Toronto Woodside Square Redevelopment | 112.1m | 33s | WSIM Group | Graziani + Corazza

north-of-anything said:
I really don't understand why all these mall redevelopments don't do anything substantial with the property. I kind of got my hopes up when I saw the comprehensive plan, but it doesn't look like they're going to do anything with that. Are they just anticipating that all the car traffic is going to vanish, or are they hoping that the enclosed mall just rots away without street presence?

Also the towers look too busy and uninspired, and the "parks" don't look inviting either. The tower-in-the-park nonsense surrounding the mall should arguably be dealt with before anything happens here.
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This is not a tower-in-the-park typology they are proposing here, it's a much denser tower-on-podium plan. That it has a narrow strip of green between the buildings and the arterial roads it borders and a couple of public squares does not match the wide opens lawns and surface parking lots of typical of tower-in-the-park. Parking for the mall would go underground.

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interchange42 said:
This is not a tower-in-the-park typology they are proposing here, it's a much denser tower-on-podium plan. That it has a narrow strip of green between the buildings and the arterial roads it borders and a couple of public squares does not match the wide opens lawns and surface parking lots of typical of tower-in-the-park. Parking for the mall would go underground.

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I'm not saying that the proposed typology is tower-in-the-park, I was referring to the properties on the other side of the adjacent arterial roads. It's good that more density is being proposed for this site, and the point about underground parking settles one concern I had, but does it have to be so gosh darn ugly?
 
north-of-anything said:
I'm not saying that the proposed typology is tower-in-the-park, I was referring to the properties on the other side of the adjacent arterial roads. It's good that more density is being proposed for this site, and the point about underground parking settles one concern I had, but does it have to be so gosh darn ugly?
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Ah, okay! (Likely some or all of those TITP proposals in the surroundings will get infill proposals in the coming years.) In regards to the looks of the buildings year, well, I hate to say it but this is not a part of town where developers are going to look to put anything more than necessary into these buildings, this is an area where developers will spend only what it takes and nothing more to build the condos or rentals, as they won't be able to price them at downtown levels. In most cases that will be little innovation, just going with tried and true methods that result in fairly typical buildings that go up in typical suburbs. It would be nice to be proven wrong with some final products, to see some exceptions to run-of-the-mill in this area and others, but it would also be surprising.

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AlbertC said:
The proposed cinema is supposed to replace the existing independent theatre at Woodside Square, which is reportedly quite popular with the South Asian community for showing Bollywood films.

Woodside Square, home of Tai Chi and South Asian films, seeks makeover

Planning review launches for aging north Scarborough mall
www.toronto.com www.toronto.com
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Coincidentally, there is a request at the committee of adjustment to approve some minor variances in order to permit an indoor zoo to replace this theatre. The hearing date is Jul 10, 2020. I'm not sure where these fits into these plans.

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Cinema Expansion | 95development

www.95development.com www.95development.com


AMENITIES

The expanded shopping mall complex spans 120,000 SF of floor area with over 170 units of parking spots. The first floor will feature a collection of restaurants with over 60 new food vendors with a culturally diverse range of convenient food options. The garden-style atmosphere will be enhanced by the interior patio-style seating for a higher-quality food experience. The second floor will be home to a stunning new entertainment and social hub featuring an 11-hall cinema with VIP upgrades for the ultimate movie experience. This premium movie-going experience includes a high-resolution screen to deliver a clear and vibrant on-screen presentation.


D-BOX

This premium movie-going experience includes a high-resolution screen to deliver a clear and vibrant on-screen presentation. Moreover, there will be a fully-renovated D-BOX auditorium with specialized seats adding an extra dimension to the movie. Moviegoers will enjoy a more immersed and hyper-realistic entertainment experience sparking the imagination through motion. Harmonized audio and video will provide an unforgettable and one-of-a-kind entertainment experience.


ARCADE ROOM

Next to the cinema will consist of an arcade room, building the ultimate gathering place. This new expansion redefines the meaning of fun for the community with lots of great games, delectable eats, and amazing entertainment all packed under one roof!
 
Preliminary Report for this one is up at the next Scarborough Community Council on September 15th, 2020.


Images first:

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Clear from the report, the City will not accept the proposal as is, they have several concerns:

The subject lands are located in an area with 0.43 to 0.79 hectares of parkland per 1,000 people, the second lowest quintile of parkland provision. The site is in a parkland acquisition priority area, as per Chapter 415, Article III of the Toronto Municipal Code.Policy 3.2.3(5) of the Official Plan indicates that an alternative parkland dedication rate of 0.4 hectares per 300 units applies to proposals for residential development within a parkland priority area. For sites greater than 5 hectares in size, the required parkland dedication may not exceed 20 per cent of the development site, net of any conveyances for public road purposes.

