2.3K Malvern Town Centre Redevelopment Reworked in Resubmission
Davpart has made changes to its plans to redevelop Malvern Town Centre into a large-scale, mixed-use community. Designed by Arcadis, the resubmission to the City of Toronto proposes towers rising as high as 43 storeys, making it the most ambitious proposal within its Malvern West surroundings in Scarborough by a wide margin. Phase 1, proposed as 42- and 43-storey towers at the intersection of Tapscott and Neilson roads, is where a potential future terminus of the Eglinton East LRT could be located.
Addressed to 31 Tapscott Road, the site spans 11.09 hectares and is currently occupied by the single-storey Malvern Town Centre with 27,128m² of retail, office, and service space, mostly in an indoor mall configuration, along with a freestanding medical building. Much of the property consists of surface parking and open space, with surrounding uses including McLevin Woods Park, mid-rise housing, and institutional facilities.
The resubmission follows an earlier application from June, 2022 that proposed a 10-phase redevelopment. That version included 18,560m² of retail spread across 10 blocks, with towers reaching up to 39 storeys. The Design Review Panel issued unanimous non-support in April 2023, citing overambitious density and too car-oriented a layout. The updated submission now includes a restructured phasing plan and more generous parkland.
WND Associates Ltd has resubmitted Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment applications to the City on behalf of the developer. The revised masterplan calls for 13 towers ranging from 8 to 43 storeys, up to a height of 142m. The plan accommodates 6,829 residential units, a significant increase over the previous 5,755 units.
The total Gross Floor Area (GFA) would be 514,621m², while non-residential GFA now totals 26,472m², including 3,606m² for office, commercial, and community uses. Its Floor Space Index is proposed at 4.64 times lot coverage, with block-level FSI rising higher within early phases. The updated plan includes a 15% parkland dedication, totalling 13,866m², centrally located within the site. Additionally, 18,474m² is reserved for the future Eglinton East LRT right-of-way.
Key changes include pulling the tower massing back from Neilson and Tapscott to soften the street wall. A central park block was created by removing an internal road, while a new block has been introduced to accommodate community, commercial, and residential uses adjacent to the park. The Berner Trail path has been extended through the site as a landscaped pedestrian spine, and the intersection at Tapscott and Neilson has been reimagined as a major gateway plaza.
The Zoning By-law Amendment includes site-wide provisions for Phase 1 on the existing surface parking lot. Its two towers would house 894 residential units and 2,259m² of retail space at grade, compared to 877 units and 2,039m² in 2022, with its total GFA adjusted up slightly from 69,144m² to 69,620m².
Parking for this first phase would be provided in a two-level underground garage with 349 spaces (increased from 319 in 2022), broken down into 331 for residents and 18 for visitors. Bicycle parking would include 672 spaces, an increase over the 668 originally proposed.
The site is currently served by four TTC bus routes, with stops located within a short walking distance along Tapscott and Neilson. The cycling network in the area remains limited, though future upgrades are anticipated through the City’s Cycling Plan. The Eglinton East LRT is planned as a 15km extension of the upcoming Eglinton Line 5 Crosstown LRT from Kennedy Station to Malvern.
Neighbouring development activity is modest in comparison. To the west, construction is wrapping up on Presto Modern Towns, a complex of 10 blocks of 3-storey townhomes. To the north, a 6-storey self-storage facility is proposed at 1370 Neilson Road, while 25 Sewells Road to the east is being built out with a pair of 9-storey towers. Farther southwest, larger developments are advancing along Sheppard Avenue East and Markham Road, including 1088 Progress Avenue at 18 storeys and 1771 Markham Road at 24 storeys.
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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