The Jane and Finch area is set to benefit tremendously from the coming Finch West LRT. This under-construction transit line promises a wave of new investment in one of Toronto’s most marginalized neighbourhoods.
Big plans are in the works right at the area’s main intersection, as a new development proposal hinting at a long-term redevelopment will eventually see the demolition of a neighbourhood staple, Yorkgate Mall.
A February application with city planners outlines a plan to construct a single residential tower on an area of the surface parking lot northwest of the mall, at 1 York Gate Boulevard.
And while this is just one tower on the surface, a deeper dive into planning documents reveals that this is merely the first in a long-term plan to build out the entire Yorkgate Mall site over the next decade and beyond.
Owned by SmartCentres, the Yorkgate Mall redevelopment is just the latest in the retail giant’s plans to intensify or replace their low-density shopping centres and big box stores with high-density mixed-use communities.
For the first tower on the mall property, SmartCentres has enlisted Petroff Partnership Architects to design a 22-storey rental building containing 294 units.