campus, retail and maybe even a hotel in the base (facing the gorgeous ravine), all built around a sheltered pedestrian mews that heads south from the transit station through the redevelopment and down to the Science Centre. That's how people going to the Science Centre should arrive: via an impressive walk from the transit station.

It could be a good place to for companies that want to push their sci/tech culture forward, but the whole complex would have to be pretty cool for the companies to get the young professionals to work there (who all pretty much want to work downtown now).

So, while Build Toronto wants a quick turnaround time on their lands now to realize some cash for real estate, I'm hoping they don't rush it before they could get the best use on that parking lot area. Development of the Celestica lands should probably happen first to ensure that something better happens south of it.

42

 

[Midtown Urbanist]

So I was motivated to go through all the reports and pick out the interesting info and relevant images, as well as reupload some of the images PMT posted last page, but in full resolution.

I'll divide this post into several parts.

First of all, the block plan.

Blocks

The total site area is 24.42 hectares. Due to a variety of constraints on the site, the total developable land on the site (including public roads and rail setback, but excluding valleylands) is 19.97 hectares (the “development site”). The development site has been divided into twelve blocks (see Site Plan above).

Block 1 will contain one office tower (up to 8 storeys) with ground-level commercial uses. This building will be the future headquarters for Celestica Inc. The building has been oriented to frame Don Mills Road and Public Street ‘C’, and forms part of the visual gateway from the Don Mills and Eglinton intersection, framing the private plaza/walkway. This Block will contain exclusively employment uses, with a total of 18,730 square metres of office gross floor area and 1,164 square metres of retail GFA. It will have an underground connection to Science Centre station via the underground parking garage shared with Blocks 4 and 7.

Block 2 will contain a 9 -storey o ffice t ower a t t he s outh, and a 3 7-storey residential tower at the northwest corner, connected by a one- to threestorey podium containing retail uses. This Block will contain a total of 28,307 square metres of residential GFA, 6,728 square metres of retail GFA, and 18,595 square metres of office GFA. The residential tower will be located outside of the proposed General Employment Area designation that runs parallel to the Don Mills frontage (details on the Official Plan Amendment provided below). The office tower will be oriented east-west to frame Public Street ‘C’ and to maintain closest possible proximity to LRT station accesses. Opportunities to provide bridge or underground indoor connections to the Block 1 office building will be considered as the design of the office campus proceeds. The base building will frame the streets on all sides, and will cut in on the eastern edge to provide a small landscaped courtyard. Within the base building, along Private Street ‘B’, small-scale commercial storefronts will be provided. Office and retail uses oriented around a courtyard will be located on the Don Mills Road frontage.

Block 3A will be a 1.019 hectare public park which will contain open green space, a dog park, playground, and water playground. Block 3B will be a 1.240 hectare public park which will contain a community recreation centre, with a dual pad ice arena, pool and gym, containing a total of 12,229 square metres of recreational GFA.

Block 4 will contain two residential buildings connected by a ‘ U’-shaped 3-storey mixed-use podium with ground floor retail fronting the urban plaza. The building will frame a west-facing landscaped courtyard/plaza. The southern building will step up to 7-storeys, then up to a rectangular tower component with a total height of 30 storeys. The northern building will step up to 5 storeys, then up to a roughly square-shaped tower component with a total height of 21 storeys. Ground level commercial uses will frame the urban plaza to the east. Ground level townhouse-style units and amenity space will be provided along the southern edge of the building, the southern portion of the landscaped courtyard, and the western edge of the building along Public Street ‘A’. A total of 710 residential units will be provided, with a total residential GFA of 47,791 square metres, with 965 square metres of retail GFA. This Block will have an underground connection to the Science Centre station via an underground parking garage shared with Blocks 1 and 7.

Block 5 and 5A will contain three residential towers connected by a ‘ U’- shaped 3- to 6-storey podium that connects across both blocks. The building that lies within Block 5A ( both tower a nd p odium) w ill b e d edicated to t he City of Toronto for the development of new affordable housing units and will contain entirely residential uses. Grade-related townhouse-style units with front doors onto the street will be provided along Public Street ‘A’. The Block 5A northern tower will be 22 storeys in height, and contain a total of 226 units and will have a total residential GFA of 16,183 square metres. Block 5 (i.e. outside of Block 5A) will contain market-rate units. There will be a western tower component with a height of 15 storeys, and a 32-storey tower component at the southwest corner of the Block, resulting in a total of 612 residential units. Along Private Street ‘B’, ground floor small-scale commercial storefronts will be provided. Grade-related townhouse-style units will be provided along Public Street ‘A’ and a portion of Public Street ‘C’. The total GFA of Block 5 is 41,302 square metres of residential GFA, with 1,876 square metres of retail GFA.

Block 6A, 6B and 6C will contain townhouses in a variety of forms framed by two high-rise residential buildings on the east and west. Parking for the townhouses and high-rise residential buildings will be provided belowgrade in a shared parking area.

