The University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) is responding to a growing demand for on-site student housing with a proposal submitted with the City late last month. The application seeks rezoning for a 10-storey, 27,000 square metre purpose-built student residence at 3300 Ellesmere Road, just east of Military Trail. The building would replace a portion of an existing surface parking lot serving the campus.

Subject site at 3300 Ellesmere Road, image retrieved from Apple Maps

Designed by Kearns Mancini Architects, the building would feature north and south wings at 10 and 8-storey heights, divided by a two-storey podium. The tallest point on the 10-storey volume would reach a maximum height of 37 metres. Of note, the current elevations and massing diagram are still preliminary, with a more evolved design to emerge from upcoming design-build development and site plan approval processes.

Massing diagram for 3300 Ellesmere Road, image retrieved from submission to City of Toronto

The 750-bed student residence would be developed and operated by UTSC, offering a mix of single and double occupancy bedrooms with semi-private washrooms, and two rental suites for visiting scholars. At street level, the building will house a mix of uses, including a retail component fronting onto Ellesmere Road, as well as a dining hall and event space, both fronting onto a re-aligned Military Trail. Other amenities would be found on the second floor.

The creation of new student housing opportunities are an important step in accommodating future growth at UTSC. Outlined in UTSC's campus master plan, a realigned Military Trail would position the building at the new northeast corner of Ellesmere and the diverted main street of campus.

Location of the proposal within the UTSC Master Plan, image retrieved from submission to City of Toronto

One of the goals in the campus master plan is the overall reduction in vehicle trips to and from the site. With far less than 750 spaces of the existing parking on the UTSC campus being removed, non new parking is required for the project. 112 bicycle parking spaces are proposed to offset vehicle use, while future transit improvements including the Durham-Scarborough BRT and Eglinton East LRT have the potential to dramatically increase transit usage to and from the site.

Elevation diagram for 3300 Ellesmere Road, image retrieved from submission to City of Toronto

Additional information can be found in our database file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment using the field provided at the bottom of this page.