Scarborough Southwest Councillor Kandavel ‘not supportive’ of plan for 36-storey residential building at The Beer Store site on Danforth Avenue

By MATTHEW STEPHENS

A rezoning application has been filed with the City of Toronto to redevelop the existing low-rise The Beer Store building and surface-level parking lot at 3130 Danforth Ave., just east of Victoria Park Avenue, into a 36-storey, 483-unit residential apartment building.

The new building will include 678 square metres of ground-floor retail space, a two-level underground parking garage with 146 vehicle parking spaces, including 23 visitor spaces and 13 accessible parking spaces.

Scarborough Southwest Councillor Parthi Kandavel’s office told Beach Metro Community News that the councillor does not support the proposal due to its height and impact on the surrounding neighbourhood.

Anushanthan Manoharan, Housing and Planning Advisor for Councillor Kandavel’s office, said Kandavel is “not supportive” of the proposed 36-storey development due to potential shadow impact and size of the building in context to the surrounding apartment buildings in the area. 

“Councillor Kandavel is not supportive of the 36-storey development as he understands the concerns regarding the potential shadow impacts and overall scale of the tower, which is inconsistent with the character of the surrounding neighbourhood,” said Manoharan in an email to Beach Metro Community News.  “The current planning policy of this area, as outlined in the Danforth Avenue Planning Study, calls for a mid-rise development that respects the public realm and the surrounding environment. The proposed height of the application does not align with those guidelines.”

The development application is still in its early stages, with the applicant having submitted all application requirements identified during Pre-Application Consultation on April 24 of this year.

Despite the application’s intent to retain ground-floor retail space, it isn’t clear whether The Beer Store will remain at the base of the residential apartment following construction.

“At the current stage, the development application has not been deemed complete, and therefore, details such as the future of the existing Beer Store at the site remain uncertain. It is unclear whether The Beer Store will be removed or integrated into the base of the new development,” said Manoharan.

With 53 Beer Store locations closing in Ontario since May last year, one local resident of the Danforth – East York – Woodbine Community (The DEWC) Facebook group believes the 3130 Danforth Ave. location may be added to the “growing list of Beer Store closures,” in the province.

According to a statement on The Beer Store website, store closures across the province are a result of “marketplace shifts.” 

Back in September last year, Premier Doug Ford opened the alcohol market in Ontario to allow convenience stores and most grocers to sell beer and wine on their premises. 

Manoharan said that a community consultation on the proposed 36-storey building will be held immediately “once the application is deemed complete,” to get public feedback on the plan.

“The Councillor’s office is committed to keeping community members informed throughout this process to ensure their voices are heard and taken into account,” said Manoharan.