Urbanizing the Suburbs
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2 NIMBLE SPACES Pop-up community 3 LPAT RULES Clarification sought FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2018 Vol. 22 No. 43 NORTH YORK DISTRICT PROFILE URBANIZING THE SUBURBS Rachael Williams In the final part of a four- new community facilities, new Vaughan. Opened in December Yonge line was built out, it part series on planning and connections in terms of new 2017, the extension has replaced the streetcar. The city development in each of the city’s public roads, new cycling paths resulted in three new stations already existed. Most of the community planning districts, and so forth and a lot of this in Toronto, including York places where the university NRU sat down with North York stuff is being implemented University, Finch West and line [extension] opened, there’s district staff for a wide-ranging as we speak. And what this is Downsview Park. nothing there. So the subway conversation about active projects doing is creating a much better “I think there is a lot of building...becomes a landmark and initiatives in the district. urban environment,” said North misconception about the for a neighbourhood that York community planning subway buildings,” said urban doesn’t yet exist.” onsistently overshadowed director Joe Nanos. design manager Leo Desorcy, The subway extension to C by the gleaming condo Transit enhancements in reference to the grand Vaughan has also changed the towers and buzz of activity have been critical to spurring architecture, high cost and geographical parameters of taking place in the downtown, development interest in lack of development currently what is considered “Midtown,” North York District planners are North York. This includes the surrounding the sites. “But I said Nanos. creating unique and enviable extension of the TTC Yonge- think the difference is where “Typically, Midtown has communities in the suburbs. University-Spadina line to we are in the city. When the been looked at as Yonge and From the redevelopment of Eglinton, from a Toronto lens. Lawrence Heights to preparing With the subway extending up for an aerospace campus in to Vaughan, when you look at Downsview Park, North York it from a GTA lens, the north planners are striving to create part of Toronto is becoming destinations in north Toronto. CONTINUED PAGE 7 Critical to these projects are Rendering of Pioneer Village subway detailed planning frameworks station, located near Steeles Avenue and collaboration across all city West and Northwest Gate. It is intended departments to ensure these to provide access for existing and redevelopments exemplify future developments along Steeles complete communities. Avenue West. The building has been “We are setting in motion a laid out to maximize the potential for transit-oriented development to occur. lot of projects that are resulting in ARCHITECT: WILL ALSOP new public parks, public squares, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: JANET ROSENBERG URBANIZING THE SUBURBS the midtown of the GTA... and that’s part of the success of those areas and why condos are CONTINUED FROM PAGE selling so well because people realize they’re connected to the GTA when they’re there,” he noted. In addition to the secondary plans for York University and Downsview, the city has launched the Keele Finch Plus study, in preparation for the future Finch West LRT. Staff is also planning for the proposed Yonge subway extension to Richmond Hill with the Yonge Street North planning study. This study will help develop a vision for the future of Yonge Street, between Finch and Steeles avenues, in response to existing and anticipated development pressures. The environmental assessment has been approved for the subway extension and according to North York 1 Proposed Non-Residential GFA (m2) FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2018 Highway 400 Jane St 100,000 20,000 200,000 Keele St Eglinton Ave W central section community planning manager Cescato is approaching 30 per cent design. “Obviously the priority for the city is the relief line,” said Cescato. “The subway Dufferin St extension shouldn’t open before the relief line opens. You’d Sheppard Ave W be pushing that [capacity] problem up to Finch because Finch Ave W Steeles Ave W York Region has approved a lot of density from Steeles to 16 Rd Sideroad. If all of those people Allen get onto the subway without Wilson Ave Lawrence Ave W the relief line in place, it’s going to be problematic.” Cescato said calling it the “downtown relief line” was a misnomer because it was , the project team never about connectivity in the downtown. “It was about connecting Bathurst St the 416 suburbs and [improving] their commute... and adding some capacity on Avenue Rd Yonge St Giulio Lawrence Ave E Sheppard Ave E Steeles Ave E Finch Ave E York Mills Rd Bayview Ave Laird Dr Eglinton Ave E th Overlea Blvd Leslie St the Yonge line also benefits people coming in