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With three parts of Toronto now covered by our annual Growth To Watch For series, we are continuing our trip through the west side of the City. A few days ago, we published the Growth To Watch For 2017: South Etobicoke instalment, ending at Berry Road and Stephen Drive in the Stonegate area. Today we head west on Berry and then up Prince Edward Drive to Dundas West, where we start exploring again. We will cross Etobicoke westwards along Dundas before checking out development along the Highway 427 corridor, and then head eastwards back into town along Bloor. The area we will cover is outlined in red on the map below.
Proposed for a site just above the Humber River Valley, 4125 Dundas West is an 8-storey building that would replace three low-rise buildings. Designed by TACT Architecture, this wood terraced-design will see retail animating the ground level, with 106 residential units occupying the upper 7 floors.
A block west, the proposal at 4195 Dundas Street West by Dunpar Homes is looking to bring Paris-inspired architecture to this stretch of Dundas. Designed by Turner Fleischer Architects, the 8-storey mixed-use building will have 166 residential units, while the first two levels of the building would have significant commercial/retail space.
On the north side of Dundas across from 4195 is the future site of Kingsway by the River. Developed by Urban Capital Property Group and Northam Realty Advisors, this project designed by Wallman Architects will add an 8-storey seniors building on Dundas, plus townhomes and a 21-storey condo tower to the north, dramatically sited over the Humber Valley parks. The development will also provide retail space at grade along Dundas.
A little to the west we turn north on Royal York Road, where we soon come to Humbertown Plaza. When a proposal to redevelop the site was put forth in 2012, locals mostly met the plan with hostility. Through the planning process, the proposal was significantly modified and now has zoning approval. Things are currrently quiet on the First Capital Realty project, but when it gets going again, Tridel will be building the residential here in four buildings ranging up to 21 storeys high. To include public space and office uses along with rebuilding the retail spaces, the new Humbertown is designed by Kirkor Architects and LGA Architectural Partners.
Just north of the Humbertown Plaza, The Elia Corporation has a proposal for a six building redevelopment of an existing low-rise residential site at 289-291 The Kingsway. With buildings ranging in height from 6 to 16-storeys, the Quadrangle Architects-designed project would see over 600 new residential units, and 103 replacement units onsite. The proposal was heard earlier this month by the OMB, and a decision is expected in the next several weeks.
Returning to Dundas, we head west through Islington Village before coming across one of the most perplexing parts of Central Etobicoke; the Six Points interchange. This is where Kipling, Bloor, and Dundas all intersect through a series of ramps. What was a forward-thinking interchange in the 1960s, has been stifling development of a real downtown for Etobicoke ever since. Starting in March, construction will finally begin to realign the intersecting streets after the better part of ten years of planning. Pre-construction work has already begun—site clearing, tree removal, preloading, etc.—for the new roads that will make the area works for pedestrians and cyclists too, not just cars. Staged completion is expected for 2020.
Continuing one block further west, our next stop is at the future site of Dundas & Aukland, a 40-storey rental tower developed by Main and Main and designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects. A Site Plan Approval (SPA) application was filed for the mixed-use project in 2016. The older buildings on the site are boarded up and construction should begin soon.
Just to the south of Dundas down Aukland, a new MiWay and GO Bus Terminal is coming to Kipling station. Last year, the City of Toronto approved selling the land to Metrolinx to create the new terminal, and an RFQ was issued in December. The winning bidder will be announced this year, with the intention of opening the new terminal in 2019. GO and Mississauga Transit bus routes which currently serve Islington Station will have shorter drives, and alleviate some traffic in the area.
Two properties west of Kipling station is the The Kip District. A master-planned community, the five residential buildings are being developed by Concert Properties. Construction of the Page and Steele / IBI Group-designed 28-storey first phase condo tower, C on the plan below, reached grade in late 2016. Towers D and E, designed by Quadrangle Architects, have been submitted to the City for approval.
Immediately west of The Kip, the first phase of the new Pinnacle Etobicoke development has been submitted to the City. Eight towers are planned to be built by Pinnacle International on an assembly of several properties, the first of which is a 25-storey mixed-use condo with retail and office space designed by Turner Fleischer Architects. DThe development's towers—proposed in the 20-30-storey range—will replace several strip plaza buildings over several years.
Down the street, an application has been made for Site Plan Approval at 5500 Dundas West. This would be to construct a 2-storey, Turner Fleischer-designed commercial building that would replace an auto dealership.
