A stunning new building that was just approved for an Ontario university town could eventually serve as a station on a proposed aerial cable car line.
And you won’t have to be a millionaire to reside in this planned landmark in Oshawa, as this impressive addition to the local urban fabric is planned as a student residence serving the nearby Ontario Tech University (UOIT) and Durham College campuses.
Developer 6ixDev Inc. was recently granted zoning approval for its planned ten-storey mixed-use development at 1804-1808 Simcoe Street North, and the building is shaping up to be so much more than your typical student residence.
Architects 6ixDesign have come up with a dynamic aesthetic incorporating irregular geometry, and a colourful exterior treatment expressed with vertical fins and greenery draped over building edges.
The structure would add 386 units to an area that already attracts a large student rental population, along with retail spaces including a grocery store.
Planning firm Bousfields recently took to Instagram to announce the project’s zoning approval, stating, “We’re proud to share that Bousfields is part of an amazing team that recently received Zoning By-law Amendment approval for a mixed-use development strategically located near Ontario Tech University (UOIT) and Durham College in Oshawa!”
The company says that the building “will offer a range of high-quality housing options, including student geared housing aimed at addressing the critical need for student housing in the area.”
But the project also plans to incorporate a station for a new transit line planned through the area.
Bousfields’ post explained how the “development will integrate Niagara Station as part of the proposed Aerial Cable Car Transit line,” an over $1 billion gondola system now advancing through the planning process.
While the cable car element may sound a bit pie-in-the-sky for anyone familiar with the many proposed and stalled cable car proposals across the province, it’s actually looking like Oshawa’s elevated transit system might become a reality.
Regional staff shared a presentation with Oshawa councillors on December 2 that noted the gondola system was considered the preferred option out of a handful of proposed transit solutions.
