Thornhill High-Rise Proposal Grows Taller Near Future Clark Station

UrbanToronto.ca
Dec. 13, 2023
Anthony Teles

The upcoming Yonge North Subway Extension into York Region is spurring plenty of applications near the future stations. Clark station, one stop north of Steeles, will be located in the heart of Thornhill, a community that is found half in Vaughan (west of Yonge) and half in Markham (east of Yonge). One block south of Clark on the Markham side of Yonge, a proposal for 17-23 Morgan Avenue, originally submitted just 11 months ago, has been resubmitted, and now comes in at 40 storeys, seven floors taller than its initial iteration, showcasing the trend towards evermore urban density in Major Transit Station Areas.

In the evolving landscape of Thornhill neighbourhood, the revised Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment applications proposes a more prominent addition to the area's skyline, soaring to a height of 133.45m. Despite the height increase, the podium is poised to remain as it was in the initial proposal at six storeys.

Developed by Curated Properties and envisaged by RAW Design, this is planned as a rental apartment building. Nestled between Yonge Street and Dudley Avenue, the current site is an assembly of four parcels, namely 17, 19, 21, and 23 Morgan Avenue, each with single-family dwellings, spanning approximately 2,400m² in area.

The proposed transformation envisions replacing these with a singular, towering structure. The high-rise is designed to house 487 residential units, served by four elevators, resulting in a ratio of approximately one elevator for every 122 units, indicating longer than normal wait times. To foster a sense of community among residents, the plan includes 504m² of indoor amenities and 599m² of outdoor amenities, all located on the ground and second floors.

The project accommodates substantial parking and cycling facilities: a five-level underground garage offers 255 spots, 216 for residents and 39 for visitors, with additional provisions for one car-share and three pick-up/drop-off spots. Cycling enthusiasts are catered to with 98 short-term and 396 long-term bicycle spaces.

Comparatively, the previous proposal from November 2022, envisioned a 33-storey building standing 111m tall, comprising 100 fewer residential units for a total of 387. Its underground garage, however, was to provide 291 motor vehicle spots, so the new design relies more on transit and bicycle usage for residents and their guests.

Previous design, 17 Morgan Avenue, Markham, by RAW Design for Curated Properties
Previous 33-storey proposal for 17 Morgan Avenue, by RAW Design for Curated Properties

The site is all ready served by York Region Transit buses plying Yonge Street and Clark Avenue, but the future Yonge North Subway Extension's Clark station, a 3-minute walk away, will bring more frequent, higher-speed direct service to Downtown Toronto to the south and Richmond Hill to the north.

While the immediate area around 17 Morgan Avenue is low-rise residential dwellings, just to the west is a mix of commercial plazas, and more recent mid- and high-rises that have stuck to Yonge Street. Recent development proposals are getting ever taller. To the north that includes the ambitious 60-storey dual towers planned at 7509-7529 Yonge Street, while to the south those include the 36-storey Grandview Tower and the a 15-building master-planned community at 7200 Yonge Street, its tallest towers reaching 50 storeys, also resonates with this trend.