With the rate at which Toronto's population is growing (read: super fast), it's only a matter of time before sprawling, surface-level parking lots go extinct — especially in parts of the city where land values seem to be rising.

If the developers behind a proposal for three stunning mixed-use towers at 2400-2440 Dundas St. W. are succesful, we could soon see one of said parking lots — a biggie, too — replaced by what's being described as a "new transit-oriented mixed-use development."

The proposed development site is currently home to a prominent FreshCo supermarket, a large Shoppers Drug Mart, and an Enterprise Rent-A-Car, in addition to a few smaller offices and that big ol' aforementioned patch of pavement.

Image of the plaza at 2400 Dundas St. West, facing south from Shopper's Drug Mart toward FreshCo, in November of 2021, via Google Maps.

Located just west of the Junction Triangle, slightly north of Bloor on that weird vertical stretch of Dundas Street, the site is steps away from both the TTC's Dundas West Station and Metrolinx's Bloor GO Station (where you can hop on the UP Express straight to Pearson.)

The location is so perfectly transit-oriented, in fact, that it already contains a Bloor GO Station passenger pick-up and drop-off loop.

This feature would either remain in place or transform into some enhanced version of itself under early redevelopment plans introduced to members of the community last week.

The proposed replacement for the large, triangular site at 2400 Dundas Street West would include ample public space on its ground levels. Image via Fora Developments/Giannone Petricone.

Fora Developments, which entered the Toronto real estate scene less than half a year ago with a proposal to build one wild, futuristic-looking tower on Elm Street (and a few cool buildings since), now has its sights set on the famous Dundas-Bloor FreshCo plaza.

A rezoning application has not yet been submitted to the City of Toronto, as Fora makes clear on its website, but developers did reveal initial renderings to illustrate their "proposed vision for the site early on in the process" during an online community meeting on Feb. 22, 2023.

Project details remain a bit sparse, but images drafted by the formidable talents at Giannone Petricone Associates reveal plans for a colourful, mixed-use complex with ample outdoor space (that isn't a parking lot) and a highly-animated public realm.

It's not clear if the current FreshCo would remain a tenant in the plaza at 2400 Dundas St. W., but renderings show that Fora plans to have at least one grocery retailer onsite. Image via Fora Developments/Giannone Petricone.

Slides shared during Wednesday's community meeting show that the development has been designed to contain 58,899 square metres of floor space, the vast majority of it residential.

About 4,672 square metres will be reserved for a food store, retail space, and "core employment area uses," consistent with the City of Toronto's own goals for the site.

Approximately 873 residential units will be spread across three towers in two main buildings: Two towers of 18 and 25 storeys will emerge from the base of Building A, while the third high rise in Building B will rise 36 storeys tall, as presently proposed.

Three towers spanning two buildings are proposed to replace the Shoppers Drug Mart, FreshCo, and massive parking lot at 2400 Dundas St. W. in Toronto. Image via Fora Developments/Giannone Petricone.

The project's website says that the complex will include "new housing options, including a dedicated affordable housing component," more than 1,000 square metres of public park or privately-owned public spaces (POPS), new pedestrian and vehicle connections to the GO station, as well as new retail and commercial spaces to "support office and cultural industry uses."

Space for food retail has been factored into the plans so that people can still get their groceries at the plaza.

Locals can only hope that whatever replaces FreshCO (unless FreshCO stays on as a tenant, which could happen) will be just as affordable as the Sobey-owned discount supermarket.