The launch of the Finch West LRT will redefine urban mobility and is already driving development along its corridor in northwest Toronto. Located 700m south of the Weston Road LRT station in Toronto's Humbermede-Emery Park neighbourhood, iKore Developments' proposed Montaje Condos have been refined during planning. With resubmitted Zoning Bylaw Amendment and Site Plan Approval applications recently approved by Toronto City Council, the HCA Architecture-designed building is now ready to expand by 14 storeys.
Looking northwest at the Montaje Condos, designed by HCA Architecture for iKore Developments
The 3350 Weston Road site, south of Lanyard Road, occupies a prominent triangular parcel of approximately 1.3 acres. At its northern end is the single-storey Weston Road Pentecostal Church, which will remain in use, along with its driveway and parts of the existing car park at the center of the site. Surrounded by the vegetation of the Humber River Valley and the verdant Emery Creek corridor, the site features varied topography. It is flanked to the east and south by residential and natural landscapes.
Looking northwest to the current location, image from Google Maps
The journey from concept to final implementation began with the April 2022 submission, planned as a 17-story tower. The project has incorporated City feedback and community consultation to arrive at its current form. Despite the height reduction, the gross floor area (GFA) rose from 11,460 m² to 13,327 m² and finally to 15,268 m². Its third submission, the October 2023 Zoning Ordinance Amendment Application, proposed a 14-story building with a height of 54 m and 190 residential units with additional comfort space on the mechanical penthouse level.
Previous design designed by HCA Architecture for iKore Developments
The proposal included 483 m² of indoor and 427 m² of outdoor space, located on the ground floor and roof, adjacent to the mechanical penthouse. With two elevators, the building would have one elevator for every 95 units, which would mean reasonable wait times on average.
Site plan for third submission in January 2023 designed by HCA Architecture for iKore Developments
The parking space design is a response to the challenges of the location. Due to significant gradient changes and the high groundwater level, underground parking solutions are not feasible. It will therefore be integrated into the podium levels of the building and offer a total of 153 parking spaces for vehicles. Of these, 41 parking spaces would be provided in the basement and on the surface to replace the above-ground parking spaces for the church. There are 145 bicycle parking spaces on the mezzanine and basement for cyclists. While this approach is unconventional, it was developed in collaboration with City staff to ensure that the above-ground parking structure is integrated into the building and surrounded by residential units to soften its visual impact from the public realm along Weston Road.
The site is served by the Weston Road TTC bus route, but before this building is constructed, as noted above, the bus will connect to the Finch West LRT and the Weston Road-Emery stop, approximately 700 m north of the site located in the main train station area of the stop. For cyclists, there are good bike paths in the area, including a large paved off-road trail along the Humber River.
An aerial view of the site and surrounding area, image from submission to the City of Toronto
The development is part of a wider urban development trend in the area, with nearby proposals ranging from 12 to 55 storeys. These include a 12-story building at 3406-3434 Weston Road and a 30-story tower at 2405 Finch Avenue West to the north. On the north side of Finch Avenue West, three buildings with a maximum height of 38 floors will be built at 19 Toryork Drive. Southeast of Finch and Weston Road, Casa Emery Village is a growing complex of rental towers ranging from 20 to 55 stories.
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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