VAUGHAN METROPOLITAN CENTRE: TRANSFERRING HEIGHTS AND DENSITY

NRU
May 3, 2017
Andrew Cohrs

Two 55-storey towers proposed for the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre require the transfer of unused density and height. But with the two donor sites nearby, the benefits for the new downtown are getting positive reaction.

Penguin-Calloway (Vaughan) and CentreCourt Developments are proposing to construct two 55-storey towers with 1,210 units connected by a seven-storey parking structure with 1,111 spaces, as well as seven townhouses. The 0.44 ha site is directly adjacent to a future York Region rapid transit bus terminal.

“The height is a little high, I wasn’t expecting that… [But] it’s not scaring me, I think that we want to create a very viable, very livable downtown that also really capitalizes on the transportation hub. I think that we need to have this type of building in the area. Am I saying that every single building should be like that? Absolutely not. But I think that one, two or three should be in that range,” Ward 4 councillor Sandra Yeung Racco told NRU.

Racco says that the development is well positioned to take advantage of several public transit options and will help to create a recognizable downtown.

“It’s about [how the proposal] fits into the area—the fact that these two towers are right next to the bus terminal, very close to the subway station, the Viva hub and nine acres of proposed park. [The proposal] does make sense. ... I think that if we want to build a downtown, we want to build something that looks iconic and we need that.”

However, to achieve the proposed 7.7 fsi, Penguin-Calloway and CentreCourt are proposing to transfer 34,294 m2 GFA of unused density and 35 storeys of height from two of its adjacent sites. Currently, the maximum density for the site is 0.6 fsi and the maximum height is 15 m or four-to-five storeys.

“This is the first proposal for a density and height transfer in the VMC. This proposal is only being considered due to the location of the receiver and donor sites within the Station Precinct of the Vaughan Metropolitan Center Secondary Plan. As a result, staff are carefully reviewing this proposal prior to providing a final recommendation to the committee of the whole and council,” deputy city manager of planning and growth John MacKenzie said in an email to NRU.

While a height and density transfer is needed to accommodate the proposal, Racco said it is consistent with market demand and will address housing needs among two growing demographics: millennials seeking to get into the housing market and baby boomers wanting to downsize but stay in the community. Making sure a significant number of people live in the new downtown will ensure there is activity in the centre around the clock.

“If there is any area that we want to get intensification, it’s in this area because… if we want to make it livable you’ve got to have that type of mixture in the area… We don’t want to be like King and Bay [Streets in Toronto] where it’s really busy during the day time, but as soon as five o’clock comes around it’s a ghost town.”

The public hearing for the zoning by-law amendment application was held last night. At the Design Review Panel meeting last week, the panel focused its second review on the public realm, screening of the parking structure and street level impacts.