Tall & Urban News

A plot of property in southwest Etobicoke is the subject of a dormant rezoning application that has sprung back to life. Antorista Investments first submitted a proposal for the site on Evans Avenue in 2014, which never received approval and made no progress for several years. Enlisting Giannone Petricone Associates as designers, they have now given the project another go with a slightly revised version, which proposes a new neighborhood of two residential towers, a mid-rise senior residence, townhouse blocks, and a new public park.

The proposal includes two residential towers of 38 and 29 stories located in the northwest corner of the site, comprising a total of 608 residential units. The towers sit atop a shared 3-story podium, which contains a mix of townhouses, dwelling units, and amenity spaces. South of the two towers is a 9-story seniors’ residence and associated amenity spaces. The building is oriented north-south, with the majority of units facing west toward the interchange and east toward the park.

The site is a rather hostile one, bordered on its north and west edges by the busy spaghetti junction where the Gardiner, Queen Elizabeth Way, Highway 427, Brown’s Line, Evans Avenue, Sherway Gate, and The Queensway all meet. Evans Avenue and The East Mall form the south and east boundaries respectively, and though the property is technically in close proximity to Sherway Gardens, a giant knot of highway traffic separates the two. Currently existing on the site are several low-rise commercial and industrial buildings housing an automotive center, an RV dealership, and a linen warehouse, among other smaller businesses. The motel on the northwest corner of Evans and The East Mall is not included in this development and will remain as is.

To the east of the towers, a mix of freehold and stacked townhouses rising 3 or 4 stories are arranged in 6 blocks, totaling 87 dwelling units. Two new public roads connect to The East Mall and Evans Avenue, while private roads service the remainder of the property. Finally, a new 4,130-square-metre (1-acre) public park will be located at the south end of the property fronting onto Evans Avenue.

For more on this story go to Urban Toronto.