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If you have driven down Highway 427 recently, you may have noticed the new outcrop of towers that has sprouted up along the side of the highway between Bloor Street and Burnhamthorpe Road. The area is being referred to by various developers and the City as a gateway into Toronto, signalling proximity to the interchange with the Gardiner for visitors arriving from Pearson. Now, KingSett Capital is proposing to expand this visual gateway by adding further density along the 427 corridor on their site at 300 The East Mall.
Currently occupied by three 6-to-9-storey office buildings along with a surface parking lot, KingSett is aiming to replace these with a three-tower development that also includes a mid-rise building and a public park. The site is bordered by the highway to the west, Gibbs Road to the north, The East Mall to the east, and Bloor Street to the south. The proposal brings further density to an already developing area, with the five-tower development Valhalla Town Square beginning construction immediately to the north, and the three-tower complex One Valhalla now completed just north of that. KingSett submitted the new development for rezoning application in October, 2018, and a revised version was recently presented to the Toronto Design Review Panel for their feedback.
The 300 East Mall development proposes to divide the site into two segments by a north-south private road that connects Bloor to Gibbs, and aligns itself with the north-south road cutting through the development to the north. The western portion contains the three towers along with a central POPS, while the eastern portion contains the mid-rise building and public park.
Designed by Quadrangle, the towers rise 36, 27, and 21 storeys and sit atop a shared 2-to-4-storey podium. The towers are arranged around a central courtyard fronting onto the north-south road, which will contain the POPS. The tower designs have been modified from what was initially proposed, with the design team altering the cladding to create greater diversity and differentiation between the tower forms while still maintaining some resemblance between the three. Their heights have also been reduced from their previous counts of 40, 33, and 25 storeys.
In the eastern portion, the mid-rise building has been reduced from 12 storeys to 10, and steps down to the east to 6 storeys (previously 8 storeys). To the south of the mid-rise, located directly at the corner of Bloor and The East Mall, is the public park, measuring a total of 2,040 m² which represents roughly 15% of the total site area. Retail spaces are located in the ground level of the mid-rise building, fronting directly onto the park and onto The East Mall.
Other changes to the proposal include the removal of all above-grade parking; the addition of office space within the tower podium; an increase in the tower separation distance; the conversion of the west building vehicular drop off area to pedestrian open space; and the widening of the north-south road from 18.5 to 20 metres.
The Panel was very happy with the proposal, complementing the design team on a successfully arranged site plan. They approved of the design changes to the towers, heights, and massing, calling it a "skillful evolution of the design" and remarking that "where it was to where it's come is a huge improvement". As is customary, they suggested some further adjustments to the proposal, particularly concerning the public realm.
Much of the criticism revolved around the central north-south street. Panelists questioned what the proposed character of the street was, and urged the design team not to "underestimate what the street could become given the population of people in the development". Currently, the western side of the street is fronted by the POPS, the vehicular entrance to the underground parking garage, and townhouse units, while the eastern side of the street is fronted by the lobby of the mid-rise, the entrance to its parking garage, and the public park.
Panel members questioned why townhouse units were placed fronting onto the north-south street as well as onto Gibbs Road, which serves as an on-ramp onto Highway 427. They stated that townhouses tend to limit the potential for future uses, and perhaps it would not be best to place them on the important north-south street, or onto the highway access road. They suggested perhaps commercial spaces or destination retail that does not rely on foot traffic, such as dental offices, might better serve the street frontage. One panelist suggested flipping the mid-rise building, and having the retail front onto the north-south street and having the residential uses front onto The East Mall instead. In general, they encouraged the design team to consider the nature of the streets in and around the proposal and how the buildings and uses could better respond to them.
Other critiques included striving for a greater emphasis on the sustainability of the development, more variation in the proposed green roofs, and careful consideration of the design of the POPS in order to maintain it as a vibrant public space.
One Panel member raised an interesting point that sparked a debate between panelists, questioning the appropriateness of developing residential uses adjacent to major 400-series highways. The Panel member rejected the idea of putting balconies overlooking the highway, citing noise and air quality concerns that would greatly impact quality of life in these residences. This comment has been raised by the Panel before, as there is significant density currently being added along all of Toronto's major highways. The Panel urged City Planning to conduct studies on the matter, and to determine the health risks and appropriateness of building residences next to highways.
As a result of the highway discussion, a condition was added to the Panel's vote that "the project evolve with consideration of the site-specific condition of being next to the 427". Several Panel members objected to burdening this particular development with the responsibility of addressing the highway concerns and felt that was more the responsibility of the City, but they agreed to the more vaguely-worded statement that focused on this specific site.
The final vote was unanimous support, on the condition that the adjacency to the highway be taken into consideration moving forward.
We will keep you updated as 300 The East Mall continues to move through the planning process, but in the meantime, you can join in on the discussion by checking out the associated Forum thread, or by leaving a comment in the space provided on this page.
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