Planning is underway for a transformative project at Toronto Western Hospital. The University Health Network has announced the Patient Care Tower, set to redefine the campus by addressing the crisis of staffing shortages and wait times, harnessing the power of advancing technologies, and enhancing the area’s urban fabric. DIALOG has submitted a Site Plan Approval application for the project at 399 Bathurst Street.
Located at the southeast corner of Bathurst Street and Nassau Street, the site is currently home to the hospital’s visitor parking lot and a three-storey auditorium. The site is in the heart of the Kensington neighbourhood in Downtown Toronto. Located in the northwest corner of the hospital’s property, the site spans approximately 3,425m². The project is set to include 84 vehicular parking spaces via two-levels of underground parking.
The Patient Care Tower proposal comes at a time when Toronto has been grappling with staffing shortages and long wait times. With 66 new patient beds, an intensive care unit, and a state-of-the-art Medical Device Reprocessing Department, the tower is designed to streamline processes, increase capacity, and ultimately reduce wait times.
DIALOG has designed a 15-storey building standing 84.14m, with a gross floor area (GFA) of about 23,882m². The design includes publicly accessible spaces on the ground level, including a garden and a community room, fostering a stronger relationship with the public realm.
An 11th-floor terrace would provide a space for patients and staff, offering a glimpse of the city’s skyline. The plans also include landscaped space and garden at the intersection of Bathurst Street and Nassau Street that would be open to the public. These features are intended to integrate the tower into the community, making it not just a healthcare facility, but a part of the city’s life and culture.
The hospital’s location allows for easy transit access. The site is adjacent to the 511 Bathurst and 505 Dundas streetcar lines, and is also less than 300m away from the 506 Carlton streetcar line. The streetcars provide access to Bathurst and Dundas subway stations. Looking ahead, the planned Ontario Line will run east-west through downtown. One of the planned stops is at Spadina and Queen, about 800m from the proposed tower.
The plans also include 32 long-term and 32 short-term bicycle parking spaces. The application’s transportation impact study notes the City of Toronto’s 2022-2024 Cycling Program. This includes investments in new contraflow bike lanes.
The Patient Care Tower, supported by a $34 million planning grant from the Government of Ontario and donors from the UHN Foundation, is set to be completed by 2027. The tower represents a step towards a future of greater health and innovation, and it is set to play a major role in defining Toronto’s landscape.
UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file, linked below. If you’d like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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