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In Church-Wellesley Village, a proposed development at 68 Wellesley Street East looks to bring verticality and greater density to one of Toronto’s most vibrant and historically significant neighbourhoods. Renowned for its strong LGBTQ2S+ community ties, the Village's central location and proximity to stations on Yonge Line 1 has brought about a surge of redevelopment activity. This proposal, from KingSett Capital and designed by BDP Quadrangle, seeks to add to the vertical growth of the neighbourhood.
The site, spanning approximately 1,300m² at the northeast corner of Church and Wellesley streets, is an assembly of 68 through 78 Wellesley Street East, and contains William McBean Terrace, a two-and-a-half storey building constructed in 1878, with more recent (and heavily modified) low-rise retail fronts that speak to the city's evolution over time. Rental apartments are found on the upper floors.
The submitted Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment applications, along with Site Plan Approval, Rental Housing Demolition and Conversion, and Alternation Permit applications, envision a 28-storey tower that marries residential, commercial, and community-focused functions. The project would reach a height of 91.9m with a total Gross Floor Area (GFA) of 17,523m² and 258 residential units, including replacement of the 17 existing rental housing units.
The ground floor would feature 388m² of retail enhancing the streetscape. The building's design integrates the William McBean Terrace through the preservation and incorporation of heritage elements as its base. Overseen by ERA Architects, the facade and mansard roof would be rehabilitated and integrated into the new structure.
Additionally, the project includes the creation of a 232m² community space on its second floor, designated as an expansion for the adjacent 519 Community Hub. The 519 Expansion Space would have its lobby along Church Street, just south of the existing 519 facilities.
There would be 435.4m² of indoor and 158m² of outdoor amenities. The development is set to include two elevators, resulting in approximately one elevator for every 129 units, indicating longer wait times, especially if one of the two elevators goes out of service for move-ins/move-outs or repairs.
In response to the City of Toronto's initiatives to reduce automobile dependency in areas well server by transit, one level of underground garage would provide no motor vehicle parking, but would house 223 long-term bicycle parking spaces, along with 52 short-term and 10 additional spaces, complemented by a bicycle maintenance facility.
Public transit options are abundant in the area, with the Wellesley subway station on the Yonge Line 1 just 215m west of the site, offering fast access across the city. Additionally, the site is served by the 94 Wellesley bus route, part of TTC's 10-minute network, enhancing connectivity to broader Toronto. The area's cycling infrastructure is robust, featuring east-west bicycle lanes along Wellesley Street and connecting routes on Yonge and Sherbourne streets.
The Village, generally containing buildings two to five storeys tall, is seeing vertical growth and added density. To the northwest, at 572 Church Street, a 12-storey building is on the horizon. Eighty-One Wellesley, completed in 2023 to the south of the site, mirrors its vertical ambition with its 28 storeys. Meanwhile, a project named Church and Wellesley across the street to the west proposes a 31-storey tower. Northeast, a staggering 45-storey tower is proposed at 2 Cawthra Square. There are more proposals on the nearby. Together, these developments demonstrate a trend towards higher-density living, with several of them incorporating heritage elements in their bases in efforts to preserve community character.
UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file, linked below. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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| Related Companies: | Aercoustics Engineering Ltd, BDP Quadrangle, Bousfields, Ferris + Associates Inc., Mulvey & Banani, PCL Construction, RWDI Climate and Performance Engineering |
