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A proposal submitted to the City of Toronto at the tail end of 2018 has evolved through a resubmission, again seeking rezoning to permit a three-tower condominium complex for Scarborough's Kennedy and Highway 401 area. Part of an emerging hub of density that includes Tridel's Metrogate community and the multi-tower redevelopment of the Delta Toronto East hotel, the proposal by KingSett Capital for 2075 Kennedy Road has been revised again following an updated plan presented to the Design Review Panel in late 2019.
The latest submission for the Quadrangle-designed project scales back the plan somewhat, with all three towers now reduced in height from the initial submission. The southwest and southeast towers, previously planned with heights of 37 and 38 storeys and a shared seven-storey podium, are now proposed at 34-storeys each, rising from a shared five-storey podium. The north tower, initially proposed at 39 storeys with a seven-storey podium, is now planned at 36 storeys with a two-storey podium. The towers would reach heights of 118.4, 118.4, and 123 metres. An office tower on the site that faces Kennedy Road and its parking structure would be retained.
Despite reductions in height and podium massing, the complex's total gross floor area (GFA) has actually increased in the updated proposal, rising from 80,013 m² to 80,553 m². The GFA is primarily residential space, with 79,242 m² (accounting for over 98% of the floor area) divided amongst 950 units (an increase from the previous plan's 930 units) now proposed in a mix of 564 one-bedrooms, 284 two-bedrooms, and 102 three-bedroom units. The remaining GFA would include 622 m² of retail space and 689 m² of office space.
Several other design changes have been incorporated, as well as revisions to the tower massings, the configuration of building interiors, and site planning including access points and landscaping. Among the massing changes, the separation between the southeast and southwest towers has increased from 25 metres to 28.6 metres at the request of City Staff, to exceed the City's Tall Building Guidelines. Similarly, podium setbacks from lot lines have been increased across the site, resulting in the development's lot coverage decreasing from 51% in the initial proposal to 38% in the current plan.
A more than doubling of the south building's setback from the west property line has opened up space for a newly proposed POPS (Privately-Owned Publicly-accessible Space) measuring approximately 619 m² at the corner of Kennedy Road and Village Green Square. At the same time, the proposed parkland dedication at the southeast corner of the site has decreased from 1,946 m² to 1,922 m². The POPS and park would combine for a total public realm component of 4,507 m².
Of the proposed park space, 1,281 m² would be a stratified conveyance to the City. This is due to the relocation of the previous plan's above-grade parking levels in the north and south buildings into an expanded underground garage, the footprint of which would extend below the proposed park. Similar conditions exist at the recently-revitalized College Park in Downtown Toronto, another City park built atop a parking garage. Space formerly proposed for above-grade parking is now planned for offices and residential units. The total number of parking spaces has decreased from 1,362 spaces to 1,033 in the resubmission.
Additional information and images can be found in our Database file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment below.
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| Related Companies: | Arcadis, Bousfields, Ferris + Associates Inc., RWDI Climate and Performance Engineering |
