Second 55-Storey Tower Planned for Vaughan's 'Transit City'

UrbanToronto.ca
May 2, 2017
Stefan Novakovic

York Region's tallest building is set to be neighboured by none other than York Region's tallest building. While last month's announcement of Vaughan's 55-storey 'Transit City Condos' tower signalled strong demand for new transit-oriented development to accompany the 8.6-kilometre subway extension—which will terminate steps away from the site—the early stages of phase two planning reveal the CentreCourt and SmartREIT tower to be the first of a pair.

West of the recently announced Diamond Schmitt-designed tower, Transit City's second phase will rise from the south end of the project's shared seven-storey podium. Taken together, the two buildings will introduce a total of 1,210 units to the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (VMC), much of which remains an expanse of parking lots and single-storey big box stores as the new Downtown begins to take shape.

While the phase two tower is still in the relatively early stages of the planning process, the recent submission to the City of Vaughan reveals a virtually identical aesthetic. Like its neighbour, the tower is characterized by a repeating, rectangular balcony pattern, which introduces an element of material variety to the otherwise glassy form.

The submission documents also offer an early look at the project's material composition, with a combination of glazing and 'painted metal panels' wrapping the towers. Below, the seven-storey podium structure—which will house a 1,111-space parking garage—is set to be clad predominantly in painted metal panels, with the lower level set to be glazed.

In an attempt to limit the negative street-level impacts of a bulky above-ground parking structure, the garage's lower levels will be fronted by a row of townhouses, creating a somewhat more animated public realm along the west elevation. Facing the YRRTC bus terminal on the busier east elevation, a living wall would front the pedestrianized alleyway, which will lead to the first BUCA-branded café-restaurant outside Toronto's Downtown core.

Directly neighbouring the regional bus terminal, the project will be located a block east of the TTC's new Line 1 terminus at Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Station, scheduled to open at the end of the year. Surrounding the terminal, the 442-acre VMC will dramatically re-shape the area, with much of the 100-acre SmartCentre Lands at the heart of the VMC already under development.

Alongside the under-construction YRRTC bus terminal and TTC station, a new YMCA, public library, and office tower—also designed by Diamond Schmitt—is being planned, while the KPMG Vaughan building stands as the VMC's first completed project slightly further west. North of the KPMG building, a large central park will run through the heart of the community, while a pedestrian plaza—now under construction—will link together the VMC's south end. To create a cohesive street-level experience, the public spaces are both being designed by Claude Cormier + Associés, who are also appointing on the landscaping and public realm program at Transit City Condos.