A major new mixed-use development is coming soon to Scarborough. In June, 2017 we brought you news of the proposed redevelopment of Agincourt Mall by North American Development Group. Now, a new master plan by Giannone Petricone Associates and landscape architect Janet Rosenberg + Studio shows what has changed as the project moves closer to marketing and construction.

The newly added Sheppard Park, image retrieved from submission to City of Toronto

The plan now contains twelve towers, ranging in height from 11 to 43 storeys, in place of the original thirteen, which would have ranged from 20 to 45 storeys. These changes result in a 17.6% reduction in residential floor area, for a new total of 334,631 m².

Aerial view showing tower heights, image retrieved from submission to City of Toronto

The residential portion of the development will be composed of 4,375 units, down from 5,000 in the previous submission. The unit distribution, however, has not changed, with 57% being one-bedroom units, 32% two-bedroom units, and 11% three-bedroom and townhome units.

Alongside street-fronting townhomes, with Central Park across the road, image courtesy of North American Development Group

The lost residential space is balanced by increases in every other category: office space has grown by 21.7% to 10,222 m², commercial retail by 2.1% to 24,190 m², community spaces by 12% to 2,173 m², and publicly accessible open space by 16.2% to a total of 20,330 m². That open space will be divided between 14,565 m² of public parkland and 5,765 m² of Privately-Owned Publicly accessible Spaces, or POPS.

Master plan for parks and open spaces, image retrieved from submission to City of Toronto

Despite these adjustments, the broad features of the plan remain mostly unchanged. One notable exception is the realignment of Public Road D, previously referred to as “Park Circle.” Rather than form a complete crescent around the central park, as in previous iterations, the road now heads north, where it intersects with Bonis Avenue. This increases the park’s area by half, and allows for a more seamless connection to Ron Watson Park to the northwest.

A view of the enlarged Central Park, image retrieved from submission to City of Toronto

There are also several adjustments to the locations and sizes of the proposed POPS. The small parkette at the southwest corner of Kennedy Road and Bonis Avenue has disappeared, while a “POPS Connector” has been added along Private Road B to replace the 0.35 acre square in Block 2 that will now be crossed by Park Circle.

Site plan, image retrieved from submission to City of Toronto

The recent submission also includes a first look at the construction phasing plan. The development will be built up in six phases. Phase one will see the construction of Block 7, which will contain new retail space for Walmart. A portion of that store should stay open throughout construction, though that has not yet been confirmed.

The rest of the mall, including the existing No Frills, will remain open during this phase. At the same time, temporary retail “pads” will be built adjacent to the new Public Road B to encourage the introduction of street-oriented retail to the site.

Street-oriented retail in the Agincourt Mall Redevelopment, image courtesy of North American Development Group

Phase two will extend construction to the west, completing the northern portion of the site with the creation of Blocks 1 and 2, as well as the northern portion of the central park. Block 4—to be built during phase three—will include a new retail space for No Frills, which will relocate there during phase four. The rest of site will be built up through phases five and six, with Block 5 being the last to be completed. Permanent street-facing retail will then replace the temporary retail pads built there in phase one.

Looking west across Kennedy at Sheppard to the Agincourt Mall Redevelopment, image courtesy of North American Development Group

The project is now set to go through another round of community consultations, and the first of the residential developments is expected to begin marketing this year. It is expected that construction will start in 2021.

Additional information and renderings for the project can be found in our Database file for the site, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? You can get in on the conversation in our associated Forum thread, or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.

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