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A new proposal to redevelop the Shops on Steeles and 404 community mall on the north side of Steeles Avenue East between Don Mills Road and Highway 404 has been submitted to the City of Markham. This masterplanned, mixed-use community would span eight buildings, bringing together residential, retail, and public spaces, and reshaping the German Mills neighbourhood just beyond of Toronto's northern city limits. Designed by Arcadis for a joint venture of Minett Capital, Streamliner Properties, and Kerbel Group, collectively operating under the banner of SOS GP Inc. ("Shoppes on Steeles General Partnership").
The site, municipally addressed as 2900 Steeles Avenue East, currently hosts 26,905m² of non-residential Gross Floor Area. The site is primarily comprised of retail outlets, personal service establishments, and parking. An Esso gas station that once stood at the corner of Don Mills and Steeles has recently been demolished.
The development proposal envisions a mix of high-rise residential buildings, diverse retail space, and welcoming public spaces. Despite previous Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) approvals for a plan first submitted in 2007, the current vision represents fresh Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment applications recently submitted. The plans call for three phases, spanning 71,833m², including 17,900m² of publicly accessible area and 10,570m² of green roof area, with a Floor Space Index (FSI) of 5.51.
Phase 1, the Retail Precinct, would be at the west end of the site. This phase calls for six mixed-use towers ranging from 8 to 35 storeys, or 37.65m to 126m in height. Collectively, these buildings would house 1,359 residential units. The precinct would contain 4,215m² of indoor amenity space and 1,074m² of outdoor amenity area. Underground, three garage levels would have spaces for 900 residents and 136 visitors, alongside accommodations for 95 resident bicycles and 15 visitor bicycles,
Phase 2 is called the Park Precinct. Positioned centrally, its park spans 4,850m² in the northeast corner, flanked by three towers ranging from 20 to 50 storeys, with the tallest reaching 168.78m in height. Together, these buildings would contain 1,463 residential units, along with 2,312m² of indoor and 1,183m² of outdoor amenities. Three levels of underground garage would contain 881 spaces for residents and 147 for visitors, along with 103 bicycle parking spots.
Phase 3, the final phase is called the Residential Precinct. It would occupy the east end of the site, and would add more park space spanning another 5,480m² across from the Phase 2 park. Its blocks featuring four towers, including one at 18 storeys, two at 55, and one at 59 storeys, with heights ranging from 72.6m to 198.35m. Collectively, they are set to offer a total of 2,224 residential units.
The Residential Precinct’s design boasts substantial amenity offerings, including 3,632m² of indoor and 1,968m² of outdoor amenities. Its two levels of underground garage would feature 1,931 spaces for residents and 222 for visitors, as well as 156 bicycle parking spots.
In all, the design calls for a total of 48 elevators, or approximately one for every 105 units. With six elevators in each of the three tallest towers, there would be longer wait times for the residents of the tallest high-rises. For instance, the 55 and 59-storey towers in the Residential Precinct would have approximately one elevator for every 114 units.
Currently, the site is served by high-frequency bus services along Steeles Avenue East and Don Mills Road, facilitated by York Region Transit (YRT) and the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). These include several routes that link to major transit hubs like Pioneer Village and Don Mills stations. Looking ahead, the Steeles Avenue corridor is identified as a potential rapid transit corridor, with consideration for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) or Light Rail Transit (LRT) to enhance service along this major east-west axis. Additionally, the application notes that the Ontario Line 3 extension is noted in the Metrolinx 2041 Regional Transportation Plan potentially reaching Don Mills Subway station at Sheppard Avenue, four kilometres to the south.
The redevelopment would be a prominent and expansive new community in an area with relatively limited new construction. To the west, the single-storey Bahá’í National Centre and Canadian National Temple is proposed, along with the SteelesTech Campus to the east, which would contain eight new commercial buildings up to 12 storeys. Further north, the 2300 John Street development would introduce residential towers of 17 and 28 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: | Arcadis, Bousfields, Ferris + Associates Inc., Gradient Wind Engineers & Scientists |
