First Phase of SmartCentres’ 1900 Eglinton East Impresses at DRP

Source: UrbanToronto

Scarborough’s Golden Mile is poised for a dramatic transformation over the coming decades as a direct result of the new Crosstown LRT line, scheduled to open in 2022. According to City Planning staff, the stretch of big box retail and industrial parks is currently subject to 12 active development applications. The majority of these are large-scale master plans that altogether are proposing upwards of 32,000 new residential units, representing a population increase of roughly 54,000 people. The largest of these master plans is located at 1900 Eglinton East, in the heart of the Golden Mile, where SmartCentres REIT is continuing its journey ‘From Shopping Centres to City Centres’ by redeveloping its existing retail property into a complete mixed-use, transit-oriented community.

1900 Eglinton East, SmartCentres REIT, SmartLiving, architects-Alliance, TorontoRendering of the first phase towers, image courtesy of SmartCentres REIT

Located on a 29-acre site flanked by the future Pharmacy and Hakimi-Lebovic LRT stations, the phased master plan comprises upwards of 20 mixed-use and residential buildings ranging in height from mid-rise to high-rise; a new street grid; plenty of retail; and an extensive public realm. The master plan also features a new central park, a signature element that SmartCentres prioritizes in its communities, which is the only park currently proposed along the Golden Mile that connects Eglinton through to Ashtonbee Road, with the City identifying potential connections beyond that to the Meadoway that runs just to the north.

1900 Eglinton East, SmartCentres REIT, SmartLiving, architects-Alliance, TorontoRendering of the first phase looking west from the central park, image courtesy of SmartCentres REIT.

SmartLiving, SmartCentres’ residential sub brand, introduced the first phase of their master plan in March, 2021, and presented it at the Toronto Design Review Panel in July, 2021. The first phase involves two towers of 38 and 40 storeys, located at the southwest corner of the property along Eglinton. The development includes a total of 899 residential units, 1,219m2 of retail space, and a new POPS that creates a mid-block pedestrian connection between the two towers. The design of the towers is the work of Peter Clewes and his team at architects-Alliance, along with landscape architects MHBC Planning, who are overseeing the public realm.

1900 Eglinton East, SmartCentres REIT, SmartLiving, architects-Alliance, TorontoRendering at street level of the first phase showing POPS and Eglinton streetscape, image courtesy of SmartCentres REIT.

Currently existing on the site are several big box retail structures housing close to 30 tenants and over 380,000 square feet of retail, most notably a Walmart Supercentre. The early phases of the master plan will focus on the less-developed portions of the property, particularly the areas along Eglinton to the south that are mainly occupied by surface parking. SmartCentres’ retail development expertise will be leveraged to thoughtfully integrate retail, a key component of complete communities, into all phases of the master plan, which will ensure a continued retail presence on the property. Walmart, specifically, will remain an essential retailer servicing the community for the foreseeable future. 

SmartCentres’ long-term plans include a diversity of smaller-scale and larger-format tenants, so look for some creative solutions that include a variety of retail in urban, mixed-use buildings as the master plan progresses. For Phase One, the ground floor of the towers contains retail on all four frontages, primarily located along Eglinton to the south, and extending along the east and west edges of the podiums.

1900 Eglinton East, SmartCentres REIT, SmartLiving, architects-Alliance, TorontoGround floor plan of the first phase towers, image courtesy of SmartCentres REIT.

The towers themselves are designed with generous setbacks and separation distances that exceed the City’s Tall Building Design Guidelines. They feature architects-Alliance’s signature wraparound balconies, a feature Clewes explained is advantageous for providing passive solar shading in the summer, increased private amenity space for the residents, and more opportunities for creating a unique architectural expression. The towers are clad with alternating screens that form a distinct pattern on the north and south facades.

1900 Eglinton East, SmartCentres REIT, SmartLiving, architects-Alliance, TorontoSite plan of the first phase towers, image courtesy of SmartCentres REIT.

Clewes further elaborated that with the design of the towers, they were taking into consideration how they would be perceived from street level. Eglinton is quite a wide avenue, which allows for a clear view of the full height of the buildings, contrary to many downtown settings where only the streetwall of the podium is typically visible from the street and the tower then becomes mainly a feature of the skyline. With that in mind, the design attempts to create more of a seamless transition between the podium and the tower through staggered setbacks and a cohesive architectural language between the tower and the base.

1900 Eglinton East, SmartCentres REIT, SmartLiving, architects-Alliance, TorontoRendering of the first phase at street level along Eglinton, image courtesy of SmartCentres REIT.

Panel members were impressed by the design of the towers, calling them “very elegant, modern buildings”. They were also intrigued by the approach taken to designing the towers, saying that there was a certain delicacy to the building grid that created an interesting texture as perceived from the street.

The Panel wanted to see more details of what would be built around the first phase, and SmartCentres acknowledged that the master plan for the larger site is still evolving, explaining that, “What we believe we are able to demonstrate with our first phase is that not only does this fit within the long term vision but also can stand on its own as part of the larger shopping centre for the foreseeable future”. SmartCentres is currently updating and enhancing the master plan, which will be resubmitted to the City in the near future.

1900 Eglinton East, SmartCentres REIT, SmartLiving, architects-Alliance, TorontoRendering of the first phase looking south toward the POPS, image courtesy of SmartCentres REIT.

There was no vote from the Panel, but the overall reception was unanimously positive, with the request that a more defined master plan be drafted as they move forward with the first phase. The parting words of the Panel emphasized that this project is setting a precedent for “taking a classic kind of retail that has worked very well and thinking about how that might transition” into a more mixed-use, complete community.

