LONDON — On June 4, 2024, the Council approved a significant redevelopment plan for the London Mall site located at the bustling intersection of Oxford Street West and Wonderland Road North.
The transformative project aims to revitalize the existing property at 530 Oxford Street West into a vibrant mixed-use development that meets both residential and commercial needs.
York Developments, the owner and developer of the property, enlisted MHBC Planning to lead this initiative.
The London Mall site spans approximately 5.2 hectares and boasts substantial frontage along Oxford Street West and Wonderland Road North.
Currently, the site includes a shopping center, multiple-unit commercial buildings, expansive surface parking, and landscaped areas, with a gross floor area of 14,092 square metres, making it a prominent feature in the commercial landscape.
The approved development focuses on intensifying land use at the London Mall by incorporating mixed-use functionality.
Central to the plan are two impressive 33-storey high-rise towers, which will collectively house 408 residential units.
The towers will be strategically positioned adjacent to Oxford Street North and Wonderland Road North to maximize visibility and accessibility.
The high-rise towers will feature podiums at their bases, offering a mix of amenities and parking facilities designed to integrate seamlessly with the surrounding urban environment.
Each tower’s typical floor plates are meticulously planned to optimize residential space, with main floor plates spanning 2,131 square metres and upper levels at 1,240 square metres.
Key elements of the approved development include ground-level access, administrative space, lobby areas, bicycle storage, and parking facilities within the podiums of each tower.
Additionally, there will be 473 square metres of commercial space on the second floor of both buildings, with street-level entrances to serve local businesses.
The development will also feature structured parking facilities accommodating 426 spaces, supplemented by 413 surface parking spaces for the commercial component.
Pedestrian and vehicular entrances and exits will be integrated with the existing mall parking field, along with street-level pedestrian access from Oxford Street West and Wonderland Road South.
At the council meeting on June 4, 2024, David Ferreira, the ward 13 councillor for the area of this development, spoke briefly on his change of position for the development as he stated, “So I will be changing my vote, my original position, and I will be voting in favour for this one.”
Previously, Councillor Ferreira had concerns about mobility and traffic congestion in the area.
The zoning for the London Mall site included ‘Community Shopping Area (CSA4)’ and ‘Open Space (OS4)’ designations under the City of London Zoning By-law No. Z.-1.
While the developed portion of the site falls under CSA4 zoning, the corridor housing the East Branch of Mud Creek is zoned OS4.
However, the CSA4 zoning did not align with the building form or site layout. As a result, the site has been rezoned to the Residential R9 (R9-7) Zone to accommodate the development layout.
The rezoning to R9-7 is commonly used for high-density residential developments, allowing for various intensive residential housing forms with a maximum density of 150 units per hectare and no specified maximum building height.
The zoning change aligns more closely with the development objectives, facilitating the construction of the high-rise towers within the commercially zoned portion of the property.
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