An application from Forest Gate Group would bring a new level of verticality to Dundas Street West in the Islington Village area of Etobicoke. Located an 11-minute walk north of Islington Station, this 45-storey mixed-use development takes advantage of its location in the mainline Islington Station area to justify its proposed height and density. While there are many other residential buildings in the area, the older ones being shorter, this proposal aims to align with the City of Toronto's broader goals of intensification near major transportation hubs, even though most of the newer, taller ones are located Construction projects have so far located closer to these station itself.
An aerial view looking southwest at 4875 Dundas Street West, designed by Graziani + Corazza Architects for Forest Gate Group
The 4875 Dundas Street West location is located on a square lot on the south side of Dundas Street, approximately 170 m southwest of the intersection with Islington Avenue. There is currently a ten-story rental residential building on the approximately 2,900 m² site, which is to be demolished to make room for the new development.
View to the southwest of the existing residential building on site, image from Google Maps
As stated in the application, the area surrounding the site is a mix of architectural styles and uses and reflects the historic 'main street' shopping core of Islington Village. The area consists predominantly of low-rise retail and commercial buildings and serves as a transition zone, with higher density residential developments to the south and east, closer to Islington railway station, and lower density residential developments to the north, near the Islington Golf Club.
An aerial view of the site and surrounding area, image from submission to the City of Toronto
Official applications for change of plan and zoning regulations as well as an application for demolition and conversion of rental housing call for a mixed-use tower with a height of 150.09 m. Designed by Graziani + Corazza Architects, the building would have a four-story podium with the street wall 3 m would be set back from the property line. The facility will house a total of 488 units, including 432 market-rate condominiums and 56 rental replacement units.
Podium designed by Graziani + Corazza Architects for Forest Gate Group
Around 954 m² of indoor facilities would be planned across the fourth and fifth floors, plus around 982 m² of outdoor facilities on the ground floor and on the podium on the fifth floor, as well as a 347 m² green roof on the 45th floor. The building would be equipped with four elevators, resulting in approximately one elevator for every 122 units, which would mean longer than optimal wait times for residents.
Ground floor plan designed by Graziani + Corazza Architects for Forest Gate Group
The scheme's total gross floor area is 33,919 m², with 461 m² earmarked for high-end retail space, contributing to a floor area index of 11.67 on the site. An underground car park spread over three levels would provide 221 parking spaces – 214 for residents and 7 for visitors. There is an allocation of 332 permanent and 35 short-term bicycle parking spaces for cyclists.
Site plan designed by Graziani + Corazza Architects for Forest Gate Group
Several TTC bus routes operate near the project site, providing service to Islington, Kipling and Dundas West stations on Bloor Line 2. Islington train station is just 600m south. The site is also served by a MiWay bus route that runs along Burnhamthorpe Road to Mississauga. Existing cycling infrastructure includes bike lanes along Dundas Street West and Bloor Street West, which will be expanded to provide better connectivity around Toronto.
Across Dundas Street, north of the property, a project at 4888 Dundas Street West is more modest and will be 25 stories (shown in blue below, to the left of the project). To the west on Burnhamthorpe Road, Amica Islington Village retirement home (not pictured below) is under construction and is expected to reach 9 storeys, while Cavo Condominiums (shown in blue below left) is planned to rise to 26 storeys. Westerly Condos (not properly shown in the image below, will be built where the light blue building is seen, plus the area to the right of it) as two peaked towers of 20 and 27 stories. Further towards the subway station (and beyond the area of the image below) 1276 Islington Avenue is proposed at 35 storeys. The 45-storey, three-tower Islington Terrace was completed last year and 25 Mabelle Avenue is planned at 49 storeys. The building connected to the station, 3326 Bloor Street West, consists of 4 buildings ranging from 32 to 55 stories.
An aerial view looking north at 4875 Dundas Street West and the cluster of proposed surrounding developments in blue, image from filing with the City of Toronto
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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