Crombie REIT and Sobeys Capital Incorporated have filed plans to bring a six-storey mixed-used building and 60 residential units to a site in the Beaches neighbourhood of Toronto.
If approved, the development would replace a two-storey mixed-use building that is currently under-utilized and occupied by a Foodland grocery store at-grade and ancillary offices above. Foodland operates under the Sobeys Inc. retail banner, and in addition, Sobeys is the wholly-owned subsidiary of Empire, which has a 41.5% stake in Crombie.
Official plan and zoning by-law amendment applications from Sobeys — a grocery store giant — and Crombie — a leading Canadian real estate investment trust — were filed at the end of May, and those are currently awaiting the City's review. Working alongside RAW Design Inc., the plan is to create a “high-quality addition” to the neighbourhood that would “contribute to ongoing reinvestment along Queen Street East.”
The 0.19-hectare site is located on the northeast corner of Queen Street East and Lee Avenue. Meanwhile, the proposed build would include 5,728 sq. m of gross floor area (GFA) in total, including 4,588 sq. m of residential GFA and 1,140 sq. m of retail GFA. Included in the development would also be 33 car parking spaces and 68 bicycle parking spaces.
Of the residential units, 40 would be one-bedroom units, 14 would be two-bedroom units, and six would be three-bedroom units. At-grade would be the proposed retail space, set to be occupied by a larger and “improved” grocery store in place of the Foodland, which the planning report explains would “better serve the existing community.”
Might the new store be a Sobeys? That remains to be seen.
The proposed building itself features an industrial-looking red-brick facade with large windows and tiered roof levels that increasingly recess from Lee Ave starting at the fourth floor, according to renderings from RAW. The tiering would free up space for terraces accommodating 1,464 sq. ft of outdoor amenity space. And inside, residents would enjoy 1,302 sq. ft of indoor amenity space.
Situated along a main arterial road, the proposed development would also be well-serviced by public transit routes including the 501 Queen streetcar, the 64 Main bus, the 92 Woodbine South bus, and the 301 Queen Blue Night streetcar. Not to mention it would be directly across from Kew Park and within walking distance from Woodbine Beach.
If approved, this superbly located and sleekly designed new development could be a solid addition to the Beaches neighbourhood and a positive revitalization of a currently underused space.
Editor's Note: This article has been updated to reflect that Sobeys is the subsidiary of Empire, and Empire's stake in Crombie REIT.
