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The site for 1256 Markham Road is east of Scarborough City Centre in its Woburn area, and is a three-minute drive south of Hghway 401. Development here has undergone a protracted development journey and numerous changes. Situated on the west side of bustling Markham Road, just south of Progress Avenue and north of Ellesmere Road, a Site Plan Approval application to the City of Toronto was recently submitted for a redesigned 29-storey residential condominium, the first of two phases on the site.
Now spearheaded by Nahid Corporation and designed by Wayne Long Architect, this proposal envisions a towering structure stretching up to 95.15m on the west half of the site, with a second tower noted as part of a second phase but not included in this application. The site spanning 9,736m² in area currently serves as a parking lot for an adjacent church.
The design encompasses a Gross Floor Area (GFA) of 65,750m². The proposal includes 418 units, served by five elevators, ensuring a ratio of approximately one elevator for every 84 units, indicating brief wait times. The second tower planned is on the east half of the site close to Markham Road, and is set to stand 31 storeys tall and house 235 units.
The journey of 1256 Markham Road has been marked by several developmental iterations. In December 2013, City Council approved amendments to allow residential in a number of Employment Areas, impacting this site. Initially, the site was earmarked for senior citizen housing proposed by Global Kingdom Ministries, the neighbouring church, and dubbed Trinity Ravine Towers, with the first tower planned to be 25 storeys high, comprising 209 units.
Sold originally through the life-lease model, in August 2020, Global Kingdom Ministries submitted a Minor Variance application to the City, including a shift to a rental model with an increased unit count, indicating the site's evolving nature in response to market realities. In 2022, the developer filed for court protection, and now Nahid, the new developer, produced the new Site Plan Approval application, which was submitted in December 2023.
Vehicle access is via a full intersection at Markham Road opposite Tuxedo Court. The proposed parking facilities are substantial, with 381 spaces planned for Phase 1, of which 358 are earmarked for residents and 23 for visitors. Notably, 72 spaces for residents and 13 for visitors would be equipped for electric vehicles, signalling a nod towards sustainable transportation. In addition, the project makes provisions for 315 bicycle parking spots, responding to the City's requirement for eco-friendly commuting options. Amenities would span 836m² each for indoor and outdoor areas. These spaces are distributed across the ground floor, level 2, level 12 atop the podium, and on its rooftop.
The 1256 Markham Road development proposal is one part of a larger transformation underway within the Woburn area. The vicinity is witnessing parallel developments, such as the 42 Tuxedo Court proposal with 22 and 28-storey towers and the ambitious Sequence Condos project to the east, planning three buildings ranging from 20 to 30 storeys. At the intersection with Ellesmere Road to the south, 1151 Markham Road is proposing a 44-storey tower, signifying a broader trend of vertical growth in the area. This uptick in high-rise developments is reflective of the region's evolution and future transit connectivity.
In addition to its proximity to Highway 401, the 1256 Markham Road site is a seven-minute drive east of the Scarborough Town Centre mall. The former Scarborough Centre RT station still serves as a bus terminal for TTC and Scarborough GO routes, and will be replaced nearby as part of the Scarborough Subway Extension of Danforth Line 2 that will run north to Sheppard Avenue, now under construction.
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: | Baker Real Estate Incorporated, STUDIO tla, Tarra Engineering & Structural Consultants Inc |
