Huge 6-tower complex would take over vast natural space in Ontario

The push to build housing in Ontario will necessitate some significant shifts in land use across the province, as evidenced by a planned project that would see six towers constructed on what is now vacant land, including a field, pond, and ravine north of Toronto.

City Park Homes has applied to bring a massive complex to an undeveloped site along Highway 27 in Vaughan with a municipal address of 5850 Langstaff Road.

The developer is hoping to build out these natural lands with an enormous community of towers rising 29, 28, 28, 26, 22, and 22 storeys, the tallest of the bunch proposed to reach a height of just over 97 metres.

Designed by Graziani + Corazza Architects, the proposed cluster of buildings was previously approached via a Minister's Zoning Order (MZO), a controversial direct-to-province bid for approval that has faced criticism for its use by developers to circumvent local planning policies.

However, the plan has since been scaled back and is now being pursued through a standard planning proposal filed with the City of Vaughan.

The current blueprint, now before Vaughan planners, features three development blocks across over two hectares of the site, and sets aside over five hectares as "environmental protection lands" that would live on in their natural state.

City Park Homes wants to pack over 1,950 residential units onto what currently exists as a verdant landscape next to a highway — a massive boost in density for an area where most residents live in suburban subdivisions.

And, in an area with no subways or walkable streets, the only viable way to support all of this proposed density is a significant parking component comprising almost 2,300 spaces, though the plan also allocates over 1,200 bike parking spaces for those cyclists willing to brave mixed traffic on wide suburban arterials.

However, not all of this density is proposed at once, with a phased construction plan that would see the largest tower constructed first, with others to follow later.

It will be a massive visual change from the vacant field that exists today, and other developments from the project's architects have not exactly been met with acclaim.

Buildings designed by Graziani + Corazza Architects — most notably the controversial Aura tower at Yonge and Gerrard — have faced stiff criticism in architectural circles. 

In a now-infamous 2017 interview with the Globe and Mail's Alex Bozikovic, principal Barry Graziani literally laughed off a question about the 78-storey Aura development not living up to preconstruction artist's concepts, telling the outlet, "that's the rendering… and in Toronto, you build to a budget."