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Directly across the Kitchener rail corridor from a development proposal we covered yesterday, another major development in Toronto's Junction neighbourhood is proposed by Diamond Corp. Documents were submitted for Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment applications in July, along with a Draft Plan of Subdivision for the assembled properties at 5 and 43 Junction Road. The former indusitrial, now commercial site is proposed to be redeveloped into a vibrant mixed-use community designed by CORE Architects, featuring a mix of housing, enhanced commercial spaces, and public parkland.
The site is trapezoidal in shape and is approximately 2.6 hectares/6.4 acres in area. It is bound by Junction Road to the north, Keele Street to the west, the Kitchener GO/Canadian Pacific MacTier Subdivision rail corridors to the east, serving both passenger and freight trains, while the Canadian Pacific Galt Subdivision rail corridor forms the southern boundary of the site. It is also used for freight operations plus Milton GO passenger rail.
South of the rail corridor is a residential development known as Heintzman Place, with residential buildings standing at 23 and 17 storeys. Directly facing the site on the west side of Keele Street, a concrete retaining wall borders an industrial and commercial area, while to the north low-rise residences front Keele Street with a light industrial area along Mulock Road and Cawthra Avenue east of them. North of Junction Road and east of Cawthra Avenue, is the heavy-industry National Rubber Technologies recycling plant.
The Site currently contains surface parking and 74,318ft² of commercial uses including a medical office, LA Fitness, Organic Garage grocery store, and small security office. The medical office located in the northeast corner of the site would be maintained. The site is proposed to be redeveloped over three phases to respect existing commercial leases and to allow existing uses to remain onsite throughout the various stages of construction.
A mix of residential units are planned for the mixed-use community including 1,178 one-bedroom units (63%), 513 two-bedroom units (27%), and 191 three-bedroom units (10%). Approximately 5% of the gross residential floor area within the development is planned for new affordable housing. The total residential GFA is 126,160m², with the FSI at 4.84.
Phase 1 includes three towers of 15, 26, and 35 storeys, on a six-to-eight storey podium with approximately 66,945m² of GFA, of which 1,504m² is retail space, and 983 residential units above. The existing Organic Garage grocery store is proposed to be relocated from their current building into this phase.
Phase 2 introduces a 32-storey tower on a three-to-four storey podium with approximately 28,074m² of GFA, with 408m² of retail, 4,355m² of office space, and 343 residential units. Three-storeys of office is included in Phase 2 making up the bulk of nonresidential GFA on the site.
Phase 3 introduces the full dedication of parkland, and two residential towers of 18 and 28 storeys that house a total of 562 residential units, connected by a 6-storey podium with 37,870m² of GFA that includes 462m² of retail.
A total of 3,757m² of exterior amenity space is proposed along with 2,969m² of indoor amenity space for a total private amenity area of 6,726m². It has not yet been specified what these amenities will consist of, outside of the outdoor public spaces.
The proposal also introduces 4,017m² of new green space consisting of a 2,690m² parkland dedication and 1,327m² of open space, including a landscaped, integrated rail berm that doubles as community rail protection and a park feature.
A new public road is proposed extending south from Cawthra Avenue into the site, to provide direct access to the Phase 1 and Phase 2 buildings on the site. The design intent is to create a more urban character similar to an urban plaza. As a result, on-street parking is proposed on the east side of the street to provide short-term and convenient spaces that support the site’s commercial uses. The majority of parking provided on the site is underground or within an above-grade structure located along the railway setback. It is topped by a landscaped green roof which will result in more landscaped open spaces. Between the parking structure and underground garage, there are 850 residential spaces, 121 residential visitor spaces, and 85 non-residential spaces. 10 parking spots are provided as surface parking in support of the existing medical centre building, and are located away from the public realm.
Currently, the site is served by TTC bus routes along Keele Street, and is approximately 1.5km north of the Keele subway station. The St Clair Streetcar line is approximately 550 metres to the north — a 5-minute walk — which runs from West Toronto to Yonge Street. Looking ahead, a new SmartTrack/GO station is planned for St Clair Avenue West and Old Weston Road, approximately 600 metres north of the site.
You can learn more from our Database file for the project, linked below. If you'd like, 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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| Related Companies: | Colliers Strategy & Consulting, Core Architects, Diamond Corp, EQ Building Performance Inc., RWDI Climate and Performance Engineering, SvN |
