MINOR VARIANCE
An application for Minor Variance has been submitted to the City of Toronto to address the onsite parking location.
DEMOLITION HAS COMMENCED AT 60 BIRMINGHAM. FOR MORE INFORMATION, INCLUDING THE CONSTRUCTION MITIGATION PLAN (“CMP”), DEMOLITION NOTICE FLYER, AND KEY CONTACT INFORMATION, PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW.
QuadReal and its demolition contractor are committed to ensuring the safety of our neighbours and mitigating impacts on the surrounding area.
Check out the presentation from our Public Information Sessions below:
About the Project
QuadReal intends to extend the employment legacy of the area and redevelop 60 Birmingham into a leading Class ‘A’ last-mile urban distribution and logistics facility. While existing City zoning allows for a range of employment uses, we propose to replace the existing manufacturing use with warehousing. The Proposed Development includes three single-storey warehouse buildings including minor administrative office components, with loading zones strategically located away from the abutting streetscapes thereby minimizing views from the public realm while also mitigating noise impacts from the adjacent residential community.
Our design is focused on ensuring compatibility with our surrounding residential neighbourhoods, while also ensuring viability as an employment use to create opportunities for the surrounding community. We intend to achieve this through a number of key design principles:
Upgraded Landscaping and Public Realm
We will significantly enhance landscaping treatments onsite and along the edges to foster a more attractive transition to adjacent residential neighbourhoods. This will include a 3.0m landscape strip along City boulevards, widening along Dwight Ave to permit a new sidewalk, and increasing the streetscape landscaped width along the perimeter of the site to increase pedestrian and cycling connectivity. Along Birmingham Street we will be retaining and restoring the existing 1930s and 1940s Art Deco principal façade, incorporating it into the redevelopment.
Site Accessibility
Access to the Site for heavy loading vehicles has been located solely from New Toronto St. This driveway access acknowledges the industrial character of New Toronto St and diverts truck traffic several hundred metres away from the residential neighbourhoods. Site access from Birmingham St and Dwight Ave is only for vehicular access, pedestrians, and cyclists. An internal sidewalk network, located adjacent to proposed building envelopes, with connections to municipal sidewalks promotes connectivity to the surrounding community.
Mitigation Measures
The proposed building envelopes have been strategically designed in an east-west orientation, facilitating superior screening of loading areas while also shielding noise levels. The loading zone serving Building 1 has been designed and located below grade, and further improved by a 5.7m acoustic barrier to allow for shielding and mitigation of noise impacts from the neighbourhood east of Dwight Ave. In addition, the connection between Buildings 2 & 3 along the east of the site provide mitigation of the residential uses from the loading areas. The building design and central loading orientation effectively mitigate noise impacts to sensitive residential areas.
Our relationship with the surrounding community is important to us. Which is why as a long-term owner and manager, QuadReal is committed to minimizing impact through careful planning and design. Click here to join us.
Proposed Project Statistics
| Product Type | Industrial (Last-mile Urban Distribution) |
| Site Size | 19 acres |
| Total GFA | 400,000 sq ft |
| Building 1 | 158,000 sq ft |
| Building 2 | 122,000 sq ft |
| Building 3 | 120,000 sq ft |
| Loading Dock | 6 drive-in doors, 43 dock doors (potential for 37 knock-out panels) |
| Parking Spaces | 285 (including 9 accessible spaces) |
| Bicycle Parking | 30 long-term spaces, 20 short-term spaces |
For more details about our development application, please visit the City of Toronto Development Application site here.