23-Storey Tower Proposed on Yonge Street Near Future High Tech Station

The future Yonge North Subway Extension will bring Yonge Line 1 past the Toronto City Limits at Steeles station and into Vaughan. Markham, and Richmond Hill. Numerous developments have been proposed along near the future stations, with the latest at 8790 Yonge Street near the future terminus in Richmond Hill. The 23-storey mixed-use tower designed by Arcadis for AWIN Group of Dealerships, operating as 1921318 Ontario Limited, would retain the automotive dealership currently at the site.

Located on the northwest corner of Yonge Street and High Tech Road, the site is bordered by Roosevelt Drive to the north, with a footprint of approximately 7,000m². Currently, the site hosts a single-story automotive dealership along with extensive surface parking. This strip along Yonge is predominantly characterized by commercial and service commercial uses within low and mid-rise buildings, while low-rise residential populates the side streets to the west. The site is walking distance west of the future High Tech station.

Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-Law Amendment applications seek to reshape the site with a tower standing 85.15m high and housing 395 residential units. The automotive dealership would be incorporated into the first floor and mezzanine level of the six-storey podium. The plan has a total Gross Floor Area of 29,613m², with 26,068m² allocated for residential purposes and 1,941m² for the automotive dealership. This Floor Space Index would be 4.2 times the lot.

Amenities would total 1,604m², divided evenly between indoors and outdoors. Residents would be served by four elevators, three for the tower and one terminating at the top podium level. This would average out to 99 units per elevator, indicating average wait times for residents. There would be an additional elevator from the parking garage to the commercial property.

The plan includes four levels of underground parking, providing 201 spaces for residents and 59 for visitors and commercial use. Additionally, the development is designed to accommodate 222 resident and 25 visitor bicycle spaces.

A new public road would run north-south along the west edge of the property, eventually connecting all the way from Garden Avenue in the south, to Westwood Lane in the north, similar to how Beecroft Road has been built as an alternative to Yonge Street in the North York City Centre area some kilometres to the south. A second public road would be built as a western extension of High Tech Road along the south side of the site. The design also includes a 704m² public park at the west end of the site, with an additional 1,078m² of potential parkland noted by the application to be part of discussions with the City of Richmond Hill.

While the proposal is triggered by the future transit improvements just 350m to the east and is within its Protected Major Transit Station Area (which is awaiting final approval by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing), the site is close to Highway 407 via Yonge Street. Meanwhile, the area is already served by the VIVA Bus Rapid Transit along Yonge Street, and the Langstaff GO station, located approximately 450 metres to the southeast.

While high-density development is already taking place in the area – to the east are the completed Yonge Parc and Yonge Parc 2 which both stand at 19 storeys, and the ERA at Yonge Condos at 25 and 31 storeys — the more recently planned High Tech station is acting as a catalyst for other high-density projects. The proposed High Tech Transit-Oriented Community on the east side of Yonge Street plans for 15 buildings ranging in height from 40 to 80 storeys. To the north, there is the 14-storey proposal at 8868 Yonge Street, the under-construction 15-storey 8888 Yonge Condominiums, and the completed 15-storey Westwood Gardens. South of the site, Y8700 is proposed as a 30-storey tower. Additionally, further east, the Gates of Bayview’s Phase 4 is poised to introduce four towers ranging from 25 to 37 storeys.

A Public Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 25th for public feedback on the 8790 Yonge proposal.