SmartCentres REIT Introducing First Phase of Golden Mile Redevelopment

Source: UrbanToronto

In Toronto’s east end along Eglinton Avenue East, the Golden Mile area of Scarborough is to be transformed from a collection of expansive industrial parks and big-box shopping centres into an urban, mixed-use community. SmartCentres REIT is one of the many developers working to help realize the City’s Golden Mile Secondary Plan—which sets a guiding vision for development in the area—with the coming redevelopment of their 29-acre property at 1900 Eglinton East. The site (bounded by Eglinton Avenue to the south, Hakimi Avenue to the east, and Ashtonbee Road to the north) is to be flanked by two of the upcoming Crosstown LRT stops at Pharmacy and Hakimi Lebovic.

1900 Eglinton East, Toronto, designed by architects—Alliance for SmartCentres REITSite of 1900 Eglinton East, image courtesy of SmartCentres REIT

The proposed development—to be developed under SmartCentres’ residential sub-brand SmartLiving—is being planned as a pair of towers forming a gateway to future phases of the property’s master plan. Located at the southwest corner of the wider redevelopment site, the proposed first phase of towers will rise from a 2.02-acre plot that fronts directly along Eglinton, a site currently occupied by a single-storey bank branch and surface parking.

Plans for this proposed development recently advanced with a resubmission of their Zoning By-Law Amendment application, with updated designs by architects—Alliance for the pair of condominium towers, a 40-storey west tower and 38-storey east tower containing a respective 461 and 438 condominium units. The towers will be anchored by a new private pedestrian mews on the east and a combined 1,219 m² of retail space on the south. The towers’ ground floors will also feature lobby and amenity spaces that face out onto a central 524 m² public plaza.

Renderings of the towers have been generating attention, with a design defined by a checkerboard of perforated and textured metal mesh-enclosed balconies. The screened balcony treatment will work towards both form and function, creating a distinctive skyline presence while adding privacy for residents and contributing to the towers’ sustainability and energy ratings.

1900 Eglinton East, Toronto, designed by architects—Alliance for SmartCentres REITLooking northeast across Eglinton Avenue to 1900 Eglinton East, image courtesy of SmartCentres REIT

The buildings will establish an initial infusion of residential density and open park space plus walkable retail in the area, which will continue to further energize the existing open-air shopping centre, with an existing 380,000 ft² of commercial leasable area on the property—currently operating at nearly 99% occupancy. In the long term, all buildings will be redeveloped with a mix of low-rise, mid-rise, and high-rise buildings with opportunities for street-related commercial, residential uses, parks and open spaces, as well as a new public/private road system. 

1900 Eglinton East, Toronto, designed by architects—Alliance for SmartCentres REITLooking northwest to public plaza at 1900 Eglinton East, image courtesy of SmartCentres REIT

The proposed change to the area is another example of SmartCentres’ publicly announced Project 512, to transform their properties “From Shopping Centres to City Centres,” to create vibrant, complete mixed-use communities. In this case, aligning with the City’s vision outlined for the area to intensify the Golden Mile. The project is an important move towards the Golden Mile area transitioning into a more modern, healthy, and successful pedestrian and transit-friendly neighbourhood, with the wider area revitalization’s introduction of higher-density uses vital to the success of the Eglinton LRT.

SmartCentres Bringing Mixed-Use Intensification to 2501 Victoria Park

Source: UrbanToronto

A property at the meeting point of North York and Scarborough, on Victoria Park Avenue north of Highway 401, is the latest Toronto redevelopment proposal in SmartCentres REIT’s program to reimagine their land assets with mixed-use redevelopments. Currently home to a low-rise plaza and its parking lot, the 5,066 m² site at 2501 Victoria Park is planned to be intensified with a new mid-rise residential building with retail at grade from SmartCentres’ new residential sub-brand, SmartLiving.

2501 Victoria Park, SmartCentres REIT, Rafael + Bigauskus Architects, TorontoSite of 2501 Victoria Park, image courtesy of SmartCentres

Submitted to the City for Zoning By-Law Amendment last month, the proposal calls for an 11-storey mid-rise with retail at the base and 354 residential units above. Designed by Rafael + Bigauskas Architects, the building would take on a U-shaped massing, forming a six-storey street-wall along Victoria Park. To the east, terraces taper the building down to the height of the adjacent Faith Miracle Temple of Toronto and low-rise residential uses across Meadowacres Drive.

2501 Victoria Park, SmartCentres REIT, Rafael + Bigauskus Architects, Toronto2501 Victoria Park, image courtesy of SmartCentres

From a massing perspective, the project’s mid-rise scale is meant to form an eastern bookend to the emerging reinvestment area where eastern North York meets Scarborough, while creating a more pedestrian-friendly environment with retail fronting the public realm and opening up to the south towards the existing Farmcrest Parkette, replacing the car-centric retail that exists today. Similarly, the three surrounding side street frontages would be animated with residential uses, on frontages currently occupied by surface parking and unadorned rear facades.

2501 Victoria Park, SmartCentres REIT, Rafael + Bigauskus Architects, TorontoLooking west over 2501 Victoria Park, image courtesy of SmartCentres

The proposed overall gross floor area (GFA) of 32,017 m² is broken down into 512 m² of ground-floor retail space and 31,505 m² of residential space. Residential space—representing 98% of the GFA—is divided into 354 units, planned in a range of one-, two-, and three-bedroom units including a selection of ground-floor townhomes with private entrances.

Parking for the development is to be split above- and below-grade, with 66 spaces housed above grade and 111 spaces on a single-level underground. The above-grade parking is to be wrapped in retail spaces to the west, and townhome units to the north, south, and east, hiding the parking from passersby. Of the total 177 parking spaces, 142 are resident spaces and 35 are visitor spaces. The ground floor is also planned to house 271 bicycle parking spaces in a mix of 242 long-term and 29 short-term spaces.