4050 Yonge street

PROJECT ADDRESS: 4050 Yonge Street (NW corner of Yonge and York Mills)

CURRENT USE: TTC Commuter Parking Lot (declared surplus by City in 2009)

PROPOSED USE: 35-Storey Condo, 21-Storey Hotel

DEVELOPER: The Gupta Group    

 
 

Background:

The site was declared surplus by the City in 2009. In 2010, Build Toronto submitted an application to construct new TTC headquarters on this site, a 7-storey building with a height of 32.9 meters. This never materialized. In 2015 the site was sold to The Gupta Group and a revised proposal was submitted. The revised plan was for a 9-storey building and was approved under bylaw-1093-2016. In 2020 a new proposal was submitted for two towers on the site with one being 35 storeys (131 meters in height) and the second 21 storeys (80 meters in height). Five levels of underground parking would be provided. For this proposal to proceed, the developer requires approval for the increased height as well as increased gross floor area.

 Changes through this time are summarized in the following table:

 
Changes.png
 

Additional Comments on 2020 Proposal:

All access to the new development will be via Wilson Avenue.

All parking will be below-grade with 756 spaces provided.

The Traffic Consultants Report for the project indicated that there would actually be LESS traffic in the area.

Response to the 2020 proposal is being lead by the following Resident’s Associations:

  • York Mills Heights Residents Association

  • St. Andrews Ratepayers Association

  • York Mills Valley Association

  • Yonge Ridge Homeowner’s Association

  • South Armour Heights Residents’ Association

Section 37 Background Information:

The City approval in 2016 included Section 37 monies in the amount of $1,500,000. This money was earmarked for specific things:

  1.  Upgrades to the Old York Mills subway pickup/drop off layout

  2. Path and trail work in the Don Valley west ravine

  3. Improvements to Woburn Park, Douglas Greenbelt, Brookdale Park. The Brookdale Park money was redirected to the Old Orchard Grove Park in our neighbourhood. The upgrades to Old Orchard Grove Park were completed in 2018.

Issues for our community:

Although this development project is outside of our catchment area, we felt the size of the project required monitoring. Each time a development exceeds the zoning in height, it sets a precedent for future developments in the area. Also, it is anticipated that due to the density of the project, we will see increased traffic (Avenue Road specifically) to access the downtown corridor. Wilson Avenue is also expected to see a significant increase in traffic.

ACTIONS ON DEVELOPMENT:

A conference call was held with the resident associations that are leading this effort.

A letter sent to Councillor Colle and the City Planner providing feedback on the development aligned to the issues identified below. 

On January 12, 2021, a community consultation was held providing the public with an opportunity to voice their opinions on the development. Issues identified included:

  • Height of the towers

  • Traffic in the intersection

  • Additional transit volume into the Yonge subway line

  • Air quality in the ravine area

  • Encroachment on to Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) lands