4.9K 
Since the policy changes that saw the creation of new planning guidelines for Major Transit Station Areas (MTSAs) in Ontario, focus areas for large-scale redevelopments have become more frequent further and further from Toronto’s Downtown Core. The mid-northern reaches of the City have been particularly popular in this recent wave of proposals, and this continues to be the case as land-owners 578602 Ontario Inc recently announced a proposal designed by TACT Architecture for a 2-tower mixed-use residential development at 100 Union Street, in the Stockyards area of The Junction.
With the promise of coming transit improvements, little-known Union Street and the surrounding area tucked away to the northeast of a planned GO station on the Kitchener line, has become something of an epicentre for development applications. Because of this new reality, UrbanToronto has been looking closely at the various proposals in the area.
Located a few blocks northwest of the intersection of St Clair Avenue West and Old Weston Road, the proposal at 100 Union Street hopes to construct two towers of 37 and 23 storeys that would introduce 603 new dwelling units to the historically industrial area. Taking into consideration the increased density that comes with a development of this nature, the proposal hopes that the inclusion of both retail space at grade and commercial office space will provide an appropriate balance of uses beyond purely residential.
The proposal outlines the goals of the development, with a focus on revitalization, suggesting that the project can help facilitate the transition of the area from an auto-oriented neighbourhood to a transit-oriented neighbourhood. In the eyes of the proponents, this transformation would optimize the land as well as the existing infrastructure, and enhance connectivity. The City has endorsed changing the designation of the area to Mixed-use as well as MTSA because of TTC’s streetcar on St Clair Avenue, local north-south buses, and the coming St Clair-Old Weston GO station, expected to be operational by 2026.
The development consists of two mostly rectangular towers: a North Building laid out alongside the northern lot line reaching 37 storeys, and a South Building reaching 23 stories, laid out perpendicularly to the North Building with frontage along Union Street. The buildings share many visual characteristics, like the glass window-wall volumes that extend out from each tower on their ends, and the light-coloured brick that covers the majority of the elevations. The podiums of the two buildings feature more masonry, and punched windows mounted within bevelled recesses.
The 7,112m² site is triangular in shape, and is currently occupied by a single-storey auto-related workshop building that houses several businesses. Immediately to the south is another irregularly shaped site, known as the Utility Corridor, that is the site of a proposed greenspace development.
The proposal attempts to align its vision for the public realm with this proposed greenspace, and sees improvements to the public realm as central to the development's success in optimizing the land not only in terms of connectivity but in terms of livability as well. In its current state, the overall industrial character of the surrounding area is imposed through the lack of retail, while other pedestrian deterrences like the lack of sidewalks on the west side of Union Street detract further from the natural flow of foot traffic.
In this way, erecting a mixed-use development with retail and commercial office space is only half of the task; creating a lively and usable public domain is the other half. The landscape plans from Forest and Field Landscape Architecture Inc show a strong outline for how the development would approach this task, with an effort to connect the site to the proposed greenspace, as well as reinventing the pedestrian infrastructure on the Union Street frontage.
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.
* * *
UrbanToronto's new data research service, UrbanToronto Pro, offers comprehensive information on construction projects in the Greater Toronto Area—from proposal right through to completion stages. In addition, our subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, drops in your mailbox daily to help you track projects through the planning process.
| Related Companies: | Bousfields, RWDI Climate and Performance Engineering |
