High-Rise Proposal Adds Another 50-Storey Tower to the Yonge-Steeles Pipeline

Urbantoronto.ca
April 12, 2023
Matias Bessai

Another major development proposal has come forward with the hopes of substantially boosting residential density in the Newtonbrook neighbourhood of Toronto’s North York community. The proposal, from Osmington Gerofsky Development Corp, would see the construction of a 50-storey tower at 6355 Yonge Street, on the northeast corner of Yonge Street and Abitibi Avenue, just south of  Steeles Avenue, delivering 610 new dwelling units within a stepping, pixelated massing designed by TACT Architecture.

The 1,721m² site is currently occupied by a single-storey Starbucks retail location offering a drive through as well as surface parking. The proponents argue that this is an underutilized programming for several reasons, beginning with the fact that the land is located within a Mixed-Use Area in the City’s Official Plan (OP), a favourable designation for prospective development.

Furthermore, the site is located less than 200 metres south of the planned Steeles Station on Yonge Line 1 following the completion of the 5-station expansion of the subway line. The Metrolinx project will deliver an additional 8 kilometres of subway service beyond the current northern terminus at Finch Station, and is expected to see nearly 100,000 daily boardings. 

With the promise of higher order transit set to transform connectivity along Yonge Street in North Yorth, a flurry of applications have come forward seeking to intensify the corridor at a variety of scales. Immediately to the west, for example, a 22-building proposal on the site of Centrepoint Mall is currently seeking approval, while to the north in Vaughan, 7028 Yonge is seeking approval for a three-tower project climbing as high as 65 storeys. In every direction, new developments are looking to be a part of the area’s intensifications, with tens of thousands of units already in the pipeline.

6355 Yonge exists at the taller end of the spectrum of proposals in the area, and would represent a dramatic increase in density on the comparatively small site, proposing a floor space index (FSI) of 21.74. The TACT design sees the tower rise above a 7-storey podium volume, emerging after stepping back from the east and north elevations at the 8th level. A few more massing changes also occur at the top of the tower, with step-backs at the 47th level as well as the mechanical level adding a terraced character to the tower crown.

The majority of the tower is clad with white metal panelling, which is interrupted on all elevations by a mix of continuous and singular balconies featuring clear glazing. On the podium, the metal finish is substituted for a more rustic stone cladding that comes in two tones, one cream and one dark grey. This material change, along with occasional accents of wood-look metal siding, helps to articulate the blocky, pixel-like design of the podium, which is expressed further through features like recessed balconies.

The developer intends to reinstate the current grade level retail programming through the inclusion of a 228m² commercial unit fronting Yonge Street while the project's 610 residential units would come in a mix of 29 studios (4.8%), 365 one-bedrooms (59.8%), 153 two-bedrooms (25%), and 63 three-bedrooms (10.3%), and are expanded upon by 1,851m² of total amenity space, highlighted by a west-facing rooftop terrace at the 50th level as well as a more extensive outdoor amenity area occupying the roof of the podium. 5 elevators are proposed for the 610 units, making for a ratio of 1elevator for every 122 units, over the 1 elevator per 100 units threshold by 22%. 102 vehicle parking spaces would be offered across five underground levels, while the project would also include a total of 478 bicycle spaces.

The proposal has been submitted to the City with applications for Official Plan Amendment (OPA), Zoning Bylaw Amendment (ZBA), and Site Plan Approval (SPA), which are all required to allow the project to advance. With a rapidly changing surrounding context that is increasingly being defined by high-density development, the proponents are hopeful that the coming transit infrastructure can support their project.

UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file, linked below. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.