This 26-storey condo tower is planned for the Islington Avenue and Birmingham Street area.
A proposal to build a 26 storey condo tower on the site of a Hindu temple in New Toronto is raising eyebrows from residents.
The proposed development at 210 Islington Avenue and 99 Birmingham Street will take up two lots that is bounded by Islington Avenue to the east, and Birmingham Street to the north and Eighth Street to the west.
The tower will contain 352 dwelling units with stores on the ground floor. It features a three level underground parking for 147 vehicles.
The building will go on the site of this Hindu temple which will be demolished.
A zoning by-law amendment has been filed for the construction of the building and the application is going through the hearing process.
The site has been the site of the Sidh Shakti Babaji Mandir temple for many years. The temple will be demolished to construct the building.
“The proposed development will intensify an underutilized site that is close to a wide variety of services, facilities, amenities, and transit,” according to the proposal. “It will contribute to the vibrancy and mix of land uses in Toronto’s New Toronto neighbourhood.”
The proposal said the site is located near the Waterfront LRT, which is being planned by the City of Toronto, the TTC and Waterfront Toronto, which will introduce higher-order transit along Lake Shore Blvd. between Long Branch and the Leslie Barns Maintenance and Storage Facility to the east.
The popular Hindu temple which is usually packed will soon be gone for a condo.
It said the site is well served by nearby cycling infrastructure which includes cycle tracks along Birmingham Street with connections to other cycling routes across Toronto
The plan calls for 265 bicycle parking spaces including 20 publicly accessible bicycle parking spaces, five short-term spots and 240 residential bicycle parking spaces.
The proposal said community and commercial services are in the immediate vicinity of the site, including grocery stores, restaurants, entertainment, schools, parks, and childcare facilities.
It will ‘reduce vehicle-dependence for daily activities and mitigating congestion of the surrounding road network.’
“The proposed development is compatible with the surrounding Employment Areas and does not introduce adverse impacts to the transportation network nor to the long term viability of these lands for continued employment uses,” according to the proposal.
It said 10 new street trees will be planted along with a mix of attractive paving, benches and a ‘retail spill-out area’ fronting Islington Avenue.
And the plan stated the design will contribute to the local skyline visible across the New Toronto Neighbourhood.