Featured Property:
49 Underwriters Road, Scarborough –
Prime Industrial Building with Strategic Highway 401 & DVP Access
For Sale and For Lease
49 Underwriters Road represents a premier industrial property in Toronto’s established Lawrence-Warden employment corridor, offering exceptional accessibility, versatile EH 1.0 heavy industrial zoning, and immediate occupancy potential. This freestanding industrial building provides businesses with the strategic location advantages necessary to thrive in today’s competitive Greater Toronto Area market.
Property Overview: 26,706 SF of Prime Industrial Space in Scarborough
Located at the intersection of Lawrence Avenue and Warden Avenue, this Scarborough industrial real estate asset delivers 26,706 square feet of functional industrial space on a well-proportioned one-acre site. The property features a renovated facade that enhances curb appeal while maintaining the robust functionality required for modern industrial operations.
The building comprises 3,036 square feet of professional office area and approximately 23,670 square feet of warehouse and production space, creating an efficient layout for manufacturing, distribution, warehousing, and contractor operations. The property presents an excellent opportunity for owner-user acquisition for businesses requiring immediate occupancy.
Unmatched Transportation Access: Highway 401, DVP & Downtown Connectivity
The 49 Underwriters Road location offers exceptional transportation connectivity that defines best-in-class Toronto industrial properties. Businesses operating from this facility benefit from direct access to Highway 401, Canada’s busiest highway and a critical east-west transportation corridor serving the entire Greater Toronto Area and beyond.
The property provides equally impressive access to the Don Valley Parkway (DVP), Toronto’s primary north-south expressway connecting downtown Toronto with Highway 401 and extending north as Highway 404. This dual-highway accessibility positions the property as an ideal hub for logistics operations, distribution centers, and businesses requiring efficient goods movement throughout the GTA and Southern Ontario.
The strategic location delivers easy access to downtown Toronto’s core, positioning businesses within minutes of the city’s central business district, financial centers, and dense consumer markets. This proximity is increasingly valuable as companies seek to solve “last-mile” delivery challenges and serve urban customers efficiently.
Heavy Industrial Zoning: EH 1.0 Provides Maximum Operational Flexibility
The property benefits from EH 1.0 (Employment Heavy Industrial) zoning under Toronto’s comprehensive Zoning By-law 569-2013, offering exceptional use flexibility for diverse industrial operations. This heavy industrial designation permits a broad spectrum of business activities rarely available in Toronto’s increasingly constrained employment lands.
Permitted uses include:
- Manufacturing operationsof all types (with limited exceptions)
- Warehouse and distribution facilities
- Contractor establishments and custom workshops
- Vehicle depots and transportation operations
- Cold storage and industrial sales facilities
- Laboratories, building supply yards, and carpenter shops
- Dry cleaning or laundry plants
- Chemical materials storage and fuel storage
Additional uses permitted with conditions include marijuana production facilities, cogeneration energy operations, crematoriums, renewable energy facilities, and vehicle service shops. This zoning flexibility provides businesses with operational certainty and the ability to adapt operations as market conditions evolve.
The EH 1.0 designation is particularly valuable given Toronto’s ongoing conversion of employment lands to residential mixed-use developments. The city has reviewed over 150 requests since 2020 to convert industrial lands, making properties with secure heavy industrial zoning increasingly scarce and valuable.
While the doors are not accessible for 53-foot trailers, the configuration remains ideal for urban distribution using smaller trucks and vehicles commonly deployed for last-mile delivery and regional distribution.
Electrical Service specifications include:
- Primary service:600 volts / 200 amps
- Secondary service:110 volts / 200 amps
The dual-service configuration allows businesses to segregate power demands, maintain operations during maintenance periods, and accommodate specialized equipment requiring specific voltage specifications. This infrastructure is particularly valuable for manufacturing operations, automotive facilities, metal fabrication, food processing, and other industrial activities.
Scarborough’s Strategic Position in Toronto’s Industrial Market
Scarborough represents a critical component of Toronto’s industrial real estate ecosystem, accounting for a significant portion of the city’s employment lands. The municipality’s industrial properties provide approximately 27% of Toronto’s jobs despite representing only 13% of the city’s total land area, demonstrating the exceptional employment density and economic productivity of these employment zones.
