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Towers rising to 48 storeys could soon redefine a vacant industrial site along Highway 7 in Vaughan, as one of the most ambitious development proposals to date in the city north of Toronto. The application for 1890 Highway 7 outlines a community plan designed by Kirkor Architects and Planners for the Cortel Group, bringing 19 mixed-use towers across five development blocks to the Concord area, adding the three buildings that already have zoning approval.
Cortel, very active in Vaughan with multiple projects completed, under construction, or proposed, is advancing the development in anticipation of the Concord GO station planned at the southwest corner of the site. Framed by light industrial buildings to the north and low-rise commercial properties along Highway 7, the site spans 11.5 hectares on the north side of Highway 7, between the Barrie GO rail corridor and the West Don River and Langstaff Eco Park. Currently vacant and enclosed by wire fencing, the site is within an area historically dominated by industrial and transportation uses, now undergoing gradual intensification while transitioning toward higher-density residential development.
Initial approvals were granted by the Ontario Land Tribunal in 2019 for three 22-storey towers and 950 residential units, seen in the hashed black area on image above. That vision was expanded in 2024, when Vaughan Council approved an updated application for what would now be Phase 1, branded as Rose Garden, permitting three 37-storey, mixed-use towers with a combined 1,322 residential units.
Bousfields has now submitted Official Plan, Zoning By-law Amendment, and Draft Plan of Subdivision applications to the City of Vaughan on behalf of Cortel for the subsequent phases, in the area outlined in red on the image above. The proposal fleshes out a lerger mixed-use community across five more development blocks, organized around two new public streets and a central roundabout.
Nineteen towers are proposed in the new phases (Blocks B through F below), ranging in height from 39 to 48 storeys and 128.85m to 156.1m. Each block would contain multiple towers atop shared podiums, with a mix of residential, retail, and community uses. A total of 9,590 residential units are planned, including 39 two-storey townhouses at grade, supported by community facilities including a daycare, health and wellness centre, grocery space, and a landscaped pedestrian plaza.
The proposed gross floor area across Phases 2 through 4 totals 690,391m², consisting of 681,221m² of residential space and 9,170m² of non-residential uses. This translates to a Floor Space Index of 10.96 times coverage across Blocks B through F. The development also introduces over 13,000m² of open space at the site’s eastern edge, linking to the Langstaff Eco Park and protected Bartley Smith Greenway system.
Indoor amenities entail 21,656m², with outdoor areas adding 16,912m². A total of 73 elevators are proposed across the 19 towers, averaging approximately one elevator for every 131 units, indicating high speed motors will be a must for adequate response times.
The development, following the separately approved Block A application, would proceed in phases, beginning with Block B, followed by Blocks C and D, and concluding with Blocks E and F. Parking across Phases 2 to 4 would be accommodated in two levels of underground garage, with 3,450 spaces for residents and 1,920 for visitors and non-residential uses. Bicycle facilities entail 4,795 for residents, 962 for visitors, and 24 for retail and commercial users.
The future Concord GO station is planned directly adjacent to the site, within a short walking distance for all residents. YRT and Viva Orange BRT routes serve the site, with the nearest current stop at Dufferin and Centre streets, about a 12-minute walk away. BRT stops would likely be added closer, beside the GO station. For cyclists, the development connects directly to the Bartley Smith Greenway.
Further nearby development activity is primarily found to the east and west. To the east, 7818 Dufferin proposes towers of 22 and 27 storeys, while farther east, larger-scale proposals include 26- and 29-storey towers at 784 Centre, 28- and 30-storey towers at 7700 Bathurst, and 22- and 31-storey towers at 700 Centre. Westward, Atelier Park Phase 1 calls for two 40-storey towers, while 7700 Keele Street proposes four buildings with towers up to 60 storeys. To the southeast, the multi-phased Promenade Mall revitalization is under construction, bringing five towers ranging from 6 to 35 storeys.
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EDITOR'S NOTE: The story has been edited to remove a reference to a firm that is not longer associated with the site.
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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, Cortel Group, KIRKOR Architects and Planners, MHBC Planning, Schollen & Company, STUDIO tla, Tarra Engineering & Structural Consultants Inc |
