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Since an application for redevelopment was first submitted in 2014, the plan for the Celestica site at 844 Don Mills Road in North York has undergone numerous changes over the course of the planning process. Nonetheless, with the Crosstown LRT set to have the future Science Centre stop adjacent to this location by 2021, capitalizing on the location through mixed-use intensification and density has continued to be the proposal's mandate, with the most recent evolution offering a more detailed glimpse at the plans.
In July, an updated story regarding a settlement made with the City and the property owners provided. an overview of the plan's evolution up to that point. More recently, an application for a Zoning By-law Amendment and a Draft Plan of Subdivision have been submitted to the City, with the vision for the site taking anther step forward.
Now dubbed "Wynford Green," the project is being developed through a partnership of Diamond Corp., Lifetime Developments, and Context Development. Located on the northwest corner of Eglinton and Don Mills Road, the 60-acre master planned development would feature commercial space, office buildings, and residential uses (in the form of towers and low-rise townhouses), all connected through a series of pedestrian linkages, bike paths, and complete streets, as well as parks and open spaces. Meanwhile, thee Celestica Inc. headquarters would remain on-site, moving into an 8-storey Sweeny & Co-designed building fronting Don Mills.
Overall, the total proposed gross floor area (GFA) for the development is 384,248 m² (over 4.1 million ft²), which is broken down to 300,826 m² of residential use (over 3.2 million ft²), 56,248 m² of office use, 11,126 m² (nearly 120,000 ft²) of retail use, and 16,012 m² (over 170,000 ft²) of space dedicated to recreational uses. The recreational uses include a community centre with a twin-pad hockey arena, indoor basketball courts, and an indoor swimming pool. The Maclennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects-designed community centre would be directly across from a 2.5 acre public park designed to serve as a community hub.
A pedestrian-oriented main street would run through the site, featuring a central plaza, outdoor cafe-style seating, and boutique retail shops that would animate the streetscape.
The site would now be divided into 15 development blocks in lieu of the initial 7 block proposal. A total of 71 new buildings would be constructed, in addition to the partial retention of the site's existing heritage-listed building. While the majority of the buildings would be townhouses, the remainder would be split between residential, office, and institutional structures. The highest densities and tallest buildings would be placed adjacent to the future LRT station at the intersection of Don Mills and Eglinton, with the community centre a block to the north (and immediately south of the C.P. Rail Corridor). Moving west, the proposed heights transition sharply in height and density, with low-rise residential townhouses dominating the central part of the site.
The proposal includes 9 towers, ranging from 15 to 44 storeys in height (135 metres), and mostly clustered near Don Mills. Retail would occupy the first podium levels of the residential towers, while the 3 office buildings—8, 8, and 9 storeys tall— would also feature commercial use at-grade. Finally, the townhouses would be no taller than 4 storeys (or 13 metres).
Whereas the original proposal included 2,897 residential units, the updated proposal calls for 3,887 units; split in a wide range of housing options including mid to high-rise towers and townhouses. Additionally, as per an agreement with the City, an area of land would be dedicated to the provision of affordable housing units.
The residential unit mix calls for 2,293 one-bedroom, 921 two-bedroom, and 673 units of three or more bedrooms. The size of the units range from 538 ft² to just over 1,000 ft². TACT Arcchitecture are the architectural team behind the townhouses, while Giannone Petracone Associates Inc. Architects are designing on the residential towers.
In total, 4,227 on-site vehicle parking spots are proposed. Of these, 3,101 spaces would be residential, and 881 would be commercial spaces, with the rest being visitor/commercial parking. Underground parking for residential towers and office buildings would be available, while 288 spaces would be located in attached street-level garages. As per Zoning By-law 569-2013, the project would include the minimum bicycle parking supply, with 3,398 long-term spaces, and 538 short-term spaces. Additionally, 21 loading spaces would be accessed throughout the site.
Over 13,000 m² of total amenity space is also proposed, with 11,483 m² of indoor and 2,133 m² of outdoor amenity space provided. Meanwhile, a key feature of the project is the underground connection to the future Science Centre LRT station. Blocks 1, 4, and 7 would all have a shared underground parking garage that would have direct access to the LRT station. (For reference, the rendering below depicts block 7 on the left side along Eglinton, while block 1 is on the right side, fronting Don Mills).
We will keep you updated as the submitted applications makes its way through the planning process. In the meantime, feel free to comment your thoughts on this project in the space provided below. Want to join in on the conversation? Our associated Forum thread is home to the ongoing discussion regarding this project.
