16 Acre Development Planned for downtown Toronto

16 Acre development planned for downtown Toronto2

A railway in Toronto's downtown could soon see a massive new community of condos, office towers and green spaces sitting on top of it. A 16 acre master-planned community with 3,500 residential units and an elevated railway park is being proposed by Craft Development Group, Kingsmen Group Inc., and Fengate Asset Management. 

Toronto Storeys is reporting that when the project gets approved, it would develop a mixed-use community consisting of the following:

 

 - High-rise residential

 - Affordable housing

 - Open green space

 - Retail

 - Entertainment venues

 

The site is located in downtown Toronto, south of Front Street and between Bathurst Street and Blue Jays Way.

Craft acquired the air rights for the site in 2013 from the Canadian National Railway and this development would be precedent setting in Canada, in terms of the size of the community efficiently created in unused space above rail corridor lands.

This ORCA project would also offer state-of-the-art technology in support of energy efficiency and a healthy environment throughout the complex.

 

"We are extremely proud of this union between Craft/Kingsmen and Fengate. With LiUNA guidance, this historic opportunity for the revitalization of a former rail corridor will create thousands of job opportunities as well as homes for a new generation of homeowners."

President of CRAFT Development Corp. | Carmine Nigro

 

The proposal was originally submitted to the City back in 2017, though the Official Plan Amendment (OPA) application was turned down in January 2018. After that, the OPA was taken to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal for appeal. Hearings were scheduled in November 2020 and in January 2021. Updated plans were later submitted to the City in June 2020.

 

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A revised and updated concept plan will be prepared by Safdie Architects and PWP Landscape Architecture who have been retained by the applicants.

Documents show that the ORCA development would include the following:

 

 - Six residential towers with 3,500 units, ranging from studios to 3+ bedroom units

 - 36 storey office building

 - 522,049 square feet of retail space

 

According to AP News, the ORCA project is focused on addressing increasing housing demands in Toronto and will reclaim a significant amount of urban space utilized by the rail corridor. 

The project pays close attention to urban resident needs such as:

 

 - Convenience with transit

 - Retail access

 - Dynamic public spaces

 - Ample green space

 

An article in BlogTo states that the railway tracks, which make up the Union Station Rail Corridor, have cut across this stretch of Toronto since the 1850's.

The project's centrepiece will be a new 12 acre park proposed as the Rail Deck Park, which would include public art, lawns, and trees that could connect to the existing Northern Linear Park in CityPlace.

 

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Posted by Judy Lamelza

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