Toronto Pearson Airport once lonely sat in the distant northwest of the city, disconnected from Downtown… then came along the Union Pearson Express connecting the airport to Union Station, with two stops along the way. Now Fora Developments has submitted a Zoning By-law Amendment application for a mixed-use development near the Bloor GO Station which is also served by the UP Express, while Dundas West subway station is just across the street. The development at 2400 Dundas West would further solidify the area as a major node west of the downtown core.

Looking northeast to 2400 Dundas West, designed by Giannone Petricone Associates for Fora Developments

The site is on the east side of Dundas Street West, about 160m north of where it crosses Bloor Street West. The site is approximately 11,143m² in area and has an eastern boundary with the Kitchener Rail Corridor. As of this writing, the site is home to two commercial buildings; a single-storey grocery store and a two-storey building to the north.

Looking northeast to the site, image retrieved from Google Street View

Fora's Executive Vice President of Development, Elsa Fancello, told us "At Fora, we place a lot of emphasis on community consultation and collaboration prior to making a submission, and through the redevelopment process."

The proposal looks to capitalize on the site's prime location for transit commuters looking for easy access to Downtown or the Airport. The project would mean 873 new residential units for the area. Giannone Petricone Associates have designed two buildings with three towers. The North Building is set to have towers of 18 and 25 storeys, standing 71.1m and 92.7m high respectively, while the South Building would have a single tower with 36 storeys and stand 124.2m tall. The North Building’s three-storey podium would connect the two towers, while the South Building is set to have a podium of four storeys.

A 1,000m² public space is proposed in front of the North Building. Fancello told us "We heard very early on from the community that they would love to see live/work units with opportunities for small scale commercial and artist maker spaces fronting the new public space along Dundas Street West," and so two-storey live-work units make up much of the frontage of the proposal here.

Looking northeast to the North building, designed by Giannone Petricone Associates for Fora Developments

The ground floor of the North Building includes more standard retail space as well, plus the entrance to a 1,669m² grocery store and 638m² office space on the second floor, both of which can be reached by escalators or elevators. The South Building's ground floor would feature a 930m² co-working centre. The proposal places indoor amenity areas on the first and second floors of each building, while the South Building also features a double-height amenity suite of spaces on the 13th and 14th floors, seen prominently in the image below.

Looking northeast to the South building, designed by Giannone Petricone Associates for Fora Developments

Tower elements at both buildings are designed with step-backs at the fourth and fifth floors to allow for private residential terraces, and green roofs at the top of each podium.

With 442 units and 6 elevators in the North building, and 431 units and 4 elevators in the South building, this results in 1 elevator for every 73.67 units in the North building and 1 for every 107.75 in the South building. While the South building is just over the 1 elevator per 100 units threshold, its ratio is still better than most proposals we are seeing lately.

Looking southeast to 2400 Dundas West, designed by Giannone Petricone Associates for Fora Developments

Vehicles would access the site via a new private road opposite where Dundas intersects with Chelsea Road, efficiently creating a full intersection out of the current T-intersection. Fancello noted in that regard "Based on initial feedback received from the community at the February 22nd virtual pre-application meeting, we are proposing no westbound traffic from the site [be allowed to cross onto] Chelsea Avenue." The private road would provide vehicular access to lobby entrances, servicing, and the garage, plus pedestrian and vehicular access to Metrolinx’s UPX/GO pick-up/drop-off provided on the adjacent property to the south.

Ground floor and mezzanine levels of both buildings would have 989 bicycle parking spots, including 175 for visitors and 28 for non-residential use, while down below, the parking garage is designed with 212 parking spaces; 152 would be for residents and visitors, and 60 for non-residential use. The most forward-looking aspect of the underground here, however, is the allocation of space for a geothermal heating and cooling system to support the entire development.

An aerial view of the site and the surrounding area, image retrieved from Google Maps

While residents who drive would have the benefit of Dundas and Bloor streets for access, it is transit commuters who stand to reap the most from the location. In addition to the UP Express, the Bloor GO Station also connects to the Kitchener GO line that connects downtown Toronto to Malton, Brampton, and other locations west of Toronto, while Dundas West subway station is approximately 85m from the site, with Keele and Lansdowne stations also each within an 800-metre radius. On top of all that, the transit routes at Dundas West Station include two streetcars that travel eastbound to Broadview Station, along with multiple bus routes. Finally, the Bloor Bikeway will be a boon for cyclists, allowing for easy connections to other bike paths, including the nearby West Toronto Railpath.

An aerial view of the many transit options surrounding the site, image from submission to City of Toronto

The submission for 2400 Dundas West is just one part of the redevelopment of the Bloor West area. The proposal notes at least eight other development applications nearby, signalling a high-density future for a neighbourhood well-connected to the city and beyond.

UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file where you will find many more renderings, 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:  Arcadis, Bousfields, EQ Building Performance Inc., Fora Developments, Giannone Petricone Associates, Groundwater Environmental Management Services Inc. (GEMS), Jablonsky, Ast and Partners, MCW Consultants Ltd