New residents of the West Don Lands affordable housing project are eager to begin their move into the neighbourhood that has undergone enormous transformation over the past four years. The 1.7-acre mixed-use development, constructed by Toronto Community Housing, will be welcoming its first tenants in August.
Sitting on the former industrial lands bordered by the Don River, King Street, Parliament Street and the rail line next to the Gardiner Expressway, the development features two four-storey buildings designed for families and individuals, and a third eight-storey building reserved for seniors. Units in the buildings start as low as $798, and are funded through support from the federal and provincial governments, subject to income restrictions.
“Toronto Community Housing is proud to be part of the transformation of the West Don Lands into a successful, mixed-income, mixed-use neighbourhood,” says Greg Spearn, Interim President & CEO, Chief Development Officer, Toronto Community Housing. “In these buildings we are continuing the tradition of design excellence that can be found in all our revitalization communities, from Regent Park and Alexandra Park to Allenbury Gardens and Lawrence Heights.”
Designed by award-winning Core Architects of Toronto, the LEED Gold housing development offers no shortage of amenity space for its residents. It also boasts secure bicycle parking, underground vehicle parking, a children’s splash pad and some retail shops located at the ground level of the eight-storey senior’s residence along King Street East. Notably, Core Architects also designed Regent Park Block 12 as part of the massive 69-acre redevelopment that recently saw the aging public housing stock transform into a thriving, mixed-income community.
Beyond eye-pleasing aesthetics, the new West Don Lands development was designed with many sustainable features incorporated into each building’s infrastructure — from high-performance building envelopes, high-efficiency systems and low-flow plumbing, to Energy Star appliances, three-chute waste systems and green roofs.
“We are committed to sustainable design and we know these features will yield significant energy savings over the life of our buildings. The money we save in operating these buildings is money we can spend on providing quality housing for all of our residents,” Spearn says.
Urban wasteland turned riverside community
The once stagnant 80-acre industrial site surrounding the West Don Lands housing project is barely recognizable today, thanks in part to the construction of the 2015 Pan Am Games Athletes’ Village, several new condominiums, and Waterfront Toronto’s Corktown Common park, which has been called the ‘anchor’ of the new community. When complete, the area will include 6,000 residential units, ample commercial space, an elementary school, two child-care centres, a pharmacy and a medical centre, among other offerings.
Toronto Community Housing is the largest social housing provider in Canada, rooted in the belief that affordable and accessible housing fosters diversity, while permitting single-parent households, newcomers to Canada, seniors and moderate income families to live centrally near education, employment, cultural amenities and key services. Other TCHC projects currently underway include the revitalization of Alexandra Park (a downtown community bordered by Spadina Avenue, Queen Street West, Dundas Street West, and Bathurst Street), and its largest redevelopment to date: Lawrence Heights (alongside the Allen Expressway).
West Don Lands, by the numbers:
- Affordable Rental Family Units: 115
- Affordable Rental Seniors Units: 128
- Project Start Date: 2010
- Anticipated Project Completion: Summer 2014
- Total Size: 1.75 acres
- Amenities: A shared courtyard for the buildings includes seating and a splash pad for children
- Retail Space: New retail space was created as part of the community and will be occupied by a Tim Hortons, a pharmacy and a medical centre
Erin Ruddy is the editor of Canadian Apartment Magazine.
