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Humber Bay Shores may soon become Toronto's next major hub outside of the city core. The now vacant 27.7 acre site, previously the home of a Christies cookie bakery, is now referred to as 2150 Lake Shore. New owners First Capital and the Pemberton Group are planning a mixed-use neighbourhood anchored by a new GO Station and TTC transit hub.
The master plan for the site was submitted for Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendments in 2019, and the City approved the overall plan in essence in 2021, although there are some technical details to be finalized before a new Zoning By-law is in place. Now, the developers have submitted a Site Plan Approval amendment (SPA) to the City for the first phase of the massive development project.
The overall plan calls for 36 buildings which will be built over six phases, and will offer opportunities for new office, retail, as well as approximately 7,500 new homes in various unit sizes, tenures, and price points. (The height in storeys of the various buildings are indicated on the diagram above. Some of the shorter buildings are blocked from view in this northward perspective.)
Two parks will be created as part of later phases, and will be connected with public squares, a covered Galleria, pedestrian mid-block connections, and a new internal street network. As part of the proposal, many community amenities will also come to exist on the site, including a community recreation centre, two childcare centres, community agency space, a public library, and space for two elementary schools.
The first phase of the massive project is the two blocks located along Park Lawn Road closest to the new GO Station, and will facilitate the station's use and its integration into the surrounding community. The GO Station and an associated relief road around the northern portion of the site are being advanced through separate but coordinated processes. The GO station is required by the City to be operational in time for the developers to open the first phase.
Phase 1 consists of approximately 21,577m² of land which will become home to seven Allies and Morrison-designed buildings, comprising two towers at 46 and 66 storeys, and five mid-rise buildings, which together will provide 28,897m² of office gross floor area (GFA), 6,487m² of retail GFA, and 97,147m² of residential GFA in 1,358 residential units.
In the north block, the 66-storey residential tower is designed to act as an identifiable landmark to the main approaches from the Gardiner Expressway, Lake Shore Boulevard West, and Park Lawn Road. To reinforce its role as a marker to the site, this tower will be capped by a 'lantern' surrounding the mechanical penthouse. The uppermost storeys are noticeably lighter in appearance to visually merge into the sky. At its base, the tower will be attached via a shared podium to an L-shaped, 13-storey office building with retail, direct links to the GO station, and other active uses at ground level.
Across a POPS (Privately Owned Publicly accessible Space) that has been dubbed Park Lawn Gardens by the developers, the 46-storey residential tower in the south block will be be connected via a shared podium to two mid-rise residential buildings. A grocery store — with its own greenhouse — is planned as the main use of the podium.
For the residential portion of the first phase,10% of the 1,358 residential units will be affordable housing. Amenities for the residents are located throughout both blocks, with outdoor spaces located atop the podiums and indoor spaces adjacent. An indoor swimming pool is one of the planned amenities on the second floor of the 66-storey tower. Other indoor amenities will include lounges, flexible spaces, a gym, and co-working spaces. The 66-storey tower will also feature indoor amenities on its 59th level to take advantage of the views to Lake Ontario and the GTA's skylines.
Along with the Park Lawn Gardens POPS, Phase 1 also includes a largo — a widened and landscaped sidewalk area — and another POPS called Station Square that will function as an arrival area for the new GO station. According to the proposal, it will create a "dramatic and exciting sense of arrival that dignifies the departure and arrival of daily commuters through its landscape, street furniture, wayfinding, and the buildings that frame it." The square will have active retail frontages.
Park Lawn Gardens is meant to act as a gateway of the development from the street, as the two blocks of Phase 1 will front onto it. The lower levels of the towers, the office building, and mid-rise residential buildings will all be built at a pedestrian scale that emphasizes texture, creating continuity throughout the site.
The largo will be lined with shops and plantings, offering an opportunity for residents to enjoy the outdoors. 'Largos' are intended to contribute to the experience and quality of the streetscape by providing spatial variety, and the opportunity to support a range of activities with places to sit, relax and play.
More information on the development will come soon, but in the meantime, 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: | Adamson Associates Architects, First Capital, Grounded Engineering Inc., Tarra Engineering & Structural Consultants Inc, Urban Strategies Inc., VIP Condos Toronto |
