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Just over 11 kilometres north of the Toronto city limits at Steeles Avenue, an application in Richmond Hill’s northern Elgin Mills neighbourhood looks to transform the low-rise northeast corner of Yonge Street and Bernard Avenue. The design by Architecture Unfolded for the site at 10993–11007 Yonge Street has been filed by North Elgin Centre, planning four towers from 18 to 33 storeys across two phases.
Today, the site functions as a commercial plaza with five low-rise buildings housing retail, restaurants, and professional offices, supported by extensive surface parking. The property within Richmond Hill's Yonge–Bernard Key Development Area, is surrounded by a mix of uses, including low-rise housing and commercial plazas.
As detailed in the Zoning By-law Amendment application, the masterplan organizes the property into four blocks, each topped by a tower rising from a consistent 6-storey podium. Phase 1 would rise on the east portion with 18- and 24-storey towers, with Phase 2 on the west portion with 20- and 33-storey towers. Heights would range from 64.35m to 103.24m, stepping up to the tallest element at the Yonge and Bernard intersection and tapering down toward neighbouring low-rise areas. Tower floor-plates would average 850m², with tower separations exceeding 30m.
Across the four buildings, the project would deliver 1,414 residential units, with 290 of the homes planned as purpose-built rentals and 342 as condominiums. The tenure of 782 of the units remains unspecified at this time. The Floor Space Index would be 3.88 times lot coverage of the 18,388m² site, with a total Gross Floor Area of 92,141m², comprising 88,597m² of residential space and 3,544m² of non-residential uses.
At grade, the podiums would be programmed with retail and restaurant space along Yonge and part of Bernard, while the 18-storey rental tower would incorporate a second-level daycare with a private outdoor terrace. Indoor and outdoor amenities are planned across podium rooftops and landscaped mews.
A 2,395m² Urban Square is proposed at the rear of the 18-storey tower, linked to Yonge Street by a 302m² pedestrian passage. In Phase 2, a second 357m² Urban Square would anchor the Yonge and Bernard corner. Additional mews and mid-block view corridors are designed to connect residents and visitors to Yonge, Bernard, and the adjacent green storm channel.
Four elevators are planned for the tallest tower, and three each for the others. This results in approximately one elevator for every 97 units in the 18-storey tower to 118 units in the 33-storey tower. The greater the number of units per elevator, the higher speed the motors would need to be for the elevators to respond promptly enough. All four towers would share one to two levels of underground parking, with 619 residential, 68 visitor, 10 institutional, and 11 retail parking spaces. Bicycle facilities entail 906 long-term and 32 short-term spaces.
The site sits within the Bernard Major Transit Station Area, directly along the Yonge Street VIVA Rapidway and across from the Bernard Bus Terminal, placing residents within a short walk of bus rapid transits. York Region Transit stops are located at Yonge and Canyon Hill–Bernard as well as Bernard and Yorkland, offering local service within a three- or four-minute walk. Cycling routes on Canyon Hill, Bernard, Yorkland, and Shaftsbury, plus bike lanes on Yonge, connect to the terminal’s bicycle facilities.
The proposal joins high-rise activity along this stretch of Yonge. To the north, 102 Yorkland Street is planned at 12 storeys, with Brookside Yonge Condos proposing 22 storeys further up the corridor, and 11172 Yonge set to add three towers ranging from 12 to 22 storeys. South of Bernard, Evelyn Condos at Rise & Rose is proposed with 23- and 31-storey towers, while just northwest, 11014–11076 Yonge is planned with five towers between 29 and 49 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 Forum thread, or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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| Related Companies: | Crozier Consulting Engineers, Greck and Associates Limited, LEA Consulting |
