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A residential tower planned within the Weston Major Transit Station Area that was dubbed Hickory Tree Towers when it was to be a condo, has grown taller with a newly approved Minor Variance taking the proposal from 38 to 42 storeys. Now designed by B+H Architects, replacing KIRKOR Architects and Planners, the CentreCourt and Arkfield Development project will now deliver rental suites including affordable ones supported by pre-approvals through a CMHC program and the City of Toronto’s Rental Housing Supply Program. Toronto's Committee of Adjustment approved the added height on July 16, 2026.
Addressed to 1736 and 1746 Weston Road, the site occupies an irregularly shaped parcel at its southwest corner with Wilby Crescent, across from Weston GO and UP Express station. The land remains occupied by low-rise commercial and institutional buildings, including a recently vacated former church, with demolition permits having been issued. Low-rise commercial and industrial properties line this stretch of Weston Road, older and recently proposed apartment towers rise nearby, and low-rise residential streets and the Humber River valley extend to the southeast.
The project has changed substantially since its February, 2022 Zoning By-law Amendment application, which proposed a 25-storey, 253-unit condominium designed by DIALOG. A February, 2023 resubmission expanded it to 40 storeys and 446 units, prompting City concerns over its height, floor plates, transition, and shadowing.
Following an appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal, Council accepted a settlement in November, 2023 for a reduced 38-storey scheme, subsequently redesigned by KIRKOR with 421 units. The settlement was implemented through a site-specific Zoning By-law approved by the Tribunal in May, 2025.
Now, the revised building would rise 42 storeys (139m) from a six-storey podium. Compared with the approved 38-storey scheme, the tower gains four floors and about 10m in overall height, while its south podium is filled in from two to six storeys. The tower’s design is also pulled farther from Wilby Crescent. A 12.5m setback is retained to the east, allowing for a 25m separation from a potential tower on the neighbouring property.
Despite the added height, the unit count dips from 421 to 420 as the project changes from condominium to purpose-built rental tenure. Four elevators would serve the 420 apartments, equating to one elevator for every 105 units, indicating high-speed motors would be needed for acceptable wait times when all elevators are operational. The new units mix comprises 68 studios, 205 one-bedrooms, 105 two-bedrooms, and 42 three-bedrooms, compared with 21, 216, 141, and 43, respectively, in the previous plan. Of the total, 315 apartments would be market-rate, and 105 would be affordable rentals, increasing the project’s earlier affordable commitment from 20% to 25%.
Gross Floor Area (GFA) decreases by 576m² to 27,790m², producing a Floor Space Index of 15.3 times coverage of the 1,816m² lot, while residential GFA falls by 594m² to 27,394m². Retail space edges up from 378m² to 396m². Residents would have access to 924m² of indoor and 756m² of outdoor amenity space on floors 1, 2, and 7.
The tower’s 805m² floor-plate would continue through the upper levels rather than narrowing to 750m² above the 35th floor as previously approved. Parking has meanwhile been moved largely from four underground levels into the podium, leaving one basement level. The supply decreases from 129 to 120 spaces, including 96 for residents, 23 for visitors, and one car-share space. Bicycle parking declines marginally from 475 to 472 spaces, comprising 378 long-term, 84 short-term, and 10 publicly accessible spaces.
The site is approximately 275m south of an entrance to Weston GO station, offering access to GO Transit’s Kitchener Line and UP Express service to Union station and Pearson Airport. TTC bus service along Weston Road provides connections to the subway system.
Hickory Tree Towers is one of several development proposals that could reshape the area around Weston GO. To the southwest, 16 Wilby Crescent is proposed at 39 storeys, while sites to the southeast include an 11-storey proposal at 1681 Weston Road and two 43-storey towers at 1705 Weston Road. A larger cluster is emerging to the northwest, with 36 storeys proposed at 1798–1812 Weston Road, 45-storey plans at both 1821 and 1828–1844 Weston Road, and the Weston Park redevelopment at 48 and 54 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: | Arkfield Development, B+H Architects, Goldberg Group, Gradient Wind Engineers & Scientists, Jablonsky, Ast and Partners, KIRKOR Architects and Planners, MCW Consultants Ltd |
