Downtown Forum Presentation - Urban Design - October 2, 2008 [PDF ...

Design and Land Use Strategy 

URBAN DESIGN PUBLIC 

REALM 

CIRCULATION

Built Form 

3 Distinct Districts 

Uptown: Levendale to Wright/Dunlop 

• Yonge Street is 5 lanes, auto oriented services, underused 

sites 

Village: Wright/Dunlop to Major MacKenzie 

• authentic Main Street, landmark civic buildings, churches, 

pedestrian oriented shopping 

Civic: south of Major MacKenzie 

• largely undeveloped on the west side, small scale office 

and commercial on the east side 

Very long term plan 

Focus on a strategy to guide decisions about land use and 

built form over the next several decades

DEMONSTRATION PLAN

Built Form 

Land Uses 

• Downtown Centre: high density, 

mixed use urban neighbourhood 

close to a new transit station; larger 

scale retail integrated into street 

related mixed use buildings 

• Village Centre: predominantly retail, 

lower rise and heritage character, 

specialty shopping, restaurants, 

cultural destination 

• Neighbourhood: protect residential 

character; maintain diversity in form 

• Shoulder: transition to the 

residential neighbourhoods, limited 

commercial, diversity of residentital 

• Civic Centre: office, commercial 

and residential uses

Built Form 

Height & Massing 

Height: 

• intensification to meet goals of provincial and regional 

planning policy 

• provides the critical mass of people necessary to ensure a 

vibrant downtown and to support investment in transit 

• increased heights are proposed at the north and south 

ends of the Downtown, transitioning towards the Village 

District. 

• building heights peak at 9-15 storeys in the north and 

south ends, transitioning to 3-5 storeys in the Village. 

• certain locations could have additional height subject to 

performance criteria and an evaluation of compatibility: 

case by case basis, depending on the specific and 

particular conditions of the immediate context

Built Form 

Height & Massing 

Massing: 

• Height and massing work together. 

• Consistent build-to line and step back for 

upper floors required to provide a 

unifying quality, scale and character for 

the street wall across all three districts. 

• Setbacks and stepping down of heights 

will be required to ensure appropriate 

transitions are provided to adjacent lowrise 

residential areas to the east and 

west. 

Building Stepbacks 

Consistent Streetwall

Built Form 

Heritage 

Distinguishing Characteristics: 

• authentic Main Street with adjacent residential neighbourhoods 

• primarily 2-storey buildings with commercial uses at-grade with 

office/or residential uses above along Yonge Street 

• varied setbacks with fine-grain frontages typically 1-2 bays in width 

• many buildings have been either identified as potential heritage, 

or designated

Built Form 

Heritage 

Key elements of the design strategy: 

• Integrate existing heritage buildings (e.g. the house at the theatre); 

• adapt and reveal heritage façades; 

• incorporate new buildings, but avoid mimicry, over embellishment, or historic 

pastiche - new construction should be of its time; 

• new development should be subordinate to heritage character (e.g. greater 

setback, different materials); 

• new development should assist in transitioning between the main street and 

adjacent residential neighbourhoods; 

• work in new and old buildings should be of the highest quality materials; and, 

• angular planes and setbacks should be used to balance the scale of new 

development and the historic streetscape.

Built Form 

Heritage 

Ensuring new 

buildings 

respect the 

architectural 

orders (rhythm 

and scale) of 

existing 

heritage 

buildings 

Ensuring 

new 

buildings 

contribute 

to the 

existing 

streetscape 

✘

Built Form 

Heritage

Built Form 

Building Types 

Three basic building types: 

• street edge 

• courtyard 

• civic

Built Form 

Building Types: Street Edge 

Define the edge of the sidewalk 

Step back to upper storeys 

Street-related uses on the ground floor 

Articulated facade

Built Form 

Building Prototypes

Built Form 

Building Types: Street Edge

Built Form 


Courtyard

Built Form 

Building Prototypes

Built Form 


Special civic buildings 

• prominent presence on the street 

• landmark features 

• identifiable and special buildings

Built Form 

The Village 

• Bounded by Major Mackenzie Drive in the south to Wright 

Street/Dunlop Street in the north. 

• The Village is the historic heart and primary retail area for Downtown 

Richmond Hill. 

• Key Distinguishing Features: 

• location on the hilltop; 

• landmark public buildings and churches; 

• continuous sidewalk oriented retail along Yonge St.; 

• narrow streets widths; 

• adjacency to historic residential neighbourhoods; 

• buildings are generally low-rise of 2-4 storeys but there are also 

several mid-rise buildings up to 9 storeys; and, 

• buildings have varying front yard setbacks but placed 

consistently close to the sidewalk

Built Form 

Block Prototypes

Built Form 

Block Prototypes

Built Form 

Block Prototypes

Built Form 

Block Prototypes

Built Form 

Block Prototypes

Built Form 

Infill / site a : existing conditions

Built Form 

Infill / site a : proposed phase 1

Built Form 


Built Form 


Built Form 


Built Form 


Built Form 


Built Form 

Infill / site b : existing conditions

Built Form 

Infill / site b : proposed phase 1

Built Form 


Built Form 


Built Form 


Built Form 


Built Form 


Built Form 

Uptown 

• generally bounded by Wright 

Street/Dunlop Street in the south 

to Levendale Road Wright/Dunlop 

• currently designated for high 

density mixed use in 9 storey 

buildings 

• envisaged to become a highdensity, 

mixed-use, urban 

neighbourhood 

• buildings will range from mid-tohigh 

rise 

• current larger format commercial 

uses may be integrated into new 

developments to make it more 

pedestrian friendly 

• the Uptown District can 

significantly increase the number 

of residents in the Downtown to 

support the retail uses in the 

Village District.

Public Realm 

YONGE STREET - UPTOWN 

U p t o w n

Public Realm 

YONGE STREET - UPTOWN 

U p t o w n

Built Form 

Civic Centre 

• generally bounded by Major Mackenzie Dr to the 

north, and Harding Blvd to the south. 

• Civic Centre should become the Civic Heart of the 

Town of Richmond Hill. 

• area should emerge as a mixed office, residential 

and institutional area that will be well served by 

public transit. 

• buildings will be mid-to-high rise. 

• central to this vision is the relocation of the Town 

Hall and creation of the civic square on the vacant 

site adjacent to the library. 

• large parcels of vacant and under-utilized sites 

provide an opportunity to introduce a significant 

new residential population to support the 

commercial retail function of the area and the 

existing ones in the Village.

Public Realm 

YONGE STREET - CIVIC 

Civic 

Centre

Public Realm 

YONGE STREET - CIVIC 

Civic 

Centre

Downtown Forum Presentation - Urban Design - October 2, 2008 [PDF ...

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