A site in North York, currently home to two rental apartment buildings, may soon welcome two more developments. If approved, the proposed higher-density developments will certainly up the site’s residential ante.
In December, a Zoning By-law Amendment application was submitted to the City of Toronto on behalf of Akelius Canada Ltd., the owner of 150 The Donway West and 4 Overland Drive in Don Mills. The application proposes two infill developments, 10- and 15-storeys in height, to join existing four- and six-storey buildings on the subject site.
The new developments would be 33.31 and 49.94 metres in height, respectively, and contain 17,990 sq. metres of collective gross floor area (GFA). In addition, they would add 242 new rental units to the Don Mills are -- a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom units, and one- and two-bedroom units with dens -- and 61 new parking spaces.
The preliminary design by Diamond Schmitt shows white-coloured metal and glass for the tower elements above a brick podium.
Taking both the new and exisiting buildings into consideration, the site would collectively contain 28,102.6 sq. metres of residential GFA and 355 rental units. Residents of the new and existing developments would have access to a total of 178 parking spaces, 356 bicycle parking spaces, and a centralized amenity courtyard.
According to the planning rationale, submitted in support of the application, the proposed developments are in line with the Provincial Policy Statement, the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, the City of Toronto Official Plan, and applicable City of Toronto Urban Design Guidelines.
"The proposal will contribute to the achievement of the applicable policy directions related to intensification of underutilized properties, provision of a range and mix of housing options, optimization of planned and development of compact, transit-supportive built form in an area with frequent transit service and within a strategic growth area," the rationale goes on to say. “The proposal will help to achieve the creation of a complete community and strives to reduce auto-dependency and lower impacts on climate change.”
