Tucked on the eastern edge of Leaside, Knightstone Capital is proposing to construct a 98-unit, seven-storey condominium at 2 Laird Drive, in the Millwood Road & Malcolm Road area. There are 116 underground parking spaces also included in the proposal. Below is an image of the site as it currently appears as well as a site plan for the development:

The brick building in the centre of the image will be demolished to make way for the condo project, image from Google Earth

Site plan for 2 Laird Drive, image from City of Toronto Planning Application (click on the image to enlarge)

Located at the periphery of a residential area, the parcel of land is in a transitional zone between the commercial/light industrial uses found off of Laird Drive (to the east of the site) and the single storey detached homes and townhouses on the north and west sides of the site. Although slated to be the tallest building in the neighbourhood, the development is not without precedent as there is a five-storey condo one block north on Millwood Road. Whenever intensification is proposed for a community as remarkably stable as Leaside, resistance to the change is to be expected. Local residents and Councillor John Parker have both voiced their support for a residential project on the site but remain concerned over the perceived excessive height of the development. In order to address some of this concern, the building has been designed to step down from seven storeys along Millwood Road to four storeys abutting the single detached homes on Malcolm Road. Below are elevations that illustrate this feature:

Elevations (north & south) for 2 Laird Drive, image from City of Toronto Planning Application

Elevations (east & west) for 2 Laird Drive, image from City of Toronto Planning Application.

Following the local trend set by earlier developments and in deference to the character of the community, Kearns Mancini Architects have opted for a retrained contemporary design for the project. The choice of materials also reflects this with brick forming the predominant exterior cladding for the condo. A conceptual rendering is below: 

Rendering of 2 Laird Drive, image courtesy of Knightstone Capital

What are your thoughts on the project? Will this be a positive addition to Leaside? Start the conversation by posting a comment below.

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