ONE Properties has submitted a new rezoning application for their Church and Wellesley project, while simultaneously postponing their May, 2020 LPAT hearing to September. Originally proposed in 2017, the project underwent extensive community consultation to determine the design of the building’s podium, which would act as a new public space at the centre of Toronto's Gay Village. A two-level piazza with amphitheatre-style seating was submitted to the City, who later rejected the rezoning applications for the public space and the 43-storey tower above.

Original streetscape proposal at Church and Wellesley, image via submission to the City of Toronto

The City believed that the building did not fit within the Church Street Village Character Area - a Site and Area Specific Policy (SASP) identified in the Official Plan. The SASP designates that development should reinforce the core village area as a low to mid-rise pedestrian oriented main street with street-related retail uses and narrow retail frontages. The intention here is to promote sensitive, low-scale development that respects the existing built form. 

After making some concessions in 2018, the developer has now submitted a completely redesigned proposal, trading the Danish firm 3XN’s design for a new one from local architects Graziani and Corazza. A number of changes to the project have been noted, including a roughly 8,000 m² reduction in Gross Floor Area, a 50% reduction in retail space and a reconfiguration of the massing to meet the City’s requests.

Looking north-west to the corner of Church and Wellesley, image via submission to the City of Toronto

The building is now set up as two attached components, a 9-storey mid-rise fronting Church, and a 39-storey tower on the west side of the site. The two building components would be partially separated by a new public laneway that runs north-south in the middle of the site.

The laneway signifies the boundary of the Church Street Village Character Area, which is why the tower mass has been shifted west of the laneway, where it would not be subject to the restrictions of that policy. The previous building was not in compliance with the angular plane requirements set out in the SASP; it is often more difficult to make the argument that this type of policy should be amended because City Planning often has a very specific vision for the site. 

Looking east along Wellesley to Church and Wellesley, image via submission to the City of Toronto

The high-rise component makes efforts to retain a heritage structure at 64 Wellesley Street West. Although not officially designated, the City has shown its intent to designate the property in the future, and as such the developer has included it in the new scheme.  The tower itself also has developed ‘narrower, more regular tower floor plates’ instead of the shifted-box design outlined in the 3XN proposal.

The new proposal slightly reduces the number of units proposed from 442 to 434. 65 of those units will act as rental replacement units for the heritage apartment building that would retain only its south and west façades, and some of the east façade in the redevelopment process.

Previous version of the Church and Wellesley Project, image via submission to the City of Toronto

The revised version of the project will be the subject of the rescheduled September, 2020 LPAT hearing.

Additional information and images can be found in our Database file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment below.

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