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Applications for Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendments seek to replace an approval-in-principle for a previously proposed 31-storey tower at the northwest corner of Church and Wellesley streets with a new plan for 36-storey tower. Now led by Montez Corporation and MOD Developments and designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects, the project in Toronto’s Church-Wellesley Village would now deliver a fully purpose-built rental building instead of condos.
The site east of Wellesley subway station is within the Protected Major Transit Station Areas of four nearby stations and is an assembly of 64 and 66 Wellesley Street East, a north-south public right-of-way named Dapper Lane, and 552 through 570 Church Street. The lane would be consumed by the redevelopment. The properties are currently occupied by a mix of one- to five-storey commercial and residential buildings, including the five-storey, heritage-designated Wellesley Street Apartments at 64 Wellesley, which contains 65 existing rental units. Surrounding context includes mid-rise buildings lining Church Street and a growing cluster of tall residential towers nearby.
The corner has been the subject of multiple redevelopment efforts. Earlier concepts ranged from a single 43-storey proposal to two-building schemes. Most recently, in June, 2023, City Council granted approval-in-principle for a 31-storey mixed-use building containing 405 units and 770m² of retail space, including the replacement of 65 rental homes and retention of the heritage facade.
That approval required a series of conditions to be satisfied before enactment; those steps were not completed, and the implementing by-laws were never brought into force. Following the formation of a new partnership between Montez and MOD, and a redesign of the project, City staff requested that a fresh set of applications be filed.
The revised plan calls for a 36-storey mixed-use building rising to 120.79m on the west side of the parcel, up from the previously approved 104.5m height. A consistent five-storey podium would line Church and Wellesley, stepping back to a tower floor-plate of approximately 826m², slightly larger than the 806m² plate previously endorsed.
The project would deliver 32,218m² of Gross Floor Area (GFA), up from 29,620m², increasing the Floor Space Index from 9.12 to 10.6 times coverage of the 3,028m² parcel. Residential GFA would rise to 31,348m², alongside 870m² of retail space at grade, compared to 770m² previously approved. Tower separations remain consistent with the earlier plan, maintaining over 20m to the 18-storey building at 41 Dundonald Street, roughly 50m to towers west of the site at 50 Wellesley Street East, and a minimum 13.3m separation from the 12-storey proposal at 572 Church Street.
The building would contain 431 purpose-built rental units, an increase over the 405 condo and rental replacement units approved in principle, and would retain the commitment to replace all 65 existing rental units. Of the total, 366 would be market rental suites and 65 rental replacement units, distributed across 51 studios, 244 one-bedrooms, 100 two-bedrooms, and 36 three-bedroom suites.
ERA Architects would oversee the retention of the designated Wellesley Street Apartments. The 1931 buff-brick Georgian Revival building would see its principal south elevation and portions of the east and west returns preserved in situ, with selective reconstruction of the west elevation to maintain its three-dimensional form. The heritage structure would serve as the residential entrance.
Amenity space has been expanded to a combined 1,724m², up from 1,360m² in the prior approval, providing 862m² each of indoor and outdoor space. Four elevators are planned for the tower, with a fifth restricted to the podium levels, resulting in approximately one elevator for every 86 units, indicating adequate response times.
Below grade, two underground levels would house 107 vehicular parking spaces, a substantial increase from the 38 spaces approved in principle, including 101 long-term resident spaces and six short-term visitor spaces. Bicycle parking would total 432 spaces, slightly higher than the previously approved 416, with 388 long-term and 44 short-term spaces provided.
The site is located approximately 150m east of Wellesley station on Yonge Line 1, a walk of roughly three minutes. The property also falls within 800m of Bay, Bloor-Yonge, and College stations. Multiple surface routes also serve the site, along with protected or separated cycling routes along Wellesley Street, Sherbourne Street, Yonge Street, Bay Street, and the Bloor-Danforth corridor.
The proposal adds to an area experiencing sustained intensification in multiple directions. To the east, 68 Wellesley Street East would rise 28 storeys. Further east, proposals include 100 Wellesley East at 11 storeys, 110 Maitland at 57 storeys, and 2 Cawthra Square at 63 storeys. To the south, the 42-storey Yonge at Wellesley Station is under construction, alongside proposals such as 506 Church at 48 storeys and 34 Maitland at 56 storeys. West of the site, 543 and 530 Yonge Street are each proposed at 68 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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