A redevelopment proposal has been submitted for Wilshire Plaza in Vaughan's Beverley Glen neighbourhood, where plans call for a four-building mixed-use community rising to 35 storeys at 8000 Bathurst Street north of Centre Street. Designed by Kirkor Architects and Planners for Baif Developments, the proposal would replace the existing commercial plaza at the southwest corner of Bathurst Street and New Westminster Drive, located within the Protected Major Transit Station Area surrounding the Atkinson Viva Orange Bus Rapid Transit stop.

Looking southwest to 8000 Bathurst Street, designed by Kirkor Architects and Planners for Baif Developments

The site is currently occupied by Wilshire Plaza, a suburban-style commercial centre comprising three low-rise retail buildings surrounded by a large surface parking lot. The site is within a mixed urban context that includes schools, community facilities, parks, recently completed mid- and high-rise mixed-use developments, and established low-rise residential neighbourhoods.

Looking west to the current site, image from submission to City of Vaughan

Goldberg Group has submitted Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment applications to the City of Vaughan on behalf of the developer. The redevelopment is envisioned as a two-phase mixed-use community organized around four buildings connected by a series of podium elements. Phase 1 would introduce 18- and 32-storey towers rising from a podium ranging from one to six storeys along New Westminster Drive and Bathurst Street. Phase 2 would add a 35-storey tower at the southeast corner of the site and a six-storey residential building toward the southwest corner, linked by a one- to three-storey podium. Across the development, building heights would range from 26.66m to 114.21m, with the tallest elements concentrated along the Bathurst Street frontage.

Site plan, designed by Kirkor Architects and Planners for Baif Developments

The proposal would deliver 1,157 homes within 84,624m² of Gross Floor Area, including 82,396m² dedicated to residential uses and 2,229m² of retail and commercial space. The resulting Floor Space Index would be 4.53 times coverage of the 18,691m² property. Unit types would consist primarily of one-bedroom suites, accounting for 749 homes, alongside 377 two-bedroom units and 31 three-bedroom units. Retail space would animate the Bathurst Street frontage while wrapping around the corner onto New Westminster Drive.

Looking northwest to 8000 Bathurst Street, designed by Kirkor Architects and Planners for Baif Developments

Tower floor-plates would range from approximately 775m² to 801m², while most tower separations would measure 25m. The closest condition occurs between the 18- and 32-storey towers, where a 20.7m corner-to-corner relationship is proposed without directly facing windows. There would be 2,305m² of indoor and 3,847m² of outdoor amenities. Vertical circulation would be provided by 13 elevators across the four buildings, resulting in roughly one elevator for every 89 and 90 residential units in Phases 1 and 2, respectively, indicating reasonable response times when all elevators are operating.

Ground floor plan, designed by Kirkor Architects and Planners for Baif Developments

A new public realm strategy would replace the existing surface parking with landscaped open spaces, pedestrian routes, and a woonerf-style internal drive court. Below grade, two levels of underground parking would accommodate 768 vehicles, with 527 resident spaces and 241 shared visitor and retail spaces, supplemented by approximately 10 surface pick-up and drop-off spaces. Bicycle facilities would comprise 771 spaces in total, including 650 long-term and 121 short-term spaces.

Looking southeast to 8000 Bathurst Street, designed by Kirkor Architects and Planners for Baif Developments

The property is directly beside frequent Viva Bus Rapid Transit services operating along the Bathurst Street and Centre Street corridors, with stops immediately adjacent to the site. Additional York Region Transit and TTC routes provide connections to destinations including Promenade Terminal, Finch GO Bus Terminal, Wilson station, and Vaughan Metropolitan Centre. Protected bike lanes are in place along Bathurst Street, Centre Street, and portions of New Westminster Drive, supplemented by signed cycling routes on nearby local streets.

An axonometric view looking southwest to the site and surrounding area, image from submission to City of Vaughan

The proposal joins a growing number of high-density projects in the surroundings. South of the site, 784 Centre Street proposes 26 and 29 storeys, while 7700 Bathurst Street would introduce a pair of 28- and 30-storey buildings. Nearby, plans for 700 Centre Street call for 22- and 31-storey towers. Further south, the large-scale revitalization of Promenade Mall has begun its multi-phase construction, eventually to bring five buildings ranging from 6 to 35 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:  Counterpoint Engineering, Goldberg Group, KIRKOR Architects and Planners, RWDI Climate and Performance Engineering