Crossing to the west side of Highway 427, we move up to Bloor Street, just shy of the Mississauga boundary. Across from the Markland Wood Golf Course at Bloor is the ten-storey Renaissance Apartments. Built in the 60s, the building is a tower-in-the-park style development sitting on expansive grounds. Now, a 9-storey building will be added along Bloor Street, while a 3-storey building will be built at the south end of the site. Designed by Chu Architects Inc., the two new buildings will add 164 new units to the property.
Back by the 427, and just off The West Mall north of Bloor, the first two towers are up at Tridel's West Village Etobicoke. Since their completion a couple of years ago, there has been no news about when marketing for the two remaining towers at the site might start. They will eventually rise to 16 and 27 storeys to complete the development.
Heading north on The West Mall, we come upon the Etobicoke Civic Centre at Burnhamthorpe Road. The City of Toronto has decided to move the Civic Centre to the Six Points area to help create a new downtown for Etobicoke, so in a few years we will hear of a redevelopment coming to the West Mall site, likely to be a mixed-use complex.
Further north, just shy of Rathburn Road, is another tower-in-the-park infill development planned at 555 The West Mall. Designed by Architecture Unfolded, the 24-storey rental apartment by Starlight Investments will add 293 units upon completion.
A couple blocks north of Rathburn, another tower-in-the-park development is proposed at 70 Dixfield Drive. Developed by H&R Developments, the infill project includes a row of 3-storey townhomes and a 6-storey rental building fronting The West Mall, all designed by CGL Architects.
Crossing to the other side of the 427, Lanterra's proposal for two towers and a retail plaza redevelopment at 600 & 620 The East Mall has gone quiet. After City Planning initially announced that they had reached a settlement with Lanterra which would be ratified at a June 2014 OMB hearing, things have gone quiet.
To the south just before Burnhamthorpe Road, is a 1960s medical centre soon to be demolished for the East Mall Town Homes. A project by Haven Developments, there is planned as three stacked townhouse blocks which would contain 60 units. The development is designed by Graziani + Corazza Architects.
Heading south on the East Mall past Burnhamthorpe, we pass by where 'Thunderbird', the last phase of One Valhalla will complete this year. While developer Edilcan finishes up on that site, they have now applied to redevelop the site to the south. Currently a single-storey office building, 2 Gibbs Road could soon be home to a campus of residential towers and townhomes. Planned by Page + Steele / IBI Group, also the architects of One Valhalla, 2 Gibbs is similarly proposed to have its towers surround a central park space.
Arriving back at Bloor Street, we turn east and head toward downtown. Long before we get to Downtown Toronto though, we end up back at the Six Points interchange. Over the next couple of years the bridges will come down here and a new road network suitable for a walkable, bikeable, Downtown for Etobicoke will take its place. Here is where the City plans to build the new Etobicoke Civic Centre. Stage 1 of a Design Competition for the site recently closed. The new centre would likely not be open for several years.
Just across the rail corridor to the south of the Six Points is the site of ConneXion by North Star Homes. Just in the early stages of construction, this project designed by TACT Architecture will see 150 stacked townhouses added to this area near Bloor and Islington.
To the northeast across Bloor and the rail corridor, we find another construction site, this one for Islington Terrace. Developed by Tridel and designed by Kirkor Architects, workers are currently excavating the site that will bring three towers which will reach 35, 38, and 45 storeys upon completion.
Returning to Bloor, we enter The Kingsway area where a long run of mid-rise Avenues style proposals starts, and continues for several kilometres eastward.
First up in this stretch is 3005 Bloor West, a car wash site now owned by ONE Properties who are planning a 6-storey residential and retail building here, steps from Royal York subway station. While no official application has been submitted to the City, an early conceptual rendering has been released.
Next up is a proposal at 2955-2961 Bloor, long the site of a Swiss Chalet restaurant. It is proposed to be redeveloped as a 7-storey mid-rise residential rental building with retail at grade. Designed by Core Architects, the 86 suite building was first designed in a modern style, before being redesigned with a more traditional red brick exterior to satisfy some residents of the area.
Just a few properties east, we come across the recently revised 2915 Bloor West proposal. This 8-storey mixed-use condominium is being developed by Fieldgate Homes and Dorsay Development Corporation. Replacing the single-storey Kingsway Medical Centre, this TACT Architecture-designed development will add 126 residential units to the Kingsway neighbourhood.
