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In this instalment of the UTPro Instant Report series, we are catch up with the latest trends in GTA development with the help of our cutting edge data service, the Instant Report by zooming in on the address of 2600 Danforth, giving us a snapshot of the area immediately surrounding the intersection of Danforth Avenue and Main Street. With exceptional transit access from Main Street subway station on Danforth Line 2 and GO Transit’s Danforth Station, the area is an emerging node with the promise of increasing density.
In order to accurately assess the state of development in the area, we will be using a custom Location Report, which instantly generates a list of all of the known projects, and their associated data, within an 800 metre radius of any address in the City.
Our Location Report came back with a list of 17 total projects in the 800 metre radius surrounding 2600 Danforth Avenue. Looking at the status of those projects, we found that two were listed as recently completed, with another three currently under construction. The remaining 12 projects are all in the pre-construction phase, ranging anywhere between submitted for review to zoning approved. Here is what some of those projects look like.
Completed in 2019, Canvas Condominium is the an example of recent development in the area. The 8-storey mid-rise residential project is one of a increasingly popular typology along 'Avenues' in Toronto, and which is now proliferating along 'The Danforth,' bringing gentle density that is oriented towards the existing transit infrastructure. Halfway between Woodbine and Main Street subway stations, Canvas delivers 170 residential units to the neighbourhood plus retail at grade that maintains the traditional programming of street-fronting properties along the Danforth.
Under construction just a few hundred metres to the east is Linx Condominiums, a high-rise residential development that capitalized on the Major Transit Station Area (MTSA) designation to gain approval for a 27-storey tower. The project represents some of the first high-rise construction efforts on The Danforth since the 1970s, and is a strong indication of things to come, as intensification spreads further from Toronto's Downtown Core.
Just across Main Street to the east of Linx, and recently submitted to the City for planning review, 2575 Danforth Avenue is a proposed infill development of the existing Main Square residential complex, and one of the biggest projects in the area. The proposal details a plan to deliver over 1,500 new dwelling units across four residential buildings, including a 55-storey tower, as well as a new community centre. A number of similarly scaled proposals just to the east and south of 2575 Danforth indicate that developers strongly feel that approval is a legitimate possibility.
Adding on some of the accompanying statistics from the Location Report, we can see that development in the Danforth Village area is orienting heavily towards residential uses. While several of the projects qualify as mixed-use, there isn’t a single project on our list that doesn’t feature a residential component. This residential emphasis is made especially clear looking at the gross floor area (GFA) breakdown below.
The reason for this seems to be closely related to both the existing designations for land use as outlined in the City’s Official Plan, which include mixed-use and neighbourhood areas, and the presence of higher order transit. This combination of factors makes for a strong proposal for residential intensification, as far as policy is concerned. Depending on what gets approved over the next few years, we could see a dramatic spike in density in Danforth Village over the next decade.
To access the full data set from this or any UTPro Instant Report, with more stats as well as the full project list, you can purchase a report here! Stay tuned for next week’s instalment to learn more about why the UrbanToronto's Instant Report is one of the most valuable tools for staying informed on development in the GTA.
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As UrbanToronto continues to refine its role in the GTA development industry, our data services have evolved to become one of our defining elements and we want to share those capabilities with our community. The UrbanToronto Pro Instant Reports is just one of the ways our data can be applied to provide quick and convenient insights on the development trends of any area in the GTA. Using this advanced data resource, we are launching a new weekly series to highlight what the UT Pro Instant Reports provide and investigate the latest development trends by ward, by address, or by MLS zone.
