Oxford Properties Group (Oxford) submitted a rezoning application for Canada Square to redevelop the 9.2 acre midtown site with a 3 million square foot mixed-use masterplan.
Located at the southwest corner of Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue in Toronto, the proposal will deliver five mixed-use towers with over 650,000 square feet of new office space, street-related retail, 2,700 new homes, new community amenities and landscaped open spaces, improved transit infrastructure and a dedicated community space, in multiple phases.
“The rezoning application marks an exciting milestone for the redevelopment plan and builds on the stake holder engagement process that Oxford initiated back in 2017,”said Andrew O’Neil,Vice President, Development at Oxford Properties.
Oxford’s team includes an architectural design team led by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects and Hariri Pontarini Architects, with Adamson Associates Architects as Executive Architect. OJB Landscape Architecture will set the vision for the new open space and public realm. The development plan envisions a phased implementation strategy and a series of three precincts.
A mixed-use precinct anchors the north side of the site featuring a tower that will accommodate 650,000 square feet of contemporary office space and approximately 420 residential units. Located directly above the Eglinton interchange station for the TTC’s Line 1 subway and Line 5 Eglinton Crosstown LRT, and planned as the first phase of the redevelopment, this precinct will also accommodate a new TTC bus terminal that integrates with the existing subway concourse. At street level, the public realm will be transformed with a new public plaza that leads from the intersection to a new landscaped open space immediately south of the mixed-use tower.
A residential precinct at the south side of the site features four residential towers including street-related retail and office space for community professional services, such as medical and dental uses, all oriented around a central courtyard accessed from a new public street.
The buildings are configured with heights scaling down to the south and west, with terracing to provide appropriate height transition to the surrounding residential neighbourhoods. The buildings in the residential precinct will also overlook new parkland proposed along Duplex Avenue.
“We believe it takes a developer with Oxford’s experience and a collaborative approach with stakeholders to create the most community and social value from one of the most important sites in Midtown,” said Mark Cote, Head of Development, Canada, Oxford Properties.“Our phased approach to development seeks to navigate the site challenges to deliver a compelling public realm, new amenities and exciting experiences at each stage of the project. The current pandemic has vividly demonstrated the need for additional outdoor space in our urban centres and our proposal for Canada Square, where approximately half of the site is dedicated to open space, puts it at the heart of this development.