[Northern Light]

This new to the AIC application is an infill of a low rise in the Park site in Don Mills seeking to add on to two existing apartment buildings with extensions/new builds of 10s and 15s, on what is now landscaping and surface parking.

The new units are proposed as purpose-built rental.

Aerial Photo:

The Donway and Overland Corner is where the 15s would go:

While the 10s would be sited where this existing green space is on Paperbirch:

The app:

Application Details

app.toronto.ca

Overland/The Donway elevation from the south/east:

Paperbirch elevation from the north-west:

Site Plan:

Comments:

1) New purpose-built rental is a good thing.

2) The height/massing are fair.

3) The reduction in soft, permeable landscape is an issue, and I would have liked to see the remaining surface parking placed underground w/the existing parking area converted to soft surface/permeable.

4) Stormwater run off is something we need to better address, some discussion, including incentives should be looked at to see if the existing buildings can support a green roof.

5) Would love to see consideration given to refitting the existing building w/heat pumps that can provide summer-time cooling.

6) Architectural proposal is not the best appearance wise from DS. They've recently had some similar intensification proposals that were much sharper. But if they otherwise get this right, I'd let the aesthetics slide a bit here.

 

[Kenojuak]

Looks good, but why are the new buildings so short?

 

[AlexBozikovic]

IIRC, these existing buildings are by Page & Steele in the Peter Dickinson era.

 

[Northern Light]

Resubmission here in March '24:

@Paclo is flagged.

AIC link for convenience:

Application Details

www.toronto.ca

I don't see any new renders........but the drawings that are submitted..........OMG the awful massing:

Look at all the offsets............ewwww!

Not unusual at all, but goofy floor plans; I mean in ft2 this one isn't terrible, but the organization is wrong:

This one is a bit bigger but has its own challenges, that dining room would barely squeeze 4 assuming you wanted to ever leave the table.

Dining tables typically have a minimum width of 3ft, the recomended distance from the table to the wall to allow a chair to be pulled out and someone to walk around the table is 4ft per side.

Add that together for 11ft, not 9ft '4

Architects w/math issues.

 

[Paclo]

In addition to the shortening of Building A, other changes are as follows:

• Total residential units decreased from 242 to 236
• Total vehicular parking increased from 178 to 196
• Total bicycle parking increased from 356 to 390