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The promise of 404 new dwelling units punctuates a new proposal to redevelop the site of 2422 Islington Avenue in North Etobicoke. Designed by architects Studio JCI and landscape architect Brook McIlroy, a numbered Ontario company hopes to erect an 11-storey mid-rise building and a series of 4-storey stacked townhouses on a triangular site that meets Islington on the east and Elmhurst Drive on the south.
With the project still in the design concept stage, the process of amending the City's Official Plan and zoning by-laws is underway. In order for the proposal to be approved, the current Neighbourhood designation on the site — which limits building height to 4-storeys — needs to be changed to Apartment Neighbourhood. Under this new designation, according to the design team, the proposal would fall just within the zoning requirements of an 11-storey maximum height.
The proponent's argument for the proposed intensification of the site is that greater density is closely aligned with the City’s Official Plan, a set of guidelines designed to “ensure that the City of Toronto evolves, improves and realizes its full potential in areas such as transit, land use development, and the environment,” per the City’s website.
The proposal observes that, based on the extensive network of surface transit and the close proximity employment areas, the site should be considered a strategic growth area as outlined by the Official Plan. With a significant area of the current site being used for surface parking for a small strip of 1-and-2-storey retail spaces, the proposed development seeks to harness more of the site’s potential, and encourage growth in the area.
The 404 total units meet the City’s 10% minimum requirement for three-bedroom units, offering nearly 11% of the total with 18 in the mid-rise and another 26 in the stacked townhouses. The mid-rise would also house 171 two-bedroom units, and 189 one-bedroom units.
In order to integrate itself smoothly into the existing neighbourhood, the proponents state that the proposal focuses on design approaches that can mitigate the project’s disruption of the environment. On the Islington side, a step-back at the fifth storey reduces shadows on the street and creates a more human scale, while the glass exterior on ground level aims to ease the transition from the private to public space. On the side fronting Elmhurst, the building tapers in height while maintaining the step-back at the fifth storey Along the northwest property line, 7.5m-deep yards will extend from the back of each townhouse to make an appropriate transition into the neighbourhood while also reducing shadows.
Between the townhouses and the mid-rise building, a central outdoor amenity space provides opportunities for recreation, with outdoor dining and greenspace, and will redirect service and vehicle traffic off the street. Below ground, 2 levels of parking offer 420 vehicle parking spaces and 308 bicycle spots. While the ground level meets the minimum 4.5 m ceiling height requirement to enable retail opportunities, the proposal does not include plans for any retail replacement space.
UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file, 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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