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Plans to transform Mimico GO station and adjacent property into a transit-oriented community have taken a step forward. Located in southeast Etobicoke about 700m south of the Gardiner Expressway, the blocks next to the station have for years been home to a mix of small warehouse commercial and light industrial buildings, but with its quick access to Downtown Toronto via GO Train service, the area of late has become a hotspot for mixed-use redevelopment proposals.
UrbanToronto last looked at this project in 2020, shortly after Vandyk Properties submitted a rezoning application covering land it had owned for a while, plus a new piece immediately adjacent to the station. With Metrolinx' move to create Transit Oriented Communities near its stations, Vandyk signed an agreement with Metrolinx to integrate their planned development with improvements to the Mimico GO station infrastructure. Now, the developer has submitted a Site Plan Approval applications for the first phase at 327 Royal York Road and the first part of the second phase at 39 Newcastle Street, including new access points and improved facilities for the station.
The proposal for 315 and 327 Royal York Road is designed by SvN with Kohn Partnership Architects as the Architect of Record, and calls for two residential towers connected by an 8-storey podium. Previously standing at 29 and 44 storeys in the 2019 zoning submission (zoning review is still underway), the heights have been revised to 35 and 34 storeys, standing at 118.50 and 115.50m respectively.
The 327 Royal York building would provide a rebuilt station access point off Royal York Road, including a new pedestrian bridge from the west side of Royal York. Another new access point to the station would be via Windsor Street on the east side of this phase. It will also include a tunnel to the south side of the rail corridor.
Residents of 327 Royal York would be able to directly access the GO station, while retail and commercial spaces would face the station and road at the base of the building. The public realm around the station would also be expanded with a greenway, while the existing surface parking for Mimico GO station would gradually all be moved underground, with plans for 300 spaces. A transit plaza with pick-up and drop-off facilities would also be built.
This first phase of what VanDyk calls Grand Central Mimico, is on one of two blocks that will be completed in phases, with Block 2 to the east at 39 Newcastle Street. That site would see four residential buildings ranging from 22 to 36 storeys.
The first phase towers — with 727 residential units between them — are designed to house 3 elevators each, meaning the site would be well over the 1 elevator per 100 suite threshold, at about 1 per 121. Down below, three levels of underground parking are planned with 277 spaces, of which 70 would be for visitors. The design also includes 584 bicycle parking spaces, of which 74 would be short-term.
The overall project is seeking to evolve the area as a Transit-Oriented Community. This is part of the Government of Ontario’s planned expansions, to the tune of billions of dollars, that will expand transit across the Greater Golden Horseshoe.
Upon completion of all phases, the Grand Central Mimico community at Mimico GO station would bring about 2,078 residential units, including affordable housing and rentals, along with commercial space, to further develop this commercial/industrial zone turned 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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