from Markham, Pickering and Ajax as well because it gives them another opportunity to get downtown that perhaps isn’t a GO train.” Many of the large-scale redevelopments taking shape in North York are in areas with Rd pre-existing secondary plans. Don Mills This includes Downsview,York University, Bayview, North York Centre, Don Mills, Yonge- Eglinton, Lawrence Heights Don and along the Sheppard East Valley P kwy Highway 404 subway corridor. Significant developments Significant underway include Concord Park Place, an old Canadian Tire warehouse that is being redeveloped by into a large-scale condominium and mixed-use development with 5,000 homes for 10,000 residents. Spanning 45-acres, the development, known as Concord Park Place, will include Toronto’s largest community centre, a public library, childcare facility, recreational facilities, an aquatic centre and an eight- Proposed Residential Units Highway 400 Jane St Concord Adex 2,500 5,000 500 KeeleSt acre public park with a skating rink. North York east section community planning manager Eglinton Ave W John Andreevsky there are also blocks that will be saved for future school sites for the Catholic and public Wilson Ave Dufferin St school boards. “When you look at a Sheppard Ave W project like this, you aren’t just laying out the buildings, Finch Ave W Steeles Ave W you are creating a complete community and connections to Allen Rd surrounding areas,” he said. The Lawrence Heights Revitalization Project, Lawrence Ave W located south of Yorkdale Shopping Centre, is about the transformation of a 100-acre site into a vibrant mixed- income community. Over 1,208 BBaaatttthhhuuurrrrsssttttSStttt Below left: Map showing Avenue Rd significant non- residential development in North York District between July 2016 and June 2018. Below: Map showing significant residential development in North York District between July 2016 and June 2018. SOURCE FOR ALL: CITY OF TORONTO Yonge St explained Lawrence Ave E Sheppard Ave E Steeles Ave E Finch Ave E York Mills Rd Bayview Ave CONTINUED PAGE NOVÆ RES URBIS Laird Dr Eglinton Ave E EglintonEglintonEglintonEglintonEglintonEglintonEglinton Ave Ave Ave Ave Ave AveAve E E E E E EE EglintonEglintonEglintonEglintonEglintonEglintonEglinton Ave Ave AveAve Ave AveAve E E EE E EE EglintonEglintonEglintonEglintonEglintonEglintonEglinton Ave Ave Ave Ave Ave AveAve E E E E E EE Overlea Blvd Leslie St 8 Rd Don Mills D on Valley TORONTO Pkw y Hwy 404 7 Top-10 Residential a network of public and private URBANIZING streets, a new public park, publicly- Development accessible open space, retail and THE SUBURBS Proposals community space. NORTH YORK DISTRICT, JULY 2016 – JUNE 2018 6. 2450 Victory Park Avenue— Proposal to redevelop the site with CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 1. 844 Don Mills Road—Proposal four mixed-use buildings ranging to redevelop the site into 18 blocks in height from 11 to 44 storeys, with Toronto Community Housing Although the focus in consisting of office buildings 1,247 residential units and ground- units will be replaced, and Toronto is almost always in (including the retention of the floor retail space. A new on-site Celestica headquarters), commercial public park and two new private over 4,000 new private market the downtown, North York and retail space, 4,974 residential streets are also proposed and the units will be built, along with planners say it is the work being units within a range of building types existing seven-storey office building new parks, retail space, public done in the 416 suburbs that including tall buildings, mid-rise would be demolished. art and roads connecting will become the focus as the buildings and low-rise town houses, land for a community centre, new 7. 2901 Bayview Avenue & 630 Lawrence Heights to the GTHA continues to grow out. public streets, parks and open Sheppard Avenue East (Bayview surrounding community. “The whole planning spaces. A total of 85,545 m2 of Village)—Proposal for the north site In Downsview, Centennial profession focuses on an non-residential gross floor area is includes one 19-storey, mixed-use proposed. building, two six-storey mixed-use College is planning to open a urban downtown condition buildings and a retail addition to the campus in January 2019 for and it prejudices it—the 2. 770 & 805 Don Mills Road— existing Bayview Village Shopping aerospace and aviation. The downtown is desirable, the Proposal consists of two Centre (372 dwelling units). Proposal historic de Havilland of Canada suburbs are not,” added development sites, each consisting for the south site includes a mixed- of three residential towers, with use building with two towers (33 and building is being repurposed Cescato. “But there is no heights ranging from 22 to 52 28 storeys), 760 dwelling units and a for the new campus, which successful downtown without storeys, above two six-storey base five-storey parking structure. will create 138,000 square a successful suburb and..