As Torontonians turn more to remote work, and Toronto’s Official Plan looks to a future with fewer personal vehicles, it has become increasingly important for developments to improve life for those without a car. Land-owner Brimley Place is looking to do just that at 799 Brimley Road in Scarborough, having submitted a Zoning By-law Amendment application for a residential apartment building in the Bendale South neighbourhood in this eastern area of the city.

Looking northeast to 799 Brimley, designed by Studio JCI for Brimley Place

Located near the southeast corner of Brimley Road and Lawrence Avenue East, the site is roughly rectangular in shape and about 5,555m² in area. It is currently home to a two-storey commercial plaza and surface parking. The site is surrounded by similarly sized commercial units and residential dwellings in central Scarborough. The neighbourhood is characterized by a higher immigrant population and low-rise, single-detached houses compared to the rest of the city.

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

The proposal calls for demolishing the commercial plaza and parking lot designed primarily for drivers. In its place would be an apartment building fronting Brimley Road, along with 13 townhouses at the rear. The latter would all stand three storeys, with the building standing 14 storeys and 50.13m in height. The building’s proposed layout includes 378 units, and with three elevators incorporated into the design, that would mean 126 units per elevator, significantly higher than the 1 elevator per 100 units threshold.

Studio JCI has designed the building with pedestrians in mind through both function and aesthetics, including a consistent face along Brimley Avenue featuring dark masonry cladding to accent the first two levels. The design calls for masonry columns along the middle portion of floors three through eight, with glass and spandrel panels for the top portion. The townhouses’ facades are set to reference the materiality for a consistent look.

An aerial view of the subject site and surrounding area, image from submission to City of Toronto

The ground floor would provide ample space for those on foot or on bike with setbacks of 4.0m from Brimley Avenue and 2.0m from Lawrence Avenue East. Residents and visitors would find two commercial spaces on either side of the lobby, totalling 450m² in size. Of the 2,000m² of amenity space found on the first two floors, 1,048m² of it would be between the building and townhouse block, set to feature a landscaped space including trees, decking, retaining walls, and seating areas.  

Looking south to the townhouses and outdoor amenity space, designed by Studio JCI for Brimley Place

With less focus placed on vehicles, the design calls for only a single level of underground parking with 104 parking spaces, of which 22 would be for visitors. Looking ahead to a greener future for the city, all residential spaces would have electric vehicle charging outlets. The design provides cyclists with 298 bike parking spots, of which 30 would be for visitors and 40 would have energized outlets. Along with the nearby Gatineau Hydro Corridor where the City is currently building the 'Meadoway' recreational pathway, there are plans for additional cycling routes along Brimley Road.

The application includes a Block Context Plan for the south side of the intersection. It incorporates potential buildings ranging from eight to 20 storeys on properties nearby this site. The application further notes four development applications for the surrounding area, ranging from townhouses to apartment buildings.

An axonometric view looking southeast of the Block Context Plan, image from submission to City of Toronto

With such a huge influx of residents in mind, transportation in the area is set to be transformed by the Scarborough Subway Extension of Danforth Line 2, now under construction, with a new station coming about 750m away at Lawrence Avenue at McCowan Road. It will be one stop away from Kennedy station, connecting to both GO Transit and Eglinton Line 5.

The application concludes detailing the design’s balance when it comes to the goals of the Official Plan: supporting transit, improving public space, and looking ahead to a more environmentally friendly future. The proponents here argue that this development and future plans for the Bendale South area would make that envisioned future a reality.

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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