The commencement of a major new mixed-use development on the northwest corner of Sheppard Avenue East and Kennedy Road in Scarborough’s Agincourt area is getting closer. North American Development Group has filed for Site Plan Control with the City of Toronto to implement the new zoning for the redevelopment of the Agincourt Mall site and kickstart this transformative project: 12 towers and associated ground level buildings and green spaces proposed across 26 acres. If successful, this application will permit the development of a portion of the site referred to as Block 7 with a complex with 26- and 42-storey towers rising from a shared podium as the first phase of the build out of the site.
The Agincourt Mall is a 53-year old community shopping centre, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods, and within a 5-minute walk to the Agincourt GO Station. It is also located near existing parks and open spaces, including Ron Watson Park and Tam O’Shanter Golf Club. Highway 401 is a short drive to the south. Approximately two thirds of the site is currently used for surface parking.
In December, 2017, an Official Plan Amendment application was submitted to the City to permit the redevelopment of the Agincourt Mall lands with a mix of uses, public streets, and public parks of various sizes. Since then, the Master Plan has evolved in response to feedback received from the City and local residents. In addition, a new Site and Area Specific Policy framework guides the growth and urbanization of the site within the broader context. UT reported on the updated master plan in February, 2020.
A series of seven mixed-use development blocks forms the basis of the new master plan. The redevelopment of the mall requires the strategic redeployment of two existing retail anchors on site. Those retail anchors — Walmart and a grocery store — will be re-positioned and re-formatted within the blocks.
Designed by Giannone Petricone Associates Inc. Architects, Block 7 will include a 42-storey tower (Building 7A) and a 26-storey tower (Building 7B), separated by 35 metres and connected by a 6-storey podium. The buildings feature sweeping curves along their lengths.
Within the base of Block 7 is a single-storey component to be occupied by commercial retail uses, including the new “urban format” Walmart, which will be wrapped in other smaller-scale retail units. Walmart retail space also occupies the second floor. The third-floor level (illustrated below), comprises indoor amenity space –contiguous to exterior rooftop amenity– and east-facing units on the opposite side of the corridor. The remaining retail rooftop houses the mechanical penthouse. Residential units rise from the fourth floor.
The buildings’ cladding is proposed as a combination of brick, precast concrete, various colours of solid and perforated metal, and clear or tinted see-through glass, or opaque spandrel glazing.
Block 7 contains 659 new residential units and 13,560m² of retail gross floor area (GFA), resulting in a total GFA of 64,759m². The 659 total dwelling units are proposed in the following mix: 370 one-bedrooms (56%), 223 two-bedrooms (34%), and 66 three-bedrooms (10%).
A total of 805 vehicles (575 residents, 95 visitors, 135 retail) are proposed to be accommodated between the ground level a three-level underground garage.
UrbanToronto will watch for updates on the development, 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: | Bousfields, Giannone Petricone Associates, Janet Rosenberg & Studio, RWDI Climate and Performance Engineering |