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A new Tower-in-the-Park infill development submission in Scarborough proposes 15- and 37-storey residential buildings south of an existing 19-storey apartment building. CAPREIT Limited Partnership, with a design by Wallman Architects, has submitted plans to the City of Toronto for 1050 Markham Road, south of Ellesmere Road in Scarborough's Woburn neighbourhood. The developer seeks to intensify the site located a seven-minute drive east of Scarborough Centre station on the under construction Scarborough Subway Extension.
Located at the northwest corner of Markham Road and Brimorton Drive, the lot spans 19,880m², with the infill portion covering 5,152m². The north end of the site features a 19-storey, 295-unit rental apartment building that includes a daycare facility with an outdoor play area. The surrounding Woburn neighbourhood consists of a mix of institutional uses such as a Centennial College campus, various commercial buildings and mid-to-high-rise residential towers on the main roads, while predominated by low-rise homes on the side streets.
The Zoning By-law Amendment application outlines two residential buildings, rising 15 storeys (58.76m) with 197 units, and 37 storeys (122.74m) with 438 units, both rising from mid-rise podiums. The proposed infill development is to be situated on the southern portion of the site, currently an unprogrammed open space in the Tower-in-the-Park style setting that so many slab-style buildings were arranged in when built across Toronto in the second half of the twentieth century. The proposal follows the City of Toronto Planning guidelines of 25m of separation between the towers.
The proposal would add 39,911m² of residential Gross Floor Area (GFA), resulting in a density of 7.7 Floor Space Index (FSI) on the site. Residents would have access to 1,277m² of indoor and 903m² of outdoor amenities between both towers. Planned facilities include an outdoor fitness area, children’s play areas, and a pet relief area. Beneath grade, a two-level underground garage, with a partial third level beneath the taller tower, would house 174 resident and 34 visitor spaces. Provisions for bicycle parking include 446 long-term and 50 short-term spots.
With three elevators in the 15-storey tower and four in the other, there would be approximately one elevator for every 66 and 110 units respectively. This indicates very reasonable wait times for the 15-storey tower and slightly longer than preferable wait times for the taller building.
The site is served by multiple bus routes that connect to Yonge Line 1 and Danforth Line 2 subway stations, as well as Rouge Hill GO station. The Scarborough Subway Extension (SSE) will extend Danforth Line 2 northeast from Kennedy station to McCowan Road and Sheppard Avenue, adding three new stations, including one at Scarborough Centre, approximately 1.6km northwest of the site. Also looking ahead, the Durham-Scarborough Bus Rapid Transit (DSBRT) service, planned along Ellesmere Road, would provide a direct link from Scarborough Centre to downtown Oshawa, with a stop planned at Markham and Ellesmere Roads.
Directly east on the opposite side of Markham Road, the multi-phased ME Living Condos development is under construction, with townhomes plus five towers ranging from 14 to 34 storeys. To the northeast, 1125 and 1151 Markham Road propose four towers from 8 to 37 storeys and a 44-storey tower respectively.
Further north, 1256 Markham Road calls for 29 storeys, and Sequence Condos proposes a trio of towers ranging from 20 to 30 storeys. Closer to Scarborough Centre, at 1744 Ellesmere Road, a 15-storey building is proposed. Larger-scale developments are planned closer to the station, including 675 Progress Avenue with seven buildings from 4 to 49 storeys, and 1710 Ellesmere Road, featuring five towers from 28 to 53 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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