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The Don Mills neighbourhood in northeast Toronto is transforming and urbanizing. One of the latest examples of this is at 150 The Donway West, just across the street from the Shops at Don Mills and southwest of the intersection of Lawrence Avenue East and Don Mills Road. Weston Consulting has submitted a Zoning By-law Amendment on behalf of Akelius to add two new rental buildings in addition to two that currently exist at the site. The project would also involve improvements at and below grade in order to improve the site as a whole.
The site is currently home to two rental buildings: 4 Overland Drive is a low-rise at four storeys on the property’s west side, while 150 The Donway West is a mid-rise at six storeys on the eastern boundary. The buildings form a north-south orientation and are located on the west side of The Donway West, south of Lawrence Avenue East. Between the two apartments, there are 113 units all being rented at the time of the proposal submission. There are walkways for each building and landscaped areas, along with 117 parking spaces.
The design by Diamond Schmitt Architects would significantly transform the site and add 17,506m² of gross floor area. The two existing apartment buildings would be retained, and in addition two new buildings would be added to the site. Building 1 is 10 storeys at 39.31m with 100 units planned for the northwest corner; Building 2 is 15 storeys at 55.94m with 142 units planned for the southeast corner. Building 1 would be adjacent to the north side of the four-storey building and share pedestrian access at grade, while Building 2 would be adjacent to the other existing building’s south side and share pedestrian access.
As part of 150 The Donway West’s transformation, the new buildings would utilize brick material like the existing apartments but would evolve further by incorporating white metallic and glass materials as well. By being adjacent, the smaller existing structures would act as podium elements to further help make the transition from old to new.
The site would be further enhanced with a central courtyard with soft and hard landscaping for use by residents from all four buildings. The two-way underground ramp currently at the northeast corner would act as the vehicular access for the revamped site. Two levels of underground parking would contain 178 parking spaces, of which 19 would be for visitors. There would also be 356 spots for bicycles, of which 36 would be for short-term use.
The proposal notes that the current design by Diamond Schmitt Architects is preliminary and is subject to change. The proposal also notes that 150 The Donway West would be but one of many planned developments in the transitioning neighbourhood; ten development applications in the surrounding area could add mixed-use and residential buildings in the area, ranging from townhomes and semi-detached homes to larger structures up to 39 storeys in height.
The proposed apartments at 150 The Donway West would be about 1.5km from the Don Valley Parkway. Public transit users would be able to walk to TTC bus stops that connect to multiple subway stations, including Pape station to the south and Don Mills station to the north. Before 150 The Donway West could be completed, Science Centre station on Eglinton Line 5 Crosstown will be open about 1.5km to the south, and within about a decade's time that station will also have an Ontario Line 3 station. This mixture of old and new transit options encapsulates the ongoing transformation and urbanization of 150 The Donway West and the Don Mills neighbourhood.
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: | Diamond Schmitt Architects, NAK Design Strategies, Weston Consulting, Windtech Inc. |
