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The first phase of Aoyuan International's M2M Condos community is preparing for its rise at the south end of the 32,000 m² former Newtonbrook Plaza site at Yonge and Cummer in North York. The five-tower Wallman Architects-designed development, named for the local postal code, has been underway since mid-2019, when demolition began to clear away the former retail plaza and an adjacent office building.
Demolition activity wrapped up last Fall, paving the way for the start of shoring and excavation activities. Months later, excavation activity is removing more of the earth alongside the shoring piles. As the pit gets deeper, more timber lagging is added between the piles—the piles are steel I-beams inserted vertically into the ground to a depth greater than the excavation—to create the shoring walls. Crews are excavating to a depth of four storeys to make way for the complex's foundations and underground parking levels. This task is moving gradually from south to north, with the initial focus placed on the site's south end where the community's first two towers will soon rise. Site photos reveal that excavation has progressed roughly halfway towards the pit's eventual 13.3-metre depth below street level.
M2M's initial phase will include 34 and 36-storey condominium towers with a total of 810 units atop a commercial/retail podium. Three additional buildings will follow to the north.
The M2M community's sales success may be stimulating other large-scale redevelopments in the area, with the recently-proposed 5800 Yonge Street complex mirroring M2M's scale on the west side of Yonge Street.
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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