As proposals for increasing density are underway along the soon-to-open Eglinton Line 5 Crosstown LRT, similar proposals are being made for the as yet unfunded East extension of the line much further into Scarborough. Recently, a proposal for the first phase of a redevelopment of Morningside Crossing Shopping Centre was resubmitted with notable changes. Initially submitted in September 2022, the resubmitted Zoning By-law Amendment from First Capital now proposes an 18 and 28-storey mixed-use building at 255 Morningside Avenue in Toronto’s east end, near a planned station on the future Eglinton East Light Rail Transit (EELRT).
This proposal marks the first in a series of planned redevelopment phases for the site in the West Hill neighbourhood, with this initial phase situated at the northeast corner of Lawrence Avenue East and Morningside Avenue.
The original submission envisioned two towers rising to 15 and 25 storeys on a six-storey podium, with heights of 60.5m and 89m. The resubmitted plans now propose heights of 68m and 98.5m for the north and south towers, respectively. Experiencing a significant boost, the unit count has leapt from 456 to 523.
The revised design by Diamond Schmitt Architects maintains the six-storey podium but introduces several changes to improve the project’s urban design and planning objectives. For instance, the tower floor plates have been reduced, and building setbacks have been increased, leading to a slight decrease in the total gross floor area (GFA) to 37,720m². These changes have resulted in a slight density reduction from 8.28 to 8.17 Floor Space Index (FSI), helping bring the project more in line with the city’s urban planning objectives.
The amenities have also been expanded, with a total of 2,098m² of indoor and outdoor amenity space now planned, with the former increasing from 1,100m² to 1,339m². Meanwhile, the ground floor retail area has moved from the south to the north end. With two elevators allocated to the shorter tower and three for the taller one, the entire development would average one elevator for approximately 105 units.
The vehicle parking spaces have been slightly increased to 256, with residential spaces increasing to 226 and visitor parking decreasing to 28 spots. Bicycle parking spaces have also been increased to a total of 426 — with 368 long-term and 58 short-term spots.
The resubmitted proposal comes as the area is experiencing a wave of development interest, particularly given its proximity to the future Eglinton East LRT and existing bus transit corridors. The site is within 500m of the Kingston-Morningside stop, connecting the area to Line 5 as well as the upcoming extensions to Danforth Line 2 and Sheppard Line 4.
A Block Context Plan has been drawn up for the eventual redevelopment of the entire Morningside Crossing Shopping Centre site, restructuring the full block encompassed by Kingston Road, Morningside Avenue, Lawrence Avenue East, and Collinsgrove Road. The vision is to enhance accessibility across the block and the broader area by introducing a future network of roads. The plan also incorporates open space elements within each smaller block, creating a connected open space network. In line with this, the plan includes a parkland dedication roughly equivalent to 10% of the net site area.
This is the tallest proposal in the West Hill neighbourhood. Other nearby development proposals include the 7-storey 4384 Kingston Road to the west and the 12-storey 4566 Kingston Road to the east.
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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