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An ambitious Tower-in-the-Park infill development, recently resubmitted to the City of Toronto, aims to better use land at the Westminster neighbourhood site along Bathurst Street in North York, while adding new housing stock that aligns with the area's character. The revised Zoning By-law Amendment application for 155 Antibes Drive proposes the addition of three mixed-use residential buildings situated around a V-shaped, 1974-built apartment building in the middle of the site.
Designed by BDP Quadrangle for Tenblock, the development has undergone significant revisions since the original submission in December, 2021. These revisions reflect dialogue with City staff, local residents, and tenants of the existing 16-storey apartment building.
The initial application (pictured below) envisioned two new towers of 32 and 34 storeys, alongside 24 three-storey back-to-back townhouses. Further elements of the original proposal included a 797.3m² on-site parkland dedication and an 8.4-metre-wide Multi-Use Path (MUP) for enhanced pedestrian and cycling connectivity, aiming to capitalize on underutilized spaces within the 1.9-hectare site, while preserving the existing rental units.
In the 2022 proposal, a new private road was to extend from Don Lake Gate northwards into the site to provide access to the two towers facing Bathurst Street, while moving the lobby of the existing building to face the new road. Two blocks of bak-to-back townhomes were planned to have sidewalk access from Antibes Drive and new paths within the site. The new multi-use path runs along the north end of the property, providing a more direct route for pedestrians and cyclists to move between Antibes Drive and Bathurst Street. The proposed parkland dedicated is seen along the south side of the multi-use path at the Antibes Drive end of it.
Fast forward to November 2023, and the revised plan, has eliminated the townhouses facing Antibes, and removes access from Don Lake Gate. Now the new private road extends from Antibes Drive, passing by the new 8-storey building and existing 16-storey building first, then turning as it reaches the new north tower along Bathurst, entually reaching the south tower. The new private road is treated in a 'woonerf' style that balances vehicular, cyclist, and pedestrian use. The proposal adjusts the height of the second tallest tower reduced to 30 storeys (101.30m) while the tallest remains at 34 storeys (113.10m). The floor-plates of these towers have been redesigned to be more slender, more reminiscent of the existing building.
The revised proposal aims for a balance between increased density and community integration. While the original submission included 765 new residential units, the revised plan proposes 892 units, in response to Toronto's growing demand for housing. The change increases the density without significantly adding to the height, intending to fit into the local context, where surrounding developments range from 12 to 29 storeys. The most significant change comes with the removal of the townhouse blocks, replaced by an 8-storey mid-rise building containing 105 units.
Indoor and outdoor amenities have been reconsidered, with the revised plan offering 3,119m² of total amenity space, with 1,337m² indoors and 1,782m² outdoors. The proposal also includes 873m² of retail area, further animating the street level. With four elevators in the taller towers and two in the mid-rise, the entire development would have approximately one elevator for every 79 units, well within the threshold of one elevator for every 100 units, indicating short wait times.
This new proposal excludes the existing building and lands west of it, resulting in a smaller net site area, and so while the parkland dedication requirement has been reduced to 568m², a 598M² park is planned. The revised proposal also incorporates a Privately-Owned Publicly Accessible Space (POPS) along Bathurst Street, intended as an urban plaza and cycling transit hub.
TTC buses ply Bathurst Street frequently, running all the way south to Bloor Line 2, while buses circulating on Antibes Drive take Don Lake Gate to Drewry, connecting to Yonge Line 1 at Finch station. The proposal includes three levels of underground garage, offering a slight reduction of total spaces from the previous submission, with 744 motor vehicle spaces for residents and 60 for visitors. The plan provides 840 long-term bicycle parking spaces, and 83 short-term spots. The development's location along Bathurst Street positions it conveniently for future cycle tracks planned on both sides of the street.
Further in line with the City’s push for sustainability, the submission proposes exploring a geothermal heating and cooling system in the new buildings, aiming for high energy efficiency and meeting Toronto Green Standard Version 4 Tier 1 or higher.
The site's blend of mid- and high-rises looks to integrate it with other existing buildings and proposals in the vicinity. Some of the nearby proposals include 5950 Bathurst Street to the north, which proposes a 16-storey tower complemented by 3-storey townhouse units, and just to the northwest at 25 Cedarcroft Boulevard, plans for a 29-storey tower have been submitted. Further north, proposals at 6035 and 6020 Bathurst Street call for developments of 12 and 26 storeys respectively.
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: | BDP Quadrangle, EQ Building Performance Inc., Gradient Wind Engineers & Scientists, Grounded Engineering Inc., SvN, Tenblock, Urban Strategies Inc. |
