More condos may soon overlook Yorkdale Shopping Centre as a highrise developer is partnering with a landowner on a new proposal for three residential buildings directly across the street from Canada’s most-profitable mall.
Recently, Collecdev submitted a development application to the City of Toronto to build two 29-storey towers and a nine-storey mid-rise at 3400 Dufferin St. and 8 Jane Osler Blvd., opposite Yorkdale mall to the east and just south of Highway 401 in an area that has become a hotbed of development activity.
For the site, currently occupied by the Midtown Honda dealership and a single-family home, the developer envisions a total of 834 condo units across the three buildings. A couple of the structures — one of the towers as well as the mid-rise building — would feature retail space for a combined 1,365 square metres of floor area.
The project is a joint venture between Collecdev and the landowners (listed as Dufferin-401 Properties Limited in planning documents), who would share in the profits from the eventual condo sales. The two parties began discussions in March about the possibility of joining forces, said Neil Rodgers, president of Collecdev.
Collecdev’s application is part of an onrush of under-review and already-approved proposals for the area. “The Dufferin, 401 and Yorkdale area will look very, very different in the future,” Rodgers said. “That whole Dufferin corridor is emerging as a high-density urban neighbourhood.”
The developer isn’t a stranger to the neighbourhood. Collecdev has two projects under construction nearby, including Nordic Condos, a 12-storey Scandinavian-inspired condo building at 530 Wilson Rd., and the 13-storey Tretti Condos at 30 Tippett Rd.
From smaller-scale luxury developments, such as the application Dash Developments tabled last month for a 10-storey condo at 3309–3317 Dufferin St. to Oxford Property’s plans to build a humongous, 19-tower community right on Yorkdale mall’s surface parking lot, proposals of all sizes are taking shape in the neighbourhood.
Earlier this year, the Ontario Land Tribunal, the provincial body that adjudicates planning disputes, also approved a tri-tower rental complex with building heights ranging from 23 to 29 storeys at 3400 Dufferin St., the land immediately to the north of the site that Collecdev has plans for.
Rodgers said sustainability is one of his project’s key components, so, like several others in Collecdev’s portfolio, the development would rely on a geothermal system for heating and cooling units. The condo complex would also feature green roofs and 632 bicycle parking spaces compared to 375 spots for cars.
Architecturally, Collecdev hopes the project stands out by avoiding a boxy, glass look in favour of an airy, white-panelled exterior design by project architects gh3*.
“Simple-yet-cool architecture, I think, will make this building different than some of our competitors,” Rodgers added. “It’s simple, from my perspective, and elegant.”
The development’s 3,276 square metres of amenities are still on the drawing board.
“It’s early days. We have not programmed specifics,” said Rodgers. However, he said, the project is likely to include space to work out, theatre and party rooms and pet-washing stations. It may provide outdoor barbecue and patio areas, too.
“The sky is the limit in terms of what we can animate and curate the space to be,” Rodgers said. “It’s something we will refine as we get to the sales and launch.”
As for when that might be, the project launch could be 24 to 30 months away. If Collecdev can get zoning approvals in place by then, Rodgers suggested, “That would be fantastic.”