An application to redevelop a site at 9 Dawes Road in Toronto’s East End has seen development that reflects the area it seeks to join. Minto Communities GTA has submitted its third application for site plan approval for the site southeast of the corner of Dawes Road and Danforth Avenue, while also requesting from the Board of Adjustment to increase the permitted density and height on the site for approval for two mixed-use towers measuring 27 and 33 stories tall .
An aerial view of 9 Dawes Road designed by Wallman Architects for Minto Communities GTA
The 4,995.7 m² Danforth Neighborhood Site consists of two parcels at 9 and 25 Dawes Road. The property is currently home to a building materials warehouse and Royal Canadian Legion Branch 11. It is positioned for increased density and vertical development in line with other projects in this transit-oriented area. The Danforth GO station is directly to the south (this would be steps from a new east entrance), while the Main Street station on the Danforth Line 2 is a few blocks northwest.
Looking northeast to the current location, image from Google Maps
The design proposed by Wallman Architects includes two towers measuring 92.51 m and 110.76 m high. They would each contain 324 residential units, with the towers connected by a common 5-story podium. There would be a four-story frontage along Dawes Road.
The shared podium designed by Raw Design for Streamline Properties
The development of the project can be followed through its previous submissions. In 2019, the RAW-designed proposal for Streamliner Properties called for a 24-story north tower and a 30-story/97.01 m south tower, for a total of 684 residential units. This was eventually approved for 26 and 27 floors and 646 units.
Previous design, 9 Dawes Road, Toronto, designed by Raw Design for Streamline Properties
In 2023, with Minto as the new developer and Wallman as the architect, their first building plan approval application called for 27- and 28-story towers with 648 units.
Now the Board of Adjustment’s application, the latest version if approved, would now include 27 and 33-story towers measuring 300 and 350 feet tall and providing space for 772 residential units. With three elevators per tower, this works out to approximately one elevator for every 129 units (however, service would be faster in the shorter North Tower and slower in the taller South Tower). The proposed gross floor area (GFA) of around 50,181 m² provides for 48,663 m² of living space and 1,518 m² of non-residential space.
Looking north at 9 Dawes Road, designed by Raw Design for Streamline Properties
With an indoor area of 1,678 m² and outdoor areas of 1,411 m², the site would include multi-purpose rooms, social areas, fitness facilities and work-from-home areas. Additionally, the facility would be pet-friendly and would include amenities such as an outdoor dog run, pet containment areas and a pet washing station.
As part of the neighborhood growth, a particular focus of the site is the 420 m² public area dedicated to a POPS (Privately-Owned Publicly-Accessible Space) on Dawes Road and one of the indoor facilities, a co-working space.
Site map, image from submission to the City of Toronto
Within the two levels of the underground car park, the facility would offer 164 resident parking spaces and 47 visitor spaces. In addition, there would be a robust bicycle infrastructure with 695 long-term and 77 short-term bicycle parking spaces, which meets the city’s demand for sustainable transport options.
The location is just an 8-minute walk from the Main Street station on Danforth Line 2 (which also serves several buses and the east end of the Carlton streetcar) and a 9-minute walk from the existing west entrance to the Danforth GO station. A new east entrance to this station would make it just a minute’s walk away.
An aerial view of the site and surrounding area, image from submission to the City of Toronto
The development at 9 Dawes Road is one of many proposals and active projects designed to transform the area. Adjacent developments include The Dawes, currently under construction across the street to the west (24 and 39 storey towers), and the proposed 8 Dawes Road at the southern end of Dawes (38 storeys). Farther west, closer to the Main Street station, the proposals get taller. 33- and 44-story towers are being sought for 2681 Danforth Avenue, while a proposal for 2575 Danforth Avenue aims even higher with five buildings ranging from 15 to 55 stories. These developments reflect the growing demand for housing and the area’s designation as a major transit station area.
UrbanToronto will continue to monitor the progress of this development, but in the meantime you can learn more in our database file linked below. If you’d like, you can join the discussion in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the designated area on this page.
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