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Following a Zoning By-Law Amendment (ZBA) application filed last April, a proposal at 75 Broadway Avenue in Toronto’s Yonge and Eglinton area has evolved in order to gain approval for a residential tower on the site. Designed by WZMH Architects for Timbercreek Communities, the application was appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board following the City's failure to render a decision within the 120 day time-limit instituted by the Provnce. The developer, however, is 'productively pursuing efforts to resolve issues' associated with the development with the City's Community Planning, Urban Design and Housing departments. As a result, a number of revisions to the building's height and density, among others, have been made in an amended proposal.
As a Province of Ontario designated ‘Urban Growth Centre’, Yonge and Eglinton has become the subject of large-scale infill efforts, outlined in 'Mid-Town in Focus: Yonge and Eglinton Secondary Plan'. Among other things, growth is incentivized in the area which is on route—thanks to the Crosstown LRT, now under construction—to become a major transit node, thus supporting the area's increasing intensification. All this considered, the City has highlighted the importance of maintaining 'the stability of neighbourhoods' in the area, 'while introducing opportunities for sensitive intensification' to contribute to and support a diverse population.
While the ZBA application is ultimately up for approval or rejection by the OMB, (recently renamed LPAT for Local Planning Appeal Tribunal), the developers are working with the City to address concerns regarding the initial proposal's height and density that exceed what's allowed by the site's zoning by-law. The proposal to build a 40-storey residential tower adjacent to the existing 10-storey building on the same site has been revised down to 38 storeys, reducing its formerly envisioned 402 units to 336. Of these, the proposed mix is 36 bachelor units, 98 one-bedrooms, 70 one-bedroom + dens, 98 two-bedrooms, and 34 two-bedroom + dens.
The existing 10-storey mid-rise building adds 186 units for a total of 520 on the property. It consists of 97 bachelor units, 68 one-bedrooms, and 39 two-bedrooms. 20 of the units, however, would be demolished in the construction process. The tenants affected by this are entitled to replacement units of approximately the same size and rent in the new tower, although with the surging costs of housing in the area, some affected residents are concerned for their living prospects and affordability in the interim. Overall, the total gross floor area (GFA) of both the tower and the existing mid-rise has dropped from 38,800 m2 to 35,750 m2.
The development's initial design had a more consistent and square facade across its 40 storeys. The revision, according to the architects, has included 'portions of its northern and western' form being 'shifted' and manipulated in such a way as to create a 4-storey podium, from which the tower's remaining storeys emerge. The result is that the tower is comprised of seemingly different elements, which has also seen a reduction in floor plates' that presumably account for the decrease in the tower's total unit count (along with the two-storey reduction). From the top of the podium, up to the 10th storey, the tower is flush with the mid-rise building. Lobby entrances into both buildings are accessible from Broadway Avenue, while additional drop-off entrances are accessed from the west side of the tower, and tucked in behind the mid-rise respectively (these are indicated by orange circles in the Site Map image below in this article).
Other revisions to the tower's design include an angled facade that begins on the 10th storey, and gradually rises to hang over the mid-rise building, until straightening up on the 20th storey. This design feature has increased separations between the buildings from 12.5m to 15m. Floor plan revisions were additionally made to accommodate this separation, which has included the removal of balconies that would face the mid-rise building.
As before, two connected underground parking levels, offering a total of 435 parking spaces, service both buildings and will be accessible from a ramp in the southwest corner of the site. Additionally, 520 bicycle parking spaces are provided in underground storage zones and outdoors, at ground level. A private, internal courtyard between both buildings provides landscaped elements, with planters, seating areas and pedestrian walkways with connectivity throughout the site and into each of the buildings.
Front yard spaces proposed along the northerly and westerly frontages of the site are to be widened, where setbacks have been increased from 6m to 7.5m, and from 9.5m to 10.5 respectively. Nearly 3000 m2 total landscaped space is proposed throughout the site. The developer intends to 'considerably enhance' the existing landscaped areas just east of the existing building, including plans to add more soft and hard green spaces, an open lawn, a children's play area, outdoor amenity spaces including a patio, seating, and a BBQ area, as well as an off-leash dog park in the site's southeast corner. Other private amenity spaces are proposed for the development, including a rooftop green space on top of the existing mid-rise building, accessible to all tenants from the 10th floor of the tower.
Privately Owned Public Space (POPS) is additionally being proposed for the northeast corner of the site, fronting Broadway Avenue. A buffer strip along the curb edge allows for a planting zone with landscaped elements, as well as a pedestrian clearway for a more porous and active streetscape at ground level. Following this area south along its eastern property line, more outdoor seating areas, a patio, planters and other amenities will be made available to the buildings' residents.
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