Twisting Etobicoke Condo Project Refined as Site Plan Approval Sought

A refined plan for four twisting condo towers in Etobicoke has been submitted to the City of Toronto by Harhay Developments alongside an application for Site Plan Approval. The proposal for 900 The East Mall, located east of Highway 427 just south of Eglinton Avenue West, was first submitted for Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw Amendment applications in October, 2019.

Feedback provided in December has shaped amendments to the proposal, which have been outlined in resubmitted materials supporting the rezoning application. The resubmission is accompanied by a Site Plan Approval application which demonstrates the relationship between the four proposed towers, a new private street linked to The East Mall, and planned open spaces at the southeast corner of the property.

A ten-metre setback has been provided from the north property line following comments received from the Ministry of Transportation, which owns this segment of Eglinton Avenue West. The setback has resulted in the two easternmost towers, rising to heights of 20 and 21 storeys, being pushed slightly further south. The other pair of 21-storey towers remain in the same position, separated from Highway 427 by a 14-metre setback.

The total gross floor area has been reduced from 83,399 m² to 82,392 m², taking away space from the residential, office, retail, and daycare uses proposed. Initially proposed to contain 882 units, the revised proposal contemplates a total of 858 units, with 51 studios, 444 one-bedrooms, 272 two-bedrooms, and 91 three-bedrooms slated. The residential portions of the Core Architects-designed towers feature a series of twisting floor plates.

The project's revised office component measures 5,824 m², slightly less than the 6,187 m² of office space that currently exists on the site across multiple low-rise buildings. The original application had made provisions for 6,451 m² of office space.

The orientation of a proposed public park and adjacent privately-owned publicly-accessible space (POPS) has also changed. Covering approximately 15 percent of the property, the public park encompasses 846 m² of space, while the POPS contiguous with it would contain nearly twice the amount of land at 1,690 m². The daycare space, located in the ground floor of the southeastern building, is adjacent to these proposed open spaces and a secured outdoor playground area.

The southeastern tower will also include a retail space oriented along The East Mall, while a larger retail space would front the corner of The East Mall and Eglinton at the northeast portion of the property. Parking for 789 vehicles and 653 bicycles would be provided on the ground level and four underground parking floors.

Harhay is proposing to develop the project in two phases, with the two easternmost buildings, a portion of the four-level underground parking garage, the public park and POPS, and approximately half of the private road to be completed first. The remaining two buildings and the balance of the parking garage and private road will be completed in the second phase. The daycare space included in phase one is not expected to be operational until the substantial completion of phase two.