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A major transformation at 985 Woodbine Avenue in Toronto’s Danforth Village is getting closer as Choice Properties REIT has again revised plans for a 10- and 35-storey mixed-use development on the northeast corner of Woodbine and Danforth avenues. Designed by Superkül with Zeidler Architecture as Architect of Record, the latest application refines the proposal, introducing a preschool and community theatre to the uses. Located immediately adjacent to Woodbine station and therefore within its Major Transit Station Area where the Province wants to see higher densities, the project would be the tallest surrounding the station.
The 6,642m² site, spanning 2078 through 2106 Danforth Avenue, hosts a Valu-Mart grocery store, small-scale retail, office space, and surface parking. The surrounding Danforth Village area is a mix of low- to mid-rise buildings, with commercial storefronts lining Danforth and low-rise residential streets branching off to the north and south.
In 2019, the developer first proposed 9-storey and 15-storey mixed-use buildings with 402 residential units and a 2,098m² replacement grocery store. The application was tied to Official Plan Amendment (OPA) 420, later settled at the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) in 2020, removing the need for an OPA. A December, 2023 Zoning By-law Amendment resubmission significantly increased the scale to 10 and 35 storeys with 646 residential units and an increase in retail space to 2,148m². Following further discussions with City staff and the community, a September, 2024 revision refined the design.
Bousfields has resubmitted the ZBA application to the City of Toronto on behalf of the developer, followed by a December, 2024 Site Plan Approval application. The latest proposal envisions a 10-storey (41.15m) mid-rise along Strathmore Boulevard and a 35-storey (121.5m) tower fronting Danforth Avenue, connected by a shared single-storey podium.
Together, the buildings would deliver 601 rental units, down from 646 in the December, 2023 submission. The overall Gross Floor Area (GFA) is now 45,735m², a slight reduction from the 48,236m² proposed in 2023, with 42,261m² dedicated to residential uses. A revised Floor Space Index (FSI) of 6.89 reflects a shift in massing, with the west tower floor plate reduced to about 830m² and the east mid-rise design simplified.
The townhouses originally planned along Strathmore Boulevard have been replaced by a 531m² preschool with an outdoor play area. The community theatre, spanning 1,294m², has been introduced along Danforth Avenue, with ground-floor, mezzanine, and second-level spaces. Retail remains concentrated in the west tower, with a 1,658m² grocery store facing the corner. The podium maintains a streetwall along Danforth and Woodbine avenues expressed as a minimum of two storeys.
The development also includes 1,247m² of indoor (reduced from 1,543m²) and 1,572m² of outdoor (increased from 1,457m²) amenity areas. The one-level underground garage would provide 80 vehicle spaces, down from 152. This includes 42 resident spaces, 30 retail spaces, and 8 visitor spaces, along with 2 car-share spots. Bicycle storage has been increased to 785 spaces, up from 704. Of these, 126 spaces are short-term residential, while 33 are for non-residential uses.
Four elevators in the west tower would serve an average of 109 units per elevator. Two elevators in the east tower, plus a third dedicated to the preschool, result in a ratio of about 84 units per elevator.
While the site is directly adjacent to Woodbine station on Danforth Line 2, there is no plan for a direct connection to the station. Four subway stations west, Pape will become an interchange with Ontario Line 3, now under construction, promising greater connectivity with more or the city and faster access to downtown. Danforth GO station, located 1km east, will benefit from the GO Expansion program, increasing regional rail frequency. The proposal includes cycling infrastructure improvements along Woodbine Avenue, incorporating a trench drain system for improved drainage.
The Danforth corridor is seeing a mix of low-, mid-, and high-rise projects reshaping the area. Immediately surrounding the site, proposals range from four to six storeys, with 1795 Danforth (7 storeys) and Lynn Residences (9 storeys) planned to the west. Eastward, intensification increases near Main Street station, where 2451-2495 Danforth Avenue proposes 13- and 35-storey towers. Further east close to Main Street subway station, 2575 Danforth Avenue is planned as four towers from 15 to 55 storeys, while Rushden Station’s three towers (29 to 39 storeys) are under construction, alongside a proposed 57-storey fourth tower. The tallest planned development in that area, at 2721 Danforth Avenue, would introduce 35- and 59-storey towers.
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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