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The large-scale redevelopment of the Celestica Lands in the Toronto neighbourhood of Don Mills into the Crosstown Community is getting closer as plans for more of the buildings are progress. The development, spearheaded by Aspen Ridge Homes, is named in reference to the Crosstown LRT that is planned to open in the Fall of 2021 and will include a station on the area's doorstep. Multiple architects and developers are working with Aspen Ridge on the various blocks planned for the new community, including Larco Investments and their designers architectsAlliance on a 27-storey, mixed-use building at Block 5A of the community, seen in light green below.
An application seeking Site Plan Approval from the City builds off of a recent Official Plan Amendment and zoning by-law resulting in a Site and Area Specific Policy that shapes the redevelopment. Located in the interior of the site, north of Eglinton Avenue East and west of Don Mills Road, the building is set to rise along a westerly extension of Wynford Drive carved through the site. It will contain a mix of affordable rental units along with retail, a nursing home, and a daycare facility. A total gross floor area (GFA) of 31,917 m² is proposed, and a height of 92 metres measured to the top of a mechanical penthouse level.
The majority of the proposed GFA, or around 25,000 m², would be built residential space, including both affordable rental units and a nursing home facility. The retail footprint is proposed at 612 m², while the daycare facility would take up 409 m².
The proposal would bring 383 affordable rental units to the community, proposed in a mix of 49 studios, 207 one-bedrooms, 88 two-bedrooms, and 39 three-bedrooms. With 127 of the units to contain two or more bedrooms, the project aims to create ample opportunities for families to take up residence in the tower.
At the base of the tower, the podium would be finished in a mix of limestone and precast cladding, topped by sections of curtainwall glazing and punched windows, both with bird-friendly frit patterns on them. Above, the tower features a pattern of precast panels and punched windows arranged in five sections. As the tower rises, the composition of the gridded sections transitions from primarily precast with slender windows, up to a window wall system with larger windows with slender frames.
You can learn more from our Database file for the project, linked below. If you'd like to, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread, or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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