A mid-rise boutique residential complex is planned for Toronto's Forest Hill Village within walking distance of St. Clair West Station, with a modest seven storeys that deviates from the usual verticality and density in Major Transit Station Areas (MTSAs). Designed by Richard Wengle Architect for DealCore Properties, the building is set to offer 24 spacious three-bedroom units.
Looking southeast at 1 Thelma Avenue, designed by Richard Wengle Architect for DealCore Properties
The development site at 1 to 19 Thelma Avenue consists of a collection of 10 lots totaling approximately 15,000 square feet. There are currently two single-family homes and eight semi-detached homes on the site, all of which are vacant and in varying degrees of poor condition. The subject site previously housed 11 rental units, with the previous property owner submitting an application for demolition and conversion to rental housing in 2020, with an addendum proposing the replacement of these 11 rental units off-site within a new residential development at 2470 Bayview Avenue, south of York Mills Road.
View from Thelma Avenue looking south to the current site, image from the submission to the City of Toronto
The site is located in a predominantly low-rise residential area, characterized by single-family homes and low-rise apartment buildings. Further south, towards St. Clair Avenue West, there is a more densely built-up area.
The combined Official Plan and Building Code Amendment application proposes a seven-storey condominium development, rising to 27.85 m in height, comprising 24 residential units ranging in size from 184 m² to 283 m². The gross floor area (GFA) is to be 5,737 m² and is to be used entirely for residential purposes, resulting in a Floor Space Index (FSI) of 3.86.
Site plan designed by Richard Wengle Architect for DealCore Properties
Amenities would be located on the seventh floor on the penthouse level, including 125 sqm of indoor and 58 sqm of outdoor space. With two elevators, one for every 12 units, wait times for residents would be minimal.
Ground floor plan designed by Richard Wengle Architect for DealCore Properties
Parking facilities include a two-level underground parking garage with a total of 55 vehicle spaces, of which 48 are for residents and 7 are for visitors. The facility would also include 36 bicycle parking spaces, including 7 short-term spaces at the front of the building and 29 long-term spaces in the underground parking garage. In accordance with the Toronto Green Standard requirements, the vehicle parking spaces would be equipped with electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to encourage sustainable transportation options.
The site is served by the Spadina Road bus route which runs directly west of the site, the Avenue Road bus route and the 512 St Clair tram route. The St Clair West subway station on Line 1 is approximately 800m to the southwest, providing easy access to downtown or Yorkdale and beyond. The area also has cycling infrastructure with shared bike connections on Russell Hill Road for north-south travel and Heath Road for east-west travel, with connections to multi-use trails through Cedarvale Park to the west.
An axonometric view looking southwest toward 1 Thelma Avenue, image from a submission to the City of Toronto
Closer to the subway station there is a greater density of planning applications, while the height of this application is in keeping with the immediate surroundings, resulting in a mix of low, mid and high rise buildings. Southwest of the site, buildings of 3 and 6 storeys respectively are proposed for 382 and 390 Spadina Road, while the under-construction South Forest Hill Residences includes towers of 20 and 21 storeys respectively. Further south, closer to St Clair Avenue West, 271 Russell Hill Road is under construction with a 4-storey building and 429 Walmer Road is set to rise 20 storeys. To the west, buildings of 3 and 8 storeys respectively are proposed for 1563 and 1601 Bathurst Street. Also near St Clair West station, 91 Raglan Avenue is proposed at 26 storeys and Raglan House is under construction and set to rise 28 storeys.
UrbanToronto will continue to monitor the progress of this development, but in the meantime you can learn more about it in our database file linked below. If you'd like, you can join the conversation in the associated project forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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