Almost one year since the mid-October 2015 start of demolition activity in Toronto's Lawrence Heights community, construction of the soon-to-be-rebuilt neighbourhood's first major market condominium development is in full swing. Context and Metropia's The Yorkdale Condominiums will rise at the north end of the community, across from Yorkdale subway station and south of the shopping centre of the same name. Located on either side of Allen Road, the 14 and 15-storey buildings will create a northern gateway to Lawrence Heights with matching designs by KPMB Architects and architects of record Page + Steele / IBI Group.

Excavation for The Yorkdale Condominiums, just west of Allen Road, image by Forum contributor PMT

Demolition for the first phase was in full swing by February, followed by the start of shoring work earlier this Summer. Shoring activity is now practically complete on the large site of the first phase, and excavation of the project's below-grade levels is well underway. With a large, open staging area, progress at the site has moved at a brisk pace over the last few months, and is expected to continue at a rapid rate.

Excavation for The Yorkdale Condominiums, just west of Allen Road, image by Forum contributor PMT

On the east side of Allen Road, plans are now in motion for the 15-storey second phase of the development following a June 2016 application for Site Plan Approval at 1 Leila Lane. This component would include 308 condominium units, as well as 78 rental replacement units housed within an 8-storey section, 420 parking spaces and 323 bike parking spaces.

South view of phases 1 (right) and 2 (left), image courtesy of Context/Metropia

The City and Toronto Community Housing Corporation's (TCHC) 20-year redevelopment of the Lawrence Heights community will eventually replace a total of 1,208 rent-geared-to-income units with new subsidized housing units, while the addition of 4,092 market-priced units will add some socioeconomic variety to the neighbourhood.

We will keep you updated as the revitalization project continues to take shape. In the meantime, additional information and renderings can be found in our dataBase files, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum threads, or leave a comment in the space provided at the bottom of this page.