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On the heels of yesterday's coverage of the 70-storey 81-83 Isabella Street proposal, a tower nearly identical in height is proposed a block to the west at 48 Isabella Street. Potentially adding further to the growing height and density of Toronto’s Church-Wellesley Village, the 69-storey rental tower is designed by Kirkor Architects and Planners for Hollyburn Properties, including replacement units from the mid-rise rental building currently onsite that would be demolished. The proposal is positioned within walking distance of four subway stations, and within the Major Transit Station Area of three of them, where the Province encourages growth.
The site is on the north side of Isabella, mid-block between Yonge and Church streets in the heart of the Church-Wellesley Village. Currently home to a 10-storey rental apartment building with 84 units, the property fronts Isabella Street to the south and backs onto Macy Dubois Lane to the north. The surrounding area features a mix of mid- and high-rise residential buildings, community facilities, retail along Yonge and Church, and landmarks tied to Toronto’s LGBTQ2S+ community just southeast at Church and Wellesley.
Bousfields has submitted Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment applications to the City of Toronto on behalf of the developer. The proposal would reach 225.7m in height, including a 2-storey podium base. The building would occupy the full depth of the rectangular site, with frontage on Isabella Street and secondary access from Macy Dubois Lane. The podium height would align with the dormer roofline of the adjacent 42 Isabella Street, a listed heritage property.
The project calls for 814 rental units, including 84 replacement units to preserve the current supply. The building would be served by seven elevators, or approximately one per 116 units, necessitating high-speed motors to provide timely service response. Total Gross Floor Area is proposed at 50,558m², reflecting a Floor Space Index of 30.33 times coverage of the 1,667m² lot.
Amenities entail 1,597m² indoors and 439m² outdoors. In addition to typical common areas on Levels 1 and 3, the proposal introduces two sets of three-storey amenity “pods” located on Levels 11–13 and 60–62. These interconnected spaces would feature internal stairs and open double-height sections, enabling a variety of programmed uses.
No motor vehicle parking is proposed, and there would be no underground garage aside from a single below-ground level housing mechanical, electrical, and some bicycle storage areas. A total of 825 bicycle parking spaces are planned, including 733 long-term and 92 short-term spots.
Residents would be within walking distance of four TTC subway stations: Bloor-Yonge, Wellesley, Bay, and Sherbourne, ranging 300m to 700m away or three to eight-minute walks. The site is also near the 94 Wellesley bus routes. While no dedicated bike lanes run directly past the site, nearby cycle infrastructure includes lanes along Sherbourne, Wellesley, Bloor, and Bay streets.
The proposal joins growing high-rise project activity in the Church-Wellesley Village and surrounding Downtown blocks. Just east, towers are proposed at 88 and 90 Isabella, rising to 62 and 69 storeys. To the north, the 47-storey Charles at Church is under construction, while 625 Church is planned at 56 storeys. Southeast of the site, 2 Cawthra Square is proposed at 63 storeys. Westward, a dense cluster of towers continues to reshape Yonge Street, including proposals for 10 St Mary (59 storeys), 15 Charles East (66 storeys), 619 Yonge (70 storeys), 646 Yonge (75 storeys), and 645 Yonge (76 storeys).
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: | Bousfields, Counterpoint Engineering, Gradient Wind Engineers & Scientists, KIRKOR Architects and Planners |
