Akelius has submitted plans to redevelop 81–83 Isabella Street with a 70-storey residential rental building rising within Toronto’s Church-Wellesley Village. Designed by Arcadis, the plans incorporate the Edwardian Revival heritage facades of the Merlan apartments on the south side of Isabella between Church and Jarvis. The site falls within the Major Transit Station Areas of Bloor-Yonge, Sherbourne, and Wellesley stations, in a neighbourhood already seeing significant intensification and dense towers.

North elevation, designed by Arcadis for Akelius

Currently the site hosts the three-storey Merlan building, a U-shaped Edwardian Revival apartment constructed in 1927, containing 48 rental units in one-bedroom configurations. Designed by architect Norman Alexander Armstrong, the Merlan stands as an example of Toronto’s second apartment building boom. The Edwardian Revival structure originally offered 49 units across its distinctive U-shaped layout, with twin entrances anchoring each wing. Recognized for its heritage value, the building was added to the City’s Heritage Register in December, 2024. The property is framed by a municipal laneway to the west and south, and a 13-storey residential building immediately to the east. 

Looking south to the current site from Isabella Street, image from submission to City of Toronto

WND Associates Ltd. has now submitted a Zoning By-law Amendment application to the City of Toronto on behalf of the Sweden-based rental apartment behemoth, proposing a tower reaching a height of 226.68m. The design features a two-to-three-storey base that reconstructs the Merlan’s heritage facades along Isabella Street, topped by a ten-storey podium and a stepped tower volume. The building would deliver a total Gross Floor Area of 46,385m² dedicated entirely to residential use, translating to a Floor Space Index of 31.70 times coverage of the 1,463m² parcel.

Looking southwest to the retained heritage facade of the podium, image from submission to City of Toronto

Inside, the project proposes 647 residential units, including 48 replacement rental suites replicating the one-bedroom format of the existing apartments. Six elevators would serve the tower, equating to approximately one elevator for every 108 units, requiring high speed motors for prompt service.

Residents would have access to 1,747m² of indoor and 647m² of outdoor amenities. A rooftop ‘sky garden’ is envisioned as a flexible space combining greenery with weather-protected amenity uses. 

Site plan, designed by Arcadis for Akelius

Below grade, a two-level underground garage is planned, offering 29 vehicle parking spaces, including 27 for visitors and two designated for other uses. Cycling infrastructure calls for 711 bicycle parking spaces, divided between 582 long-term spots and 129 short-term spaces, with a dedicated elevator and stairway. 

Ground floor plan, designed by Arcadis for Akelius

Wellesley and Bloor-Yonge stations are approximately 400m away, and Sherbourne station is about a 550m walk, placing two TTC subway lines within a ten-minute radius. For cyclists, the location is well served by dedicated lanes on Bloor, Wellesley, and Sherbourne streets, connected to the wider city cycling network.

An aerial view of the site and surrounding transit and height context, image from submission to City of Toronto

The proposal joins a wave of high-rise development proposals and projects reshaping the Church-Wellesley and Upper Jarvis area. Directly north, 88 and 90 Isabella Street are planned at 62 and 69 storeys, while to the south, 2 Cawthra Square is proposed at 63 storeys. Eastward, Jarvis & Earl Place calls for 58 storeys, 10 and 5 Huntley target 45 and 63 storeys, respectively, while 135 and 137–141 Isabella Street both call for 69 storeys. To the northwest, construction continues on the 47-storey The Charles at Church, with 625 Church planned at 56 storeys. Along Yonge Street further west, 619, 646, and 645 Yonge are proposed between 70 and 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:  Arcadis, Gradient Wind Engineers & Scientists, Grounded Engineering Inc., LEA Consulting, STUDIO tla, WND Associates Ltd