Over 1,000 Residential Units, New Park Proposed For Lawrence Heights

Big things could be headed for Lawrence Heights in the form of a 22-, 24-, and 26-storey mixed-use development that would come with 1,062 new residential units — plus a new street and public park.

Official plan amendment, zoning by-law amendment, and plan of subdivision applications for this ambitious project were submitted by developers RioCan Living and Maplelands in June, and those are currently awaiting the City of Toronto's review.

If approved, the project would represent a substantial addition to the North York neighbourhood, bringing 75,715 sq. m of residential space, 1,215 sq. m of retail space, and 2,031 sq. m of new parkland to the site. Of the 1,062 proposed residential units, there are 19 studios, 588 one-bedrooms, 310 two-bedrooms, 115 three-bedrooms, and 30 townhouse units.

Currently, the 1.54-hectare site at 3140-3170 Dufferin Street and 60-68 Apex Road is home to a single-storey, multi-unit commercial plaza building known as Dufferin Plaza. The Plaza contains a variety of retail, personal service, financial institution, and restaurant tenants.

In its place, the aforementioned three-tower complex has been proposed, which would be divided across two mixed-use residential buildings. The development consists of three blocks with Block 1 containing the 22- and 24-storey towers in the eastern portion of the site, Block 2 containing the 26-storey building in the south western portion, and Block 3 accommodating the new public park north of Block 2. In between the east and west blocks would sit a new 18.5-metre wide north-south public street — referred to in the planning documents as Street A — connecting from Apex Road to a planned east-west road set for the northerly boundary of the site.

Taking a closer look at the 22- and 24-storey towers of Block 1: these towers would sit atop a shared square-shaped, one- to nine-storey podium with frontage on Dufferin Street, Apex Road, Street A, and the planned northern road. At grade would be 1,215 sq. m of commercial space and 13 townhouse units, with 705 residential units in the towers above. Residents of Block 1 would also enjoy 1,212 sq. m of indoor amenity space, 1,212 sq. m of outdoor amenity space, 314 vehicular parking spaces across a two-level underground parking garage, and 580 bicycle parking spaces.

Rendering via Arcadis IBI Group

Across the street, Block 2 would house the 26-storey building with an L-shaped, one- to six-storey podium fronting on Apex Road and Street A. The podium would accommodate 17 townhouse units with the remaining 357 residential units in the tower above. Residents in the east building would enjoy a generous 2,460-sq.-m indoor amenity space, 2,182 sq. m of outdoor amenity spaces, 192 vehicle parking spaces across another two-level parking garage, and 292 bicycle parking spaces.

Block 2 would also benefit from unencumbered views of the planned 2,031-sq.-m park. Initially, the public park was planned for the southwest corner of the site, but was relocated to adjoin with park space with the adjacent development at 3180 Dufferin Street in order to provide a "larger centralized public open space amenity," according to the planning rationale executed by Bousfields Inc.

Zooming out, the proposed site is located within a vibrant junction proximate to Yorkdale Shopping Centre, Highway 401, the Allen Expressway, and Lawrence West subway station. The subject site is also well-served by local bus routes, including the 29 Dufferin, 52 Lawrence West, 59 Maple Leaf, and the 47C Lansdowne.

“Our customers will be attracted by the exceptional location, where they can walk to the subway, to wonderful neighbourhood restaurants and cafes, and to the most exciting shopping centre in Canada,” said Ibrahim Salib, Maplelands’ COO, on the Maplelands website. “They will feel confident purchasing a beautiful new home of outstanding quality, built by two respected and reputable developers, committed to putting the customer at the centre of everything we do.”