The Lawrence Avenue East corridor between Warden Avenue and Birchmount Road has been designated as an Avenue in Toronto’s Official Plan, recognizing this area as an important corridor offering opportunities for employment intensification and improved infrastructure. The corridor’s evolution supports the ongoing viability of industrial operations while enhancing the surrounding commercial and residential amenities that attract and retain skilled workers.
Current market conditions in Scarborough show stabilization following the post-pandemic industrial boom, with availability rates around 2.1% and increasing inventory creating opportunities for both purchasers and tenants. Businesses benefit from more negotiating leverage while still accessing a market characterized by strong long-term fundamentals driven by Scarborough’s central location and excellent transportation infrastructure.
Labor Force & Demographics: Access to Toronto’s Diverse Talent Pool
The Scarborough location provides access to a substantial and diverse labor force essential for industrial operations. According to 2021 Census data, Scarborough’s working-age population (15-64 years) comprises approximately 415,525 residents, representing approximately 66% of the total population.
The area’s demographic profile reflects Toronto’s multicultural character, with strong representation across various ethnic backgrounds and language groups. This diversity creates opportunities for businesses to build multilingual, culturally competent teams capable of serving diverse customer bases and global supply chains.
The median age of Scarborough’s population is 41.2 years, indicating a mature, experienced workforce balanced with younger workers entering their prime productive years. The area’s employment by industry shows strong representation in manufacturing, transportation, warehousing, and construction sectors—precisely the industries most likely to occupy industrial properties like 49 Underwriters Road.
Transit accessibility enhances labor force availability through TTC bus routes along Warden Avenue, connections to the broader Toronto transit network, and the future Eglinton Crosstown LRT, which will significantly improve east-west connectivity across Toronto. This transit infrastructure helps businesses attract employees from across the Greater Toronto Area without requiring personal vehicle transportation.
Amenities & Services: Complete Business Infrastructure
The Lawrence-Warden area provides comprehensive amenities supporting both business operations and employee satisfaction. The immediate vicinity includes numerous dining options ranging from quick-service restaurants (Tim Hortons, Subway, Swiss Chalet) to diverse ethnic cuisine reflecting Toronto’s multicultural character (Biryani Nation, Karahi Boys, Pho Metro, Aleppo Restaurant).
Banking services are readily available through nearby Scotiabank branches and automated banking machines. Multiple gas stations including Petro-Canada serve the area, providing convenient fueling for company vehicle fleets and employee commuting.
The Wexford Employment District borders the eastern edge of the study corridor, creating a concentration of complementary industrial and commercial businesses that support supply chain integration, business-to-business services, and industry clustering benefits. This established employment area provides access to specialized industrial services, equipment suppliers, and technical expertise.
The property appeals to users seeking industrial assets in Toronto’s supply-constrained market. Industrial real estate continues demonstrating strong fundamentals driven by e-commerce growth, supply chain reconfiguration, and persistent demand for well-located urban facilities.
The flexible EH 1.0 zoning also creates potential for property repositioning to serve emerging industrial sectors including cannabis production, renewable energy facilities, or advanced manufacturing operations.
Schedule Your Private Tour of 49 Underwriters Road Today
49 Underwriters Road represents a rare opportunity to acquire or lease premium Toronto industrial real estate combining heavy industrial zoning, exceptional Highway 401 and DVP access, robust infrastructure, and immediate occupancy.
Property highlights at a glance:
- 26,706 SFfreestanding industrial building on 1-acre site
- EH 1.0 heavy industrial zoningwith 25+ permitted uses
- Superior highway accessto Highway 401 and Don Valley Parkway
- Seven loading positions(5 truck-level + 2 drive-in doors)
- Dual electrical services
Contact the listing brokers today to schedule your private tour and explore how 49 Underwriters Road can serve as your company’s next operational headquarters or your portfolio’s next strategic acquisition in Toronto’s dynamic industrial real estate market.
