A proposal for an infill tower in Scarborough at 25 Thunder Grove has been resubmitted with changes. The proposal for a 12-storey development was first submitted in mid-2016 for a property at the northeast corner of McCowan and Finch where the is already 1984-built 18-storey rental apartment. This development acts a way of re-assessing these sites, attempting to reach a goal of the Province of Ontario's Places To Grow Act by densifying population in areas where City services already exist.

25 Thunder Grove, 12-storey residential development, image retrieved from Kirkor Architects & Planners.

Designed by Kirkor Architects Planners, the development includes a six-storey base with a recessed upper volume clad in two-tone grey brick. The ground floor of the building includes a lobby, lounge and amenity space accessible to tenants of both the existing and new buildings. There is a total of just over 800 m² of amenity space, with 388 m² of indoor amenity space and 411 m² of outdoor amenity space. Additional spaces include an at-grade community garden and day-care facilities.

The height of the development remains at 12-storeys, however the building has increased in size by 997 m² to accommodate the expansion of 12 additional units. This increase comes from the revision of a 45 degree angular plane applied to the northeast property line, modified to better fit the limit of development.

East view from Sandhurst Circle, image retrieved from Kirkor Architects & Planners.

From the 188 total units, there has been an increase from 78 to 83 one-bedroom units, 88 to 90-two bedroom units, and 10 to 15 three-bedroom units. Of these, 29 are proposed as accessible. Each unit would be provided with either a private patio, balcony or terrace.

Detail of East view, image retrieved from Kirkor Architects & Planners.

The total number of parking spaces on site totals 352 with 282 of the tenant spaces underground. The 70 remaining spaces act as visitor parking, with a reduced surface parking area of 34 spaces and an additional 36 visitor spaces in the underground parkade. The number of drop off sites have also been reduced to maintain a larger landscaped and plaza area, with 55% of the site remaining as landscaped green space. 

Detail of East view, image retrieved from Kirkor Architects & Planners.

Additional accessibility options detailed in the proposal include a total of 128 bicycle spaces—56 proposed for the first floor and the remaining 78 placed within the underground parking levels. Walkways through the site have been widened to improve accessibility and safety. By making these modifications, the developers will preserve existing mature trees and landscaping details, while allowing for larger ground floor windows from the lobby and lounge, also acting as a form of security.

There is an growing movement away from the Le Corbusier inspired suburban parkland, apparent in this and many other developments throughout the GTA. Examples of other tower-in-the-park infill projects similar to 25 Thunder Grove include the developments at 666 Spadina Avenue and High Park Avenue elsewhere in Toronto. 

We will return with updates as additional information on the development emerges. In the meantime, you can see renderings and building facts by visiting the project's dataBase file, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment in the field provided at the bottom of this page.