Toronto slaughterhouse and trash incinerator to be heart of new shopping destination
Two Toronto landmarks once known for pollution and intensely unpleasant odours will be the historic centrepieces of a brand-new community set to draw in locals with an eclectic mix of shopping and restaurants.
Developer TAS’ ambitious plans to redevelop lands around a decommissioned Abattoir building and smokestack and the City-owned historic Wellington Destructor have evolved from a scheme first proposed back in 2017.
An updated application was filed with City planners in May for the vast site at 2 Tecumseth Street, one that shakes up previous plans with updated architecture from Giannone Petricone Associates, and a new mix of uses that would include over 1,200 purpose-built rental units across three buildings.
The plan, dubbed The Yards, has undergone several changes since the initial version was pitched almost seven years earlier.
The 2024 plan proposes 39-, 31-, and 11-storey buildings — slightly revised from the previous version — to be centred around 3,364 square metres of retail space concentrated on the complex’s street and concourse levels.
A total of 1,217 residential units are proposed — an increase from 1,054 units proposed in the previous plan — across almost 82,000 square metres of residential space, with the unit tenure switched from condominium units to market-rate rentals. A previously planned office component has been axed from the current plans.
Existing heritage buildings will play a central role in the community. The existing smokestack is to be retained as a feature in the complex’s landscape design, while the base of the 31-storey tower is to include reimagined facades of the slaughterhouse building.
Landscaping will wrap around the City’s Wellington Destructor and tie into a future park at 801 Wellington St W. This park is to include repurposed relics salvaged from the former abattoir building, further integrating the site’s history into the new development.
Even lost history is to be unearthed at this site, like a feature known as the Creek Bank that will reference the buried Garrison Creek.
Plans call for the project to be built out in phases, with the first phase consisting of the 39- and 11-storey buildings, followed by a second phase consisting of a 31-storey building.
The entire complex is to be built atop a shared two-level underground parking garage that would add 444 cars to local streets and 1,315 bicycle spaces.
Follow Channels and Categories