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In previous days we have covered three areas of Toronto to watch for development in 2015, discussing the Yonge-Eglinton, St. Clair West, and Bloor-Yorkville in detail. Today we return with a overview of active construction projects and proposals in the works in central and east North York.
Much of the development in North York is tied to corridors along Yonge Street and Sheppard Avenue East, the primary north/south and east/west thoroughfares of the transforming suburb. Starting with the Sheppard corridor east of Highway 404, we will work our way west along Sheppard, covering the many projects along the way, before turning up Yonge Street to cover North York's north/south axis of development.
Among the larger developments under construction in North York, Tridel and Dorsay Development Corporation's Atria is now taking shape at 2205 Sheppard Avenue East, just east of Highway 404. The three-tower condominium complex will feature towers with heights of 43, 23, and 17 storeys.
A short distance to the west, Tribute Communities plans to bring a massive mixed-use development to the area, called Imperial Square. The development, which is currently in its planning stages, would consist of three condominium towers proposed at 26, 34 and 43 storeys, plus a four-storey mall component fronting onto Sheppard Avenue East.
A slight jog to the south, a new Audi Dealership is being built at 243-255 Consumers Rd near the 401 and 404 interchange. The six-storey, Teeple Architects-designed project is being built on land formerly part of the Parkway Place business park, sold to Audi in 2013. While not showing the materials that will be used to finish the building, elevation drawings from city planning documents hint at a bold, inventive design.
On property just to the east of the Audi dealership, Agellan Capital Partners is planning another car dealership at its Parkway Place office complex to replace surface parking. Parking would be moved to a new garage on the site. Both proposed structures are still moving through the planning process.
Across the 404 at 150 Fairview Mall Drive, on the north side of the shopping centre of the same name, FRAM Building Group's Soul Condos will rise 18 storeys, adding 250 condos to the area, ranging in size from 364 square-feet to 1000 square-feet. The project is currently in its registration phase.
On the south side of Fairview Mall, Biyu Condos at Emerald City will be the next phase in ELAD Canada's master-planned Emerald City community at Don Mills and Sheppard. The 13-storey WZMH Architects-designed condominium development is currently in its registration phase, with sales expected to commence shortly.
Two subway stops to the west, just steps from Bessarion Station, Concord Adex's master-planned Concord Park Place community continues to grow. New phase Opus officially launched in 2013 while Omega on the Park kicked off its registration phase in 2014. The 36- and 35-storey Page + Steele / IBI Group Architects-designed condominium towers will add a combined 724 condominium units to the Park Place community. Opus is already under construction, while sales are under way for Omega.
Adjacent to the Opus and Omega sites, the crane is down and construction is wrapping up at the site of Tango2 at Concord Park Place. Work on the 20-storey, Page + Steele / IBI Group Architects-designed condominium tower will finish in 2015, marking the latest completion at Concord Park Place which saw Tango open in 2014.
On the north side of Sheppard at Bessarion Station, buildings have been cleared and heavy machinery is now active at the site of Broccolini and Park Towns Developments Inc.'s Park Towns Bayview and Sheppard. The development will include 50 SMV Architects-designed, 4-storey townhouses tucked behind a new Mountain Equipment Co-Op retail location.
A couple block to the west is the site of a mid-rise development, Castle Group Developments' Insignia Residences, planned for the Sheppard and Cusack Ct. intersection. The seven-storey HCA Architecture-designed Insignia is currently in its registration phase and is expected to begin marketing this year.
Another block and a half to the west there is a proposal seeking to add a 10-storey mixed use building containing 186 units, two floors of retail and office space along the street frontage, and a new place of worship to replace an existing facility at 593 Sheppard Avenue East. The Liberty Developments proposal has faced opposition from the city, specifically related to the building's massing and the 1:1 building height to street width ratio policy called for in the Secondary Plan. The Wayne Long-designed development will have a hearing before the OMB in April, 2015.
Closer to the Bayview-Sheppard intersection, Chestnut Hill Developments and Fortress Real Developments' Lotus Condos is an 11-storey, Kirkor Architects Planners-designed condominium that will bring 244 condominium units to the neighbourhood. Located immediately across from Bayview Village Shopping Centre, the development is in the midst of launching now.