Several blocks east, across from the Park Lawn Cemetery we come upon 2800 Bloor West where a 1950s low-rise modernist building is currently being demolished. This is to make way for 4 The Kingsway. Once cleared, construction will begin on the 8-storey Richard Wengle-designed building, a North Drive Investments project with 41 luxury condominium suites.
Crossing the Humber River, we come to a landmark well known in Bloor West Village area, the Humber Cinema. It and four other 2-storey buildings will be demolished if a 14-storey midrise proposed by Plaza is approved. Currently referred to by its address, 2452 Bloor West would bring 244 residential units accompanied by retail at grade, as the Quadrangle Architects design of the building seeks to renew this block of the popular shopping strip.
Further east we go, and next up is 2265 Bloor West. Approved by the OMB at 7 storeys, the Harrington Developments project will see residential sites above and retail at grade. The TACT Architecture-designed building is at the City for Site Plan Approval.
Continuing east past Runnymede, 2117 Bloor West was approved by City Council late in 2016. Rising 8 storeys, the building will have commercial space at ground level facing Bloor Street, along with 60 residential units above. Designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects, this Main and Main project should soon be seeking site plan approval.
Right across the street from 2117 Bloor West, is the site of Picnic, the second phase of North Drive's The High Park. Coming in at 8 storeys, this mixed-use mid-rise designed by Quadrangle will feature retail at-grade, while 7 levels of residential units will rise above. The project was in sales early last year, with demolition of the existing buildings on the site having been completed recently. Excavation is now starting.
Two blocks east is The High Park, phase one of the two-building development by North Drive Investments. At 1990 Bloor West, it will be completed later this year. Directly north of the actual High Park, this 11-storey mid-rise contains 104 condo suites, in addition to ground level retail.
While 'The High Park' is located at the west exit of the High Park subway station, a unique proposal has been received by the City at the main exit. We should find out this year if a unique plan for micro retail shops and a daycare beside the High Park subway station bus loop will be approved.
Just north of High Park subway station, three densification projects are at various stages in amongst the tower-in-the-park apartment blocks here.
Between Quebec and High Park avenues, the furthest along the planning process is Grenadier Square. Being developed by High Park Bayview and GWL Realty Advisors, the Zeidler Partnership Architects-designed project consists of two 25-storey towers, each with 269 units, replacing low-rise townhome units. With zoning approved, the proposal was submitted for Site Plan Approval in 2016.
A block east between High Park and Pacific avenues, an application to intensify High Park Village was received by the City in December. This towers-in-the-park infill proposal would see the addition of over 1000 residential units through four new buildings, reaching 8, 29, 34, and 39 storeys. Ground level retail in an area that currently does not have it, would animate the street realm.
One more block east between Pacific and Oakmount avenues is 111 Pacific Avenue, the most recent intensification proposal to be submitted to the City here. Here, two new towers with podiums and standalone townhome buildings are proposed to be added to a site which already has three apartment buildings. No renderings have been published for the Hariri Pontarini Architects design yet, but new buildings would range from 2 to 33 storeys.
A couple of long blocks to the north of those sites in amongst the homes of a low-rise residential neighbourhood, a church conversion is planned at 260 High Park Avenue at Annette. Designed by Turner Fleischer Architects, the plan calls for a modern L-shaped 4-storey addition extending from the church, and enclosing a central courtyard.
A few blocks to the east, a proposal for a 4-storey, 52 unit redevelopment of 200 Keele Street has been submitted to the City. Designed by Ramonov Ramonov Architects, this building would include 15 rental replacement units for the townhomes currently on the site, while adding 37 new condominium suites.
Site Plan Approval is under review for LNX Condos at 2376 Dundas St West. A complicated site owing to its location beside the Bloor GO and UPX station, the proposal has been under SPA review since 2013, with revisions made in the last two years that have now satisfied Metrolinx. Developed by Lormel Homes and designed by Richmond Architects, marketing should begin in 2017. The proposal consists of a 23-storey condo tower to the east, with an 8-storey mid-rise to be built along Dundas. The TTC's Dundas West subway station is right across the street.
Passing under the rail corridor, the Barrett Architect-designed 1439 Bloor West is steps away from the West Toronto Rail Trail and Bloor GO/UPX station. The Neudorfer Corporation development has its approvals and is set to rise 14 storeys. This rental apartment building will include two retail units at-grade, and contain 182 units.
