Rendering: BuzzBuzzHome
Thanks to the local GO Transit and TTC station, the Danforth Avenue and Main Street intersection has been a hotbed for residential development proposals in recent years. Now, a major developer is claiming a stake in the highly desirable east end Toronto neighbourhood.
A Minto Communities representative confirmed with BuzzBuzzHome directly that, as of a couple of weeks ago, the North American builder has closed on a property proposed for development at 9 Dawes Road. The original rezoning application for the property, submitted in July 2019, was put forward by Streamliner Properties Inc, who proposed a mixed-use, 684-residential-unit community.
The 1.24 acre triangular development site in question sits on the east side of Dawes Road, south of Danforth Avenue and just north of the railway corridor. A Home Hardware store, located at 25 Dawes Road, and a two-storey building occupied by the Royal Canadian Legion currently sit on the lot.
According to the design rationale, two towers would be built atop a five-storey podium, topping out at 24 and 30 storeys respectively. Residential units would occupy the third to the fifth floors of the podium, in addition to a portion of the second floor. The remainder of the second and ground level would be reserved for retail and community use. Underground and surface parking would be included, with 193 spaces set aside for residents and 70 for visitors.
Ten percent of the project would contain three-bedroom suites, 67 units in total, along with 214 two-bedroom units, which exceeds the recommendations of the city’s Growing Up Case Guidelines, which recommends new buildings be 10 percent three-bedroom and 15 percent two-bedroom units. Throughout the rest of the towers, 84 bachelor and 319 one-bedroom suites would make up the balance. An updated application by Minto has not been put forward yet.
Photo: Google Maps
The 9 Dawes Road property is one of several proposed for redevelopment under the Main Street Planning Study, a master plan stretching from Danforth Avenue to Gerrard Street East for properties close to the Main Street TTC subway station and Danforth GO Train stop. The multi-disciplinary study examined the accommodation of taller buildings in relation to the midrise Danforth Avenue context.
“The results of the Main Street Planning Study showed that the lots south of Danforth Avenue, east of Main Street, and north of the rail corridor, could support taller buildings as this area is characterized by larger lots and would be within walking distance of higher order public transit,” reads the project page on the City of Toronto website.
According to reporting from the Beach Metro News, residents of the area have expressed concern over the height and lack of parking spaces proposed for 9 and 25 Dawes Road at consultation meetings. There is currently an open case for the lot according to online information from the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal.