Across Bayview on the north side, plans are in the works for a new development at 500 Sheppard East by Mallpaks Developments. Seeking 29 and 5-storey buildings containing 220 units, the Page + Steele / IBI Group Architects-designed development will have an OMB hearing in March to determine its fate.
Further west on Sheppard at Willowdale, a new mixed-use building called Monocle Condos has been proposed. The 7-storey, Teeple Architects-designed building would contain 22 residential units and ground floor commercial uses. Monocle would replace the existing Eyes On Sheppard optometry clinic which has operated at 180 Sheppard West for over 25 years.
Just short of Yonge Street, also on the north side of Sheppard, Minto Group's Rafael + Bigauskas Architects-designed 88 Condos is now topping off at its final height of 35 storeys.
Also just east of Yonge Street and south of Sheppard, construction is making significant progress at the site of Devron Developments' Flo Condominiums, named for the Florence and Bales intersection it occupies. The 11-storey, Kirkor Architects-designed condominium development is almost at its final height and will be topping off soon.
Nearby to the northwest, the cranes have been removed and construction is nearing completion at the site of Metropia, Bazis and Plaza's Emerald Park Condos. The 42- and 33-storey towers designed by architect Rosario Varacalli will be the largest project to complete in North York this year, with 564 condominium units, plenty of retail space and indoor access to Sheppard-Yonge subway station serving the TTC's Lines 1 and 4.
Just across Bogert Ave to the north of Emerald Park is a large surface parking lot. At the southwest corner of Yonge and Sheppard, it is known by its address of 4800 Yonge. Back in 2011, renderings surfaced depicting a 25-storey Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates-designed office tower on the site, but almost four years later, no concrete plans have come to fruition. When the market for office space in North York improves, we can expect plans for the site to resurface.
Kitty corner across the bustling Yonge-Sheppard intersection to the northeast, RioCan and KingSett Capital's Yonge Sheppard Centre is soon to get a major overhaul led by Quadrangle Architects. The existing retail facility will be extensively renovated and modernized both inside and out, while a new 39-storey residential tower is proposed.
Nearby on Hollywood Avenue at Yonge, Conservatory Group is following on the success of their Pearl Condos project with a second phase, being marketed as Pearl Place. Designed by Zeidler Partnership Architects, the 34-storey, mixed-use development would occupy an entire block between Hollywood Avenue and Spring Garden Avenue, adding 431 residential units plus two floors of retail to the area. The project is currently in its registration phase.
A few blocks north on Yonge Street, construction at Menkes Developments' Gibson Square is all but complete, with occupancy reportedly slated for Spring. Designed by Rafael + Bigauskas Architects with Stephenson Engineering, the twin 42-storey towers are located on Park Home Avenue, just west of Yonge Street near North York Centre subway station.
Continuing north on Yonge Street, Sorbara Group's Beacon Condos will add a 35-storey, Wallman Architects and Rafael + Bigauskas Architects-designed condominium tower above a large retail podium.
Further north, Shiu Pong's Celsius Condo is now topped off at 18 storeys, with cladding sealing off the upper floors of the Kirkor Architects-designed condominium development. The project is adding 232 condo units to Horsham Avenue, just west of Yonge Street and a few blocks south of Finch Avenue.
Further north again but on the east side of Yonge, a large mixed-use redevelopment of Newtonbrook Plaza would add 1,674 residential units, at- grade retail uses and office uses in four buildings with heights of 28, 36, 36 and 44 storeys. An OMB hearing is currently set for mid-September 2015 to determine the future of this project.
Just northwest of the Yonge-Finch intersection, Wycliffe Homes' Hendon Park Towns will bring seven SRN Architects Inc.-designed blocks with 113 residential units to Eldora Avenue. The project is currently in its sales phase.
Registration is under way for Ghods Builders Inc.'s 5959 Yonge Street, a 31- and 43-storey pair of Kirkor Architects-designed condominium towers set to rise from the eponymous address at Yonge and Cummer. The project is offering suites ranging in size from 500 ft² to 750 ft², and a wide selection of amenities, including an innovative glass multi-sport LED fitness court with adjustable lines that allow a dozen different sports.
There is a whole lot to look forward to development-wise in 2015, and we will return soon with previews covering other major nodes in the GTA. For additional information and renderings about the projects mentioned in this article, check out the dataBase files listed below.