Parks, Forestry and Recreation staff have reviewed the proposal and have advised that the application is required to satisfy parkland dedication requirements through a land conveyance of 20 percent of the portion of the site to be redeveloped in accordance with Official Plan Policy 3.2.3.5. Parks staff have advised that the required parkland dedication (prior to reductions for public roads) is 7,880 square metres.

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Also of note from the report, the City is every keen to see new road/blocks divvy up the site and to secure safer conditions for pedestrians and cyclists.

They also have concerns that this development could bring up to 8,000 new residents, and the absence of new investments this may strain existing community services such as childcare.
 
I always think there is a missed opportunity to relocate elements of the existing mall to the new mixed used developments in these shopping centre redevelopment master plans.

Once they reach Phase 5, then what? Bulldoze the mall?
 
WislaHD said:
I always think there is a missed opportunity to relocate elements of the existing mall to the new mixed used developments in these shopping centre redevelopment master plans.

Once they reach Phase 5, then what? Bulldoze the mall?
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The City is clearly with you on this, as am I.

They and I want to see the site broken up into more fine-grained blocks.

Even just dividing into 4 (a new E-W road across the middle, and one N-S would do wonders. Though finer would be better.

Also, I 'd like to see the 'anchor retail out facing Finch to set up Finch as a future 'high street' for the area; then McCowan as well.
 
The problem is that while it may make sense from a planning perspective, it might not from an economic and financing perspective for these mall owners (or lenders) to break up the asset in a full-scale redevelopment. If they did, we'd be talking about a project on the scale of The Well in an area of the city with much shakier market fundamentals compared to King+Spadina.

Still, I would challenge that they are being too conservative in their plans and phasing and not thinking about the long-term vision for the site. The project as is feels like an urban and vertical version of infilling subdivisions.
 
New docs posted December 22:

Development Applications

City Planning COA Application Information Center
app.toronto.ca

From the Cover Letter (emphasis mine):

While the revised proposal is similar to the original proposal, certain refinements have been made since the original proposal, including a number of key built form changes and modifications to the public realm. In particular, the overall heights of the proposed buildings have been reduced from 12, 14, 14, 23, 23, 26, 30, 38 and 36 storeys to 4, 12, 12, 22, 24, 25, 26, 29 and 33 storeys. Improvements to the public realm have also been made, including enhancements to the pedestrian areas and the roadways to improve circulation and the pedestrian experience. In addition, the revised proposal includes a substantial increase in parkland. The revised proposal continues to provide a large central park along Finch Avenue East and a new 3,247 square metre park has been added at the north end of the subject site through the removal of one of the mid-rise buildings.
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In particular, the revised proposal introduces a 4-storey community building within Phase 4 of the proposal, as well as various non-residential areas within the base buildings of the proposed buildings where additional CS&F could be accommodated.
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The revised proposal includes minor revisions to the unit count and mix. The current development proposal incorporates a total of 2,556 residential units, representing a slight decrease of 33 units from the previous proposal. Of the 2,556 units, 217 are proposed for seniors. In this regard, the amount of seniors housing proposed has increased by 39 units from the initial application.
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While there are some modest improvements here and there..........to me this one is still missing the mark.

Putting aside that I'd prefer to see the mall completely removed as part of this proposal.....

What I would like to see:

-The future public roadway at the south end should punch through to McCowan
- Any new partial road at the centre to north of the site should be aligned to support its future extension as a grid street across the entire site.
- The edges of the site should animate both Finch and McCowan as retail high streets.
- The ideas, where expressed, of the 'faux' Main street retail at at the mall edge (new facade) is what should be looked at for the podiums of the new towers (ie. not faux, but use of brick, traditional retail store fronts etc.)

- The 'Central Park' looks ok, as far as that goes, essentially serving a public square. But its too small if the entire site is redeveloped, and the placement of the buildings and the public road as its edge preclude enlarging it easily in the future. That requires a re-think. The other knock on it is that it isn't particularly easy to access from any portion of the site except the south.
 
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New renderings are updated in the database! The total unit count decreased from 2589 units to 2556 units. The total story count went from 38,36, 30, 26, 23, 23, 13, 14, 14 to 33, 29, 26, 25, 24, 22, 12, 12, 4. The total parking count now is 3310 spaces.

All the new renderings are taken from the architectural plan via Rezoning Submission!
 
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