• On Block 6A, along the frontage of Public Street ‘D’, stacked townhouses are proposed. A 29-storey residential tower component located near the centre of the block will step down to the west and south. The base of this building will contain a portion of the 1150 Eglinton Avenue East facade. The total residential GFA of Block 6A is 25,839 square metres. 392 high rise units and 10 townhouse units are proposed.
• On Block 6B, 88 townhouse units are proposed, comprised of a mixture of stacked, back-to-back and block townhouse units. On this Block, townhouses will be oriented to front onto Public Street ‘D’, to frame internal walkways, and also to face south towards Eglinton. The total residential GFA of Block 6B is 8,038 square metres.
• On Block 6C, a 35-storey residential tower will frame the corner of Public Street ‘A’ and Eglinton, stepping down to a 6-storey podium to the west. Along Public Street ‘D’, stacked townhouse units will frame the south side of this street. A total of 27,925 square metres of residential GFA is proposed, with 444 high rise units and 10 townhouse units.

Block 7 will contain an 8-storey office tower to the east and a 44-storey residential tower at the west corner, connected by a 1-storey podium containing retail uses. The office tower will be oriented to frame Eglinton, and forms part of the visual gateway from the Don Mills and Eglinton intersection. It is oriented to provide maximum visibility from Eglinton and closest possible proximity to the Science Centre station, which are key drivers for attracting commercial tenants to the area. The residential tower will be located at the intersection of Public Street ‘A’ and Eglinton Avenue, framing the new street and intersection. A total of 18,923 square metres of office GFA is proposed, with 29,299 square metres of residential GFA and 429 square metres of retail GFA. A total of 473 units are proposed. This Block will have an underground connection to the Science Centre station via an underground parking garage shared with Blocks 1 and 4.

Blocks 8A, 8B, 8C, 9, 10A and 10B will contain block townhouses and backto- back townhouses fronting onto public and private streets, and interior courtyards and walkways. A total of 370 units are proposed, with total residential GFA of 64,988 square metres. Two neighbourhood playgrounds will be located in Block 9 and Block 8A.

Block 11 will contain stacked and back-to-back townhouse units, fronting onto the Wynford Drive Extension, and onto interior courtyards. A total of 126 units are proposed, with a total residential GFA of 11,154 square metres. Townhouses will be separated from the rail corridor by a minimum of 20.0 metres and a crash wall.

Block 12 will consist of a 0.593 hectare public park. A portion of the 1150 Eglinton building will be retained as community space, with a total of 3,783 square metres of gross floor area.

Heritage Components

The building at 844 Don Mills Road, the IBM Plant, will be removed to allow a more sensitive and fine grained development. The two entrance blocks from the original building will be retained and relocated on a prominent street within the subject site. The building at 1150 Eglinton Avenue East, the IBM Headquarters by John B. Parkin and Associates, are proposed to be retained in two portions. The westernmost portion will be reused as a ravine activity centre and the eastern portion will become the base podium of a new residential building. Character-defining elements (heritage attributes) of the Parkin designed building will be conserved in situ.

Some images describing what is being kept for heritage reasons. The 10th report; Heritage Impact Study, has more information on this.

Affordable Housing

Block 5A will be dedicated to the City for the development of new affordable housing units. The area to be dedicated is 1,760 square metres (18,945 square feet). A 22-storey building has been contemplated on the parcel, with a total residential gross floor area of 16,183 square metres and a total unit count of approximately 226 units—approximately 5.8 percent of the total units

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Ran out of characters, will continue in the next post.

 

[Midtown Urbanist]

Phasing

The proposed development is anticipated to be constructed over two distinct phases to accommodate Celestica Inc. operations on site and allow for soil mitigation activities. Phase 1 is anticipated within a 5-year planning horizon (to the year 2021), while Phase 2 is projected over a 10 to 15-year planning horizon (up to the year 2031).

Phase 1 is proposed to include development on blocks 1, 6A, 6B, 8A, 8B, and 9. This earlier phase will include the development of approximately 684 residential units, 18,730m2 of office floor area, and 1,164 m2 of retail floor area. A new public park will be constructed within Block 12 including the retention of a portion of the Parkin building, which will serve as community space.

Phase 1 includes the construction an office building on Block 1 in order for Celestica Inc. to vacate their existing building on site. It is planned that Celestica will move into the office building on Block 1 prior to the deconstruction of the existing Celestica building and the development of the remaining plan.

Access to Phase 1 development will be provided by a temporary right-in / right-out driveway to Eglinton Avenue, the existing Celestica access ramps to / from Eglinton Avenue, and a temporary right-turns driveway to Don Mills Road at the location of a future municipal street (proposed Municipal Street C). These driveways can also be used to access the proposed Phase 1 office building, along with the existing right-in / right-out access driveway to Don Mills Road. Portions of Streets C, D, F, and the Wynford Drive extension are planned as part of Phase 1, in as much as to provide access to the proposed developments.

Phase 2 will begin to be constructed following the deconstruction of the existing Celestica building on-site and soil mitigation activities, and will comprise the bulk of development density. Phase 2 is planned to include all development on Blocks 2, 3, 4, 5, 6C, 7, 8C, 10A, 10B, 11, and 12, which includes approximately 3,203 residential units, 37,518m2 of office floor area, 9,998 m2 of retail floor area, and the construction of cultural and community facilities.

