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In a move that reflects revisited proposals near transit stations elsewhere across Toronto, plans for a new condo at 4888 Dundas Street West have taken a significant upward turn as well. A short 10-minute walk northwest of Islington station on Bloor Line 2, resubmitted Official Plan, Zoning By-law Amendment, and Site Plan applications come in response to the site’s designation as a Protected Major Transit Station Area (PMTSA). Developer Rockport Group and their designers Graziani + Corazza Architects now propose a structure here that rises to 29 storeys, where the initial plan was for 12 storeys.
The previous plan (seen below) design offered retail spaces at ground level and 225 residential units above, while restoring the existing Musson House (seen above and below). A part of Islington Village's rich history, the 2-storey heritage building was built in 1880 as Islington's post office and then its local telephone exchange.
With the site now falling with a PMTSA designated area — which encourages greater intensification for sites within 800m of transit stations — the proposal has been significantly reworked, shifting from a modest 12-storey structure to a 29-storey tower, a transformation not just in height but also in its capacity, now set to house 395 units. The new design reaches a height of 100.88m, which is slightly more than double its initial 48m. The increases are in line with the provincial governments intensions for greater development near transit hubs to respond to housing demand.
Along with the increase in total size, the new design reduces the massing in relation to the street and the existing mid-rise building to the north. The podium base would now step-back more along Dundas Street to better frame the heritage building, the original portion of which is being maintained and restored, while the podium is now lower at 6 storeys, leading to a stepped-back slender point tower, looking to strike a balance between more housing within the PMTSA and maintaining a harmonious scale along Dundas.
The residential Gross Floor Area (GFA) has been expanded to 27,394m², about 6,000m² more than the previous submission, while there would be an additional commercial GFA of 1,322m². Three elevators are proposed for the tower, one for every 132 units, indicating potentially longer waits.
Spaces for 269 resident bicycles and 28 visitor bicycles are planned, while 73 motor vehicle parking spaces are planned for residents and 13 for visitors, all accommodated within a single underground garage level. This decrease from the previous submission is in line with the focus on public transit.
While Islington station is within an 800m walk, the site is also serviced by multiple bus routes including the 37 Islington, which besides connecting to Bloor Line 2 will also connect to the Eglinton Line 5 crosstown LRT upon the opening of its western extension, now under construction. Burnhamthorpe 50 and Junction-Dundas West 40 buses also pass by.
Nestled amidst a burgeoning neighbourhood, 4888 Dundas Street West finds itself nearby several high-rise proposals. Cavo Condominiums, a 24-storey structure, is proposed about 150m to the south, while about 450m south, the design for 25 Mabelle Avenue stands at 49 storeys. Finally, replacing the current surface parking lots and aging bus terminal at Islington subway station, four towers are planned at 3226 Bloor West, an expansive multi-use proposal with their heights ranging from 33 to 52 storeys.
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, Gradient Wind Engineers & Scientists, Graziani + Corazza Architects, STUDIO tla |
