These Toronto apartment buildings could be torn down for huge redevelopment

A pair of Toronto apartment buildings containing over 150 homes could soon meet the proverbial wrecking ball if a new redevelopment scheme moves forward.

Two six-storey apartment buildings at 2-4 Milepost Place in the Thorncliffe Park neighbourhood are the target of a major redevelopment plan from owner Park Property.

The site owner has tabled plans with the City of Toronto to tear down the two rental buildings and replace them with a trio of much taller towers rising to heights of 39, 44, and 49 storeys, and featuring designs from Core Architects.

The tallest of the pack would rise just over 163 metres, which, while much taller than the current surroundings, is relatively in line with the heights of towers planned around the future Thorncliffe Park Ontario Line Station, a five-minute walk from the site.

If approved, the towers would house a combined 1,300 rental units, including 154 units to replace existing rentals in accordance with the City's rental housing demolition regulations, along with five additional rental replacement units. 

Of the total unit count, 559 (43 per cent of the total) are planned as one-bedrooms, while a surprising number of family-sized units are planned with 609 two-bedrooms (46.8 per cent) and 132 three-bedroom units (10.2 per cent).

Planners for the project cite the site's proximity within 250 metres of the under-construction Ontario Line station nearby as a reason to allow vastly increased densities.

And, like it or not, local and provincial planning policies support increased heights and densities around major transit stations, which bodes well for this kind of up-zoning.

Despite the nearby subway station set to open in the early 2030s, the developer still felt it necessary to have a massive garage capable of holding 683 cars, along with 715 bicycle parking spaces.

The application is still in its early days, so there's no need for current residents of the apartment buildings on site to start packing. But, with rapid transit soon to arrive in the neighbourhood, it's certainly a sign of the times, signalling a major area-wide intensification on the horizon.