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With an increasing need for long-term care spaces for the Greater Toronto Area’s aging population, the Mon Sheong Foundation has proposed a large-scale seniors-focused community in the Headford Business Park area, southwest of Major Mackenzie Drive East and Highway 404 in Richmond Hill. Designed by ZO1, the application includes a 10-storey long-term care (LTC) facility, along with a seniors’ rental apartment and three life-lease towers ranging from 33 to 39 storeys. Located at 187-189 Vogell Road, the project was discussed at a Committee of the Whole meeting last week, where City Council reviewed the proposed development agreement, which benefits from two Minister’s Zoning Orders (MZOs).
MZOs allow for new zoning to be established without going through the lengthy Zoning By-law Amendment process typically required for new building proposals. The original MZO rezoned the site from employment to residential and institutional uses. The enhanced MZO (eMZO), issued in 2023, further streamlined the project with site-specific parking standards and exempted the site from the typical Site Plan Control process.
Despite the eMZO, the landowner is still required to enter into an agreement with the City, to address matters similar to those in a standard Site Plan Agreement. The recent report presented to Council sought authorization for the City to execute the necessary agreements.
The site is identified as Block 5 within the registered Plan of Subdivision, spanning approximately 2.23 hectares. Currently vacant, it is positioned on the east side of the planned extension of Vogell Road, which will connect to the surrounding area as part of a larger subdivision build-out.
In September, 2024, the applicant submitted consent and minor variance applications requesting the severance of two additional parcels and the retention of one parcel. The application also seeks approval for future access easements between the severed and retained lands.
The proposed development would consist of five towers ranging in height from 10 to 39 storeys, with the high-rises ranging from 110.75m to 127.05m. Phase 1 includes a 10-storey long-term care (LTC) facility at the northwest end along the Vogell Road frontage and a 38-storey senior affordable rental tower positioned behind it. Phase 2 would see the addition of three life-lease towers — a housing arrangement where residents pay an upfront lump sum to live in a unit for the rest of their lives — at the southern end of the site.
The 10-storey LTC facility would include 288 beds, while the 38-storey senior affordable rental tower would provide 348 units. The future life-lease towers, standing 33, 36, and 39 storeys high, would house 294, 324, and 360 units, respectively, with a total Gross Floor Area (GFA) of 81,139m². Plans entail the LTC facility covering 26,901m² and the senior affordable rental tower at 28,105m². The Floor Space Index (FSI) would be 5.23 for the LTC facility and 5.62 for the senior rental tower.
A landscaped area is planned in the centre of the site. Outdoor amenities are planned on the 9th floor of each rental tower and the 7th level of the life-lease towers.
Parking for the life-lease towers would include 409 spaces for residents and 123 spaces for visitors. Parking for the LTC is planned at grade, with 127 spaces for residents and 18 spaces for visitors. For the senior affordable rental tower, a 6-storey above-grade parking structure would be at the base of the tower, offering 184 spaces for residents and 46 for visitors.
Public transit is available through York Region Transit, with a route running west-east along Major Mackenzie Drive, connecting with a north-south route along Woodbine Avenue to the east of Highway 404.
There is more development activity in the area. To the north, the 2-storey Canada Computers Headquarters and Distribution Centre is under construction. To the west, the Legacy Hill subdivision is being developed with single-storey homes, and a 6-storey long-term care facility is proposed at the Carefirst Campus of Care. A 13-storey residential tower is planned at 9947 Leslie Street. East of Highway 404, low-rise developments are proposed, while the closest high-rise proposal is southeast at the King Square Mall Redevelopment, which includes townhomes and a 25-storey mixed-use tower.
UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file, linked below. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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| Related Companies: | HGC Engineering Inc, LEA Consulting, MHBC Planning |