From here, we head south on Perth Avenue, which takes us to Sterling Road, where we find a sprawling, multi-phase redevelopment of former industrial lands, centred on the renewal of the 10-storey Tower Automotive building by developers Castlepoint Numa and Greybrook Realty. Branded as various components of the Lower JCT, their developments here start with West TWNS. A site plan application was filed for his townhome project in March, 2016. It consists of 32 three-storey towns, and was designed by TACT Architects.
Next up is Museum FLTS. This unique ten-storey condominium features staggered perforated aluminum-walled boxes protruding from the north and south elevations. Designed by architectsAlliance, the building will contain 150 suites, retail at ground level, and will form the north side of a courtyard shared with Tower Automotive, now known as Auto BLDG, and the Draft BLDG.
The 1920-built heritage industrial Auto BLDG will be the new home of the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto Canada, or MOCA. Formerly known as MoCCA in its last incarnation in the West Queen West area, the museum is due to reopen this fall on the first three floors of the reborn tower. The museum space is an architectsAlliance design, with ERA Architects overseeing the restoration work on the bulk of the building. Upper floors are being leased as office space.
Next up for the site is the Draft BLDG, "hugging" the Auto BLDG's south side. Rising eight storeys, this building is meant for office spaces on the upper floors, while its name is owed to its ground floor being the new home of manufacturing operations for the Indie Ale House. SvN Architects and Planners are the designers here.
The Indie Ale House will also open a tasting room and restaurant on the ground floor, and that will spill out into the courtyard in amongst all of these buildings. The space will be another of Toronto's new POPS, or Privately Owned Publicly accessible Spaces, and it will also be fronted with restaurants and shops on the ground floor of the Museum FLTS. building.
Leaving this site, we progress around the Barrie GO rail corridor to the east, and find ourselves on St. Helen's Avenue, where the foundation levels are being poured for Aragon Properties' Enigma on the Park. Designed by Quadrangle Architects, this 9-storey condo and office complex will bring 86 residential units to a property along the north edge of McGregor Park. Work will carry throughout the year and into 2018.
After making our way back to Bloor, we cross Lansdowne and continue several blocks until arriving at Dufferin Street. It's here on the southwest corner where plans for a huge redevelopment were announced in December. The 7.3 acre site which runs nearly all the way to Brock Street, was sold to Capital Developments, Timbercreek Assent Management, and Metropia. They've got Hariri Pontarini Architects working on a master plan for the site to create a mixed-use community, combining housing, community services, and new public space. Two TDSB high schools will also relocate, with Bloor Collegiate Institute and Alpha II Senior Alternative School moving to the former Brockton High School site just to the south. We should know a lot more about the plans here later this year.
A couple blocks past Dufferin, we head north on Bartlett Avenue to Lanehouse on Bartlett is nearing completion. Developed by Curated Properties and designed by AUDAX architecture, this project consists of a set of 3-storey row townhouses lining an alley running off of Bartlett. The project's 16 units will begin occupancy in the coming months.
Our next stop is at 918 Bloor West. Here, a proposal would replace a rather grim-looking 2-storey building that exists currently. Designed by SG&M Architects, this project would see the building reach 5 storeys with commercial use at grade, and include 12 residential units. An SPA was recently filed at the City.
Dufferin-Bloor Re-do!
The tour along Bloor now takes us to Dovercourt Village and Ossington Avenue. While no official applications have been put forth to the City, land owner Old Stonehenge Development Corporation of 874 Bloor West, is considering a new two-storey retail building, or a six-storey building with residential units atop the commercial space. The second version is shown below. Architecture is by Studio JCI.
We're going to end this tour along Bloor at the redevelopment site of Westbank's Mirvish Village. With Honest Ed's now closed, and the shops of Mirvish Village relocating elsewhere, a recent resubmission of plans for Mirvish Village has brought the density down (from over rental 1,000 suites to 806), the heights down (shorter street walls, and a 28-storey tallest building), saving more of the heritage Victorian buildings, and adding more public green space. Some of the improvements to the public realm are coming from moving all of the loading underground, freeing up more space for people above. Designing this large undertaking are Henriquez Partners Architects, ERA Architects handling heritage aspects, and Janet Rosenberg + Studio designing the landscape elements.
That completes our tour of development happening in this part of Toronto. There's still lots more to some in out Growth To Watch For series, with plenty more areas to show off in the coming weeks, and we're heading up to soon-to-blossom Dupont Street next. If you would like to learn more about a specific project, click on the project dataBase files, linked below. Want to share your thoughts on this list? Feel free to drop a comment in the space provided below, or join in the ongoing conversations in the associated Forum threads.
