UTPro Instant Reports: High-Rise is the New Normal for VMC, and More Towers to Come

Urbantoronto.ca
April 27, 2023

UrbanToronto’s exclusive series, the UTPro Instant Report, is back with another weekly instalment, studying the latest development trends in the GTA’s fastest growing communities. Sourcing information from our data service, UTPro, today’s report will zoom in on an area that, in the last decade, has seen one of the most dramatic density spikes in the entire region: Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (VMC).

Located just northeast of the intersection of Highways 400 and 407, VMC is a rapidly evolving mixed-use node that is the focal point of development in the Vaughan area. One of the key forces in inciting development in VMC was the activation of the TTC’s University Line 1 extension, completed in December of 2017, which brought transfer-free rapid transit service all the way to the new northern terminus at VMC. With the presence of the TTC, Vaughan has been quite tolerant in terms of approving large scale projects at VMC, prompting developers to take on more ambitious city-building endeavours with broad mixed-use scopes.

UTPro Instant Report identified a total of 22 projects in Vaughan Metropolitan Centre

Our Custom Report, which instantly compiled a list of all projects within an 800 metre radius of the address of 222 Doughton Road, located roughly in the centre of VMC, came back with a list of 22 total projects. Of that total, six projects are listed as complete, five are listed as currently under construction, and the remaining 11 are all listed as being in the planning and/or sales stage.

Taking a closer look at these projects, the first phase of Transit City is one of the most recently completed projects in VMC. The development boasts a distinct exterior expression that is consistent across all three of its towers, adding further congruency to the set of buildings, which stand at identical heights of 55 storeys each. With 1,700 units, the project is an exemplary representation of the typology that will continue to proliferate in VMC in the coming years.

Currently under construction just to the west is Festival Condominiums. The project will eventually consist of five towers, and is being brought to life through a phased approach, with the first two towers currently rising through forming work. Upon completion, the community will offer nearly 2,500 units, while featuring commercial uses as well as a new public park.

Among the group of proposed developments, 216 Doughton stands out due to its inclusion of an affordable rental component. The two-tower development is consistent with the scale of the various projects seeking approval in VMC, proposing towers of 46 and 52 storeys on land that until now has been industrial/commercial. The project indicates that developers are zeroing in on what has already been successful in the area and using that blueprint to inform new projects.

Some of the additional statistics from our Custom Report help to form observations on this data set. Looking at the figures on building heights listed below, we can see that the average height is well within the Skyscraper classification of 100m, while the tallest projects go as high as 200m.

What we can take away from this report is that VMC has already seen one of the most dramatic transformations in the GTA, but that transformation is just getting started. The high-rise is firmly established as the dominant typology in the area, and future applications can be expected to continue pushing for greater heights while seeking approval for multi-tower projects offering unit counts well over the 1,000 mark.