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The City of Toronto’s Official Plan strives to strike a balance between development and the environment. In the case of 3600 Finch Avenue East, the proponents of a new development that would bring two new mixed-use condominiums along West Highland Creek in Scarborough say it would do just that. On behalf of H&W Development Corp, Bousfields has submitted a Zoning By-law Amendment application for a proposal that would fully redevelop the northwest corner of Finch and Birchmount, while looking to improve the site's interface with the adjacent natural environment that is part of the City’s Natural Heritage System.
Scarborough's L’Amoreaux neighbourhood in which it is located is an area characterized by low-rise subdivisions on meandering tree-lined streets, with higher density on the arterials, and a notably large park as a prominent natural feature. The assembly is triangular in shape in part due to the landscaped channel along its northwest border that contains this stretch of the creek. The two parcels of land making up this site are municipally known as 2950 Birchmount Road and 3600 Finch Avenue East, upon which there is a single-storey commercial plaza and a two-storey commercial building.
The proposed design by WZMH Architects would replace the existing structures with two similar mixed-use buildings. Both would stand at 44.7m with 12 storeys. This would result in 372 residential units in total. Building 1 would be oriented north-south and front Birchmount, whereas Building 2 would be oriented east-west fronting Finch.
The ground floors would feature commercial office space for Building 1 and retail units for Building 2. The former would have an indoor amenity area of 666m² on its second floor that would be intended for residents of both sites, with a pedestrian bridge connecting the condominiums. Below grade, there would be two levels of underground parking containing 440 parking spaces, with 97 intended for visitors, office, and retail use. There would also be 291 bicycle parking spots, of which 36 would be for short-term use.
The outdoor elements would be designed to achieve balance with the surrounding nature. The proposal would include a private driveway parallel to the creek, and the area to its northwest would be naturalized, with a trail connection being considered. In addition, there would be a publicly accessible plaza adjacent to Finch Avenue East and Birchmount Road. The plaza would lead into a central courtyard that would function both as outdoor amenity space for residents and a public space.
While residents would have short drives to reach Highways 404 and 401, the site is also served by TTC bus routes that lead to Finch and Warden stations. For those using bicycles, there are multi-use pathways running along West Highland Creek and through L’Amoreaux Park.
The proposal includes a Natural Heritage and Impact Study concluding that the redevelopment plans would have minimal negative impact on the natural heritage features of the area. The buildings and their outdoor features would strive to achieve that balance with nature while continuing to develop the northeast region of Toronto.
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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| Related Companies: | Bousfields, EQ Building Performance Inc., STUDIO tla, WZMH Architects |