Phase 2 comprises the full-build Wynford Green Master Plan, including the introduction of the Wynford Drive extension, the competition of Municipal Streets A, C, D, and F, and other municipal and private streets.


And here is a visualization of the phasing:

This is actually news to me, that they will be proceeding with townhouses first, before some of the other more dense development on the site. I hope they don't run into the issue of the first movers then complaining about high-rise development near the homes. Though they would hardly have a case if they are buying a townhouse into this development.

Full Build Out Stats

Potential Future Railroad Crossing

So the interesting thing going through the reports, is that they include the possibility of a future railroad crossing. I am not going to copy+paste the report, since it's conclusions are essentially that the city and the railway companies should "figure something out", but it is report #25 in the application.

Here are some images anyway:

The idea it seems, is mostly to extend Wynford Drive to Leslie. Something that has often been talked about on this forum.

The report's favorite option is Option 2.

 

[Midtown Urbanist]

Transportation

This post will focus mostly on transportation and access to the site.

Vehicle Parking

The report goes into very specific detail in parking. I'll post the different parking types and their tables:

Residential Parking:

Based on the application of City of Toronto Zoning By-law 569-2013 Policy Area 3 parking standards, the proposed development is required to provide between 3,101 (minimum) and 4,361 (maximum) resident parking spaces.

Residential Visitor Parking:

Additional visitor parking is required on development blocks where shared parking rates do not strictly apply because of the single-use (residential) nature of these blocks. Specifically, Development Blocks 6, 10A, and 11 – which are envisioned as stacked townhouses or multi-storey condominium buildings - require visitor parking as per City of Toronto Zoning By-law 569-2013, in the order of a minimum 116 parking spaces. Townhouse development proposed on Blocks 8, 9, and 10B do not require visitor parking. Visitor parking is assumed to be accommodated on adjacent municipal streets.

On-Street Parking

The Wynford Green Master Plan aims to minimize vehicular parking to the extent that it is practical to do so. Through the master planning and development processes, there may be opportunity to further reduce parking standards below Policy Area 3 requirements where appropriate based on site specific modelling and actual data from early phases of the site development.

Additional on-street parking, should the City wish to permit it, can also be provided on segments of the new Wynford Green municipal street network.The Master Plan currently makes provision for approximately 175 on-street parking spaces located on a series of new municipal streets. A summary of potential on-street parking provisions is provided in Table 10.

Bycicle Parking

Application of the Zoning By-Law 569-2013 bicycle parking standards to the proposed development results in a minimum requirement of 3,937 bicycle parking spaces for the entire site.

Residential Trip Generation

So these tables are very straightforward, I will just post them rather than provide summary/analysis.

Office Trip Generation

Overall Site Travel Demand

25 Don Mills Bus Capacity

So this report did reveal one very interesting thing about transportation. With this development, the 25 Don Mills bus will be reaching it's capacity. They practically admit as much.

 

[Midtown Urbanist]

Last post. Here are some high-res renders included in the report. Some of them the same from last page.

 

[SaugeenJunction]

So I was motivated to go through all the reports and pick out the interesting info and relevant images, as well as reupload some of the images PMT posted last page, but in full resolution.

I'll divide this post into several parts.

Not all heroes wear capes - much appreciated

 

[PMT]

25 Don Mills Bus Capacity

So this report did reveal one very interesting thing about transportation. With this development, the 25 Don Mills bus will be reaching it's capacity. They practically admit as much.

I only briefly scanned the reports when they were first posted. Do they take into account a potential DRL extension to Eglinton?

 

[Midtown Urbanist]

Not all heroes wear capes - much appreciated

Thanks, but it is just public information. I care about this site more than usual due to the proximity to my neighbourhood.

I only briefly scanned the reports when they were first posted. Do they take into account a potential DRL extension to Eglinton?

They do not mention the DRL extension to Eglinton. They mention the possibility of the Don Mills LRT at a few points. But only in the tangential sense.

I forgot to include these three images regarding transportation access in the site:

 

[sixrings]

Is it possible they start with the towers but try to rezone the townhouse portion once DRL is approved.

 

[salsa]

Are their any plans to reconfigure the Celestica ramps into a signalized intersection?

 

[44 North]

Are their any plans to reconfigure the Celestica ramps into a signalized intersection?

I'm interested in this as well. It'd make a lot of sense, since we're slowly doing away with these dated expressway-style ramps. Perhaps there's a plan to, but nobody wants to bring it up until post Crosstown opening. If we add a new signalized intersection that'd no doubt hack into its avg speed. Tho reconfiguring the road before Crosstown opens could mean we avoid closures in the future.

O/T, but related to the Don Mills corridor. I was interested if the City ever forwarded a plan to see if there's any way to allow pedestrians for the section between between Overlea and O'Connor. I'm guessing it might be a technical non-starter, but as it stands the road is a no-go zone for those on foot or bike (and it's a long way 'round).

 

[Momin]

Update: http://urbantoronto.ca/news/2017/04/big-plans-store-transformation-don-mills-eglinton