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Developer Bazis has submitted a proposal for a 41-storey, Rosario Varacalli-designed, mixed use development in the Deer Park neighbourhood of Toronto. Located at 1366 Yonge Street, the proposal seeks to maximize the potential of a site that narrowly meets the size requirements for a tower development by erecting a building that reaches a height of 135m, resulting in a dramatic increase in density, with an FSI of 32.
The 996m² site occupies the northwest corner of Yonge Street and Balmoral Avenue, where an existing 4-storey commercial building houses office spaces and various medical practices. The proposal argues that in its current state, the site is under-utilized, and suggests that the development, which intends to provide 489 new dwelling units, will be a valuable contribution to efficiently facilitating the growth of the surrounding area.
With applications submitted for Official Plan Amendment (OPA), Zoning By-law Amendment (ZBA), and Site Plan Approval (SPA), the proposal references the recommendations of planning policies regarding Major Transit Station Areas (MTSAs), to support their plan for the redevelopment of the site. With the TTC’s Yonge Line 1 St Clair subway station within a 250m walk, the proposed development is aligned with the Province’s goals for intensification around MTSAs.
The demolition of the existing 4-storey building will raise some questions from a climate perspective. Known as the Balmoral Medical Arts Centre, the postmodern commercial structure was built in 1992, making it a relatively young building. To tear it down after 30 years would result in a not insignificant impact in regard to embodied carbon emissions over a brief period, which could be lessened if repurposed or worked into the new development.
The proposed design would see a 33-storey tower portion built above an 8-storey podium that steps back at the fifth storey, in an effort to scale the new building in a way that resembles the existing 4-storey building from a pedestrian perspective. The tower emerges from the stepped back section of the podium, taking on a slender figure with floor plates of 750m² for each of the 33 levels as a way of mitigating the extent of the building’s shadows.
Precast concrete with a brick pattern, coloured reddish-brown, is one of the primary external finishes, seen throughout the podium in vertical bands, as well as on the north, south, and west elevations in a rectangular based checkered pattern. Meanwhile, the east elevation is clad with a light bronze coloured spandrel that wraps around to parts of the north and south elevations.
With 100m² reserved for retail at grade, the remaining 32,196m² of floor space would be residential, with some interesting stats when it comes to unit breakdown. Unlike the majority of new developments, which offer a large majority of single bedroom units, the proposal seeks to offer a more family oriented layouts, with 48% of the total 489 units containing 2-3 bedrooms. 4 elevators are proposed to serve the residential levels, a ratio of 1 elevator for 122.5 suites, better than ratios in some recent Toronto proposals.
Another stat that jumps off of the page is found in reference to parking, with only two vehicle parking spaces provided, and only for carshare purposes. Conversely, the proposal provides 489 resident bicycle parking spaces and 11 for visitors, underground and on the grade level. This interesting direction reflects a commitment to the viability of active transportation (there are dedicated bike lanes on Yonge Street now, currently in the second year of a pilot project) and transit connected living, with measures taken to ensure that the intensification of MTSAs contributes to a more symbiotic relationship between transit and new developments.
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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