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The first phase of a major new mixed-use development has been granted zoning approval by City Council for the McCowan and 401 area, just east of Scarborough City Centre. Planned for Progress Avenue between McCowan and Bellamy, the 2.5 million square foot regionalArchitects-designed complex at 675 Progress will include four development blocks consisting of 2,455 residential units, 180,000 square feet of commercial and retail space, as well as parking, community, and amenity spaces. The development will also see the addition of a north/south public street connecting to the interior of the site, and an east/west public street that will form part of a future extension of Bushby Drive.
Phase 1 of the development includes two blocks.
To the west, Block 1 will include a 49-storey tower at the northwest corner and a 40-storey tower at the southwest, rising from a base building between 6 and 8 storeys that includes a three-storey, above-grade parking garage (in addition to a two-storey, below-grade garage), wrapped with residential, retail and office space. The block is separated into two smaller blocks by an east-west vehicular laneway/walkway.
Block 2 is located on the east side of the site, and will contain 34 and 22-storey towers rising from base buildings between 6 and 8 storeys in height, with a total of 587 residential units. Block 2 will be served by a three-storey, above-grade parking garage, as well as two levels of below-grade parking.
The approval permits 1,371 residential units, and 13,900 square metres of non-residential uses , which includes 13,000 square metres of office space, and a 0.203 hectare public park. Approximately 65% of the site will be covered in landscaped permeable surfaces, including 70% green roof coverage, in an effort to meet LEED Gold criteria. Rezoning for the second phase of the development at the south end of the site will follow at a later date.
675 Progress is currently the site of the now vacant low-rise A.G. Simpson Inc. heavy metal stamping plant. Similar light industrial uses are across Progress Avenue to the north. The TTC McCowan yard for the Scarborough RT and a number of established neighbourhoods can be found to the south. To the west a 5-storey RBC office building stands next to two commercial parking lots, while a site owned by the City of Toronto and the Toronto District School Board, intended for a future school and park, lies to the east.
The site is a short walk east of McCowan Scarborough RT station, and a bit longer walk from Scarborough City Centre where a replacement subway station is likely to be built. A bus serving Scarborough City Centre passes by the site along Progress Avenue.
With features like a linear park connecting the two municipal park sites and a variety of land uses, the high-density, mixed-use community keeps with the urban design guidelines being implemented in the area. The McCowan Precinct Conceptual Master Plan calls for on-site art capable of adding interest and creating a sense of place for the community. Current suggestions for 675 Progress' art contribution include the preservation and incorporation of the A.G. Simpson Signage into the design of the planned urban park, as well as other historical site-specific references.
Additional information and images can be found in our dataBase file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum threads, or leave a comment using the space provided at the bottom of this page.
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