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A settlement offer for a mixed-use residential building at 673 Warden Avenue has been ratified by the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT), significantly increasing its height from the originally proposed 16 storeys to 27 storeys. Designed by Arcadis for Blacktusk Group, the tower would rise in Toronto’s Birchmount Park neighbourhood, walking distance of Warden station and within its Major Transit Station Area (MTSA) where higher densities are now encouraged by the provincial government.
The 2,753m² site is located on the northeast corner of Warden Avenue and Bell Estate Road. It currently houses a single-storey TD Bank and its surface parking, while a mix of uses surrounds the property.
Official Plan (OPA) and Zoning By-law Amendment (ZBA) applications were initially submitted in 2022 for a 16-storey mixed-use tower with 274 residential units and retail space on the site. The lack of a City decision within the prescribed time prompted an appeal to the OLT in May, 2023. Following the MTSA designation of the area, a revised settlement proposal was endorsed by City Council in May, 2024 and ultimately ratified by the OLT in September, 2024. The ratification includes conditions requiring updates to servicing and transportation studies before final approval of the ZBA.
The settlement calls for a 27-storey building rising 96.38m, significantly taller than the 16-storey, 57.24-metre tower proposed in 2022. The residential unit count has increased much less though, from 274 to only 314, offering a revised mix that includes more one-bedroom and two-bedroom units with den options.
The total Gross Floor Area (GFA) has grown from 18,965m² to 21,804m², with residential GFA comprising the vast majority, and retail GFA increasing from 206m² to 353m², located at grade along Warden Avenue. The Floor Space Index has increased from 6.9 to 8.0 across the site.
Amenities would be evenly split between 628m² of indoor and 628m² of outdoor space, representing minor adjustments from 2022, when indoor amenities were slightly larger at 671m². With three elevators, there would be approximately one for every 105 units, indicating slightly longer than preferable wait times.
The building would feature a six-storey podium, including amenities on the seventh floor with an outdoor terrace. The design also accommodates existing easements for stormwater service and vehicular and pedestrian access for compatibility with adjacent properties and infrastructure.
Below grade, a three-level underground garage would provide 148 parking spaces, up from 145 in the original proposal, with 130 spaces reserved for residents and 18 for visitors. Bicycle parking has also been updated to include 214 long-term spaces, an increase from 188, while short-term spaces have been reduced from 20 to 16. These adjustments reflect the project’s emphasis on accommodating active and sustainable transportation modes.
The site is located 650m south of Warden Station on Bloor-Danforth Line 2. Just one stop east, Kennedy station will soon connect to the Eglinton Line 5 Crosstown LRT. The Scarborough Subway Extension, currently under construction, will extend Line 2 service further north to Sheppard Avenue. To the west of the site lies Firvalley Woods, connecting to the expansive Warden Woods ravine parks. To the north are a self-storage facility and vacant lands approved for high-rise development. South of the site are a townhouse complex and a food production facility.
This stretch of Warden Avenue, historically industrial, is transforming into a residential corridor. Several mid-rise proposals are found nearby.The largest nearby project is the at 685 Warden Avenue (seen below in white), to the north of the site, with five towers ranging from 17 to 49 storeys, and also recently ratified by the OLT. Between the tall 673 and 685 Warden proposals, there is a 4-storey proposal for a self-storage facility at 681 Warden. South of the 673 Warden site, 250 and 300 Danforth Road propose 10 and 12 storeys, with an 11-storey submission further east at 468 Danforth Road. North of Warden station, 706 Warden Avenue calls for a 19-storey 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: | Arcadis, Goldberg Group, Gradient Wind Engineers & Scientists, Land Art Design Landscape Architects Inc, LEA Consulting, MCW Consultants Ltd |
