Rendering: Cicada Design Inc.
Location: 250 The East Mall
Developer: QuadReal
Architect: Giannone Petricone Associates Inc.
In Etobicoke’s Eatonville community, a 1950s shopping mall may become part of a master-planned revamp.
Last month, Urban Strategies Inc. submitted an Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment application to Toronto city planners on behalf of QuadReal for a new mixed-use proposal. The development, located near Highway 427 and Dundas Street West, would encompass thousands of residential units, retail space and multiple buildings, spanning nearly 30 acres. QuadReal is behind other large-format developments across Canada, including Oakridge in Vancouver and Mobilio in Vaughan.
The Cloverdale Mall was built in 1956 as a suburban, car-oriented shopping centre, undergoing expansion and modernization during the 1970s, 1980s and early 2000s. It currently houses 376,736 square feet of retail space across 89 commercial units, plus a 1,500-space surface parking lot. The planning rationale explains that car-oriented malls are becoming an increasingly outdated model, and hopes to turn the development site in question into a more people-focused community.
“As reflected in the Proposed Development, the future of malls does not lie in eliminating the mall and starting anew, but rather in introducing new uses and residential communities within a dynamic retail and public realm setting to enhance local communities,” explains the project rationale.
The proposal seeks to transform the mall as part of a larger community with 4,050 dwelling units, park space and 279,861 square feet of retail built around a main-street format. On the eastern side of the site, a neighbourhood park would provide open space alongside a pedestrian entrance that leads to retail and community amenities.
Rendering: Cicada Design Inc.
Behind the neighbourhood park, the central Cloverdale Square would contain the majority of the retail offerings and a gathering space for events. In the southwestern corner of the urban village, the Edge Trail would provide a landscaped, pedestrian-friendly multi-use path.
A variety of residential structures would be incorporated throughout the master-plan, encompassing approximately 3.5 million square feet of gross floor area. Base buildings and towers would range in height, with podiums around six-storeys tall and towers varying from 24 to 48 storeys. Building heights would decrease south to north and west to east along the southwest corner of the site.
Rendering: Cicada Design Inc.
A mix of rental and ownership-type units would be integrated into the development, with 30 percent of the homes allotted as two-bedroom units and 10 percent as three-bedroom units. Approximately 2,347 units would be reserved as one-bedroom layouts. A combination of above- and below-grade parking would offer 5,136 vehicle spaces, the majority of which would be reserved for residential use.
In the neighbourhood, sales continue at the Evermore by Tridel and 4HUNDRED EAST MALL Stacked Town Homes by Haven Developments.
