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Toromont Industries has submitted an ambitious proposal to the City of Vaughan for a masterplanned, mixed-use community at 3131 Highway 7 in the rapidly growing Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (VMC) area. Designed by WZMH Architects, the sprawling 27-acre site would feature 17 towers ranging in height from 43 to a striking 74 storeys. The site would benefit from VMC’s growing urban core both to the west and the north, while connecting directly to TTC’s University Line 1, and local and regional transit.
The site is currently occupied by Toromont Industries, having served as the company’s head office and industrial hub since 1976. Situated at the southwest corner of Highway 7 and Jane Street, the site houses large-scale industrial buildings that maintain and store heavy machinery.
Once dominated by industrial uses, the surrounding neighbourhood has evolved into a mixed-use urban centre with high-rise residential, office, and commercial developments, with the new development having been jumpstarted by the arrival of the Line 1 extension in late 2017. The VMC, Vaughan’s nascent downtown core, is undergoing significant transformation, with several large-scale projects under construction or in the pipeline.
In September, 2023, Toromont unveiled initial details of its masterplan, covering an 8.6-acre site with 10, 35, and 79-storey towers and 1,328 residential units in its first three phases.
Now, Bousfields has submitted the Official Plan Amendment, Zoning By-law Amendment, and Draft Plan of Subdivision applications to the City of Vaughan on behalf of the developer. The proposal includes 17 high-rise buildings across four development blocks, with heights ranging from 43 to 74 storeys, or 143.85m to 236.5m. The tallest towers, at 69 and 74 storeys, would stand at the southwestern and southeastern corners of Highway 7 and a southern extension of Millway Avenue, intended to act as a gateway to the site.
The community would include approximately 10,231 residential units, 30,092m² of non-residential space, and over 1.58 hectares of new parkland. It would include two new parks and four new public roads.
The design entails a total Gross Floor Area of 871,734m², including 841,642m² dedicated to residential space across all blocks. Block A in the site's northwest quadrant would include 7,372m² of office space and 9,437m² for hotel use, with 920m² designed for a daycare facility in Block D in the southwest quadrant. Plans include 20,462m² each for indoor and outdoor amenities across the full site, while the Floor Space Index for the entire site would be 14.81.
The development would include a five-level underground garage with 3,082 spaces for residents, 1,215 for visitors, and 247 for retail, office, hotel, and daycare uses. There would also be 8,216 long-term and 2,096 short-term bicycle spaces.
Blocks A, B, C, and D would have 34, 32, 24, and 18 elevators respectively. This makes for a ratio of approximately one elevator for every 85 to 95 units in Blocks A through C, indicating brief wait times, and 102 units for Block D, suggesting slightly longer wait times.
Four new public roads, totalling 31,564m², aim to better integrate the site with the surrounding blocks, providing for a complete network of connected streets as the area continues to redevelop. In terms of green space, Millway Linear Park and Central Park would total 1.58 hectares across the site. The former would run along the west side of Millway Avenue. Central Park would be divided into two blocks located along the southern edge of the Toromont site, but central to further redevelopment of the VMC area south of Highway 7.
Four phases are planned, starting with Phase 1, which includes Block A along with the northern portions of Millway Linear Park and the new roads. The parks would be completed in Phase 4.
The site will have direct access to VMC station on University Line 1, from which trains head for York University, Yorkdale, and various neighbourhoods on their way to Downtown Toronto. The Highway 7 Rapidway provides bus-only lanes in the middle of that east-west road, while the SmartVMC Bus Terminal, located 300m north of the site, connects to regional and local bus routes, including York Region’s VIVA and Brampton’s Zum rapid buses.
There are several other projects and proposals on neighbouring blocks. To the north, the tallest proposals include 7800 Jane Street with three buildings up to 60 storeys, VMC Blocks A6 and A7 with eight towers up to 62 storeys, and 175 Millway Avenue’s three buildings up to 64 storeys. To the east, 216 Doughton Road calls for 46 and 52 storey towers, while CG Tower is wrapping up its construction phase, standing 60 storeys tall.
To the east, Vaughan City Square proposes nine towers up to 58 storeys. To the west, 7Central plans four buildings, up to 55 storeys, while 25 Interchange Way would boast 45 and 55 storey towers. 3300 Highway 7 proposes three towers up to 58 storeys. Festival Condominiums includes four towers currently under construction, up to 59 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, STUDIO tla, VIP Condos Toronto, WZMH Architects |
