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A long-percolating redevelopment of the southwest corner of Adelaide Street West and Charlotte Street in Toronto’s Fashion District is advancing with a new direction. Designed by WZMH Architects for Fengate Properties and The Hi-Rise Group, the 58-storey mixed-use tower plan is once again moving through the City's Site Plan Approval process following an early 2026 resubmission that brings a promises a sleeker envelop while it aims to address outstanding technical comments. In the meantime, demolition, heritage retention, and other initial site work has begun for what was known as Spadina Adelaide Square when proposed by a previous owner.
Plans on a smaller site here go back to 2016 when a condo was proposed, but eventually denied by the City and OMB before higher densities were considered acceptable. Following more than one change in property ownership and the expansion of the assembly, the program from current owner Fengate calls for a total of 528 residential rental units, including 10 designated as affordable rental. Earlier condo schemes included some office uses.
The proposal will redevelop a three-property assembly at 353–355 Adelaide Street West, 46 Charlotte Street, and 16 Oxley Street. The lands are currently occupied by surface parking and the 7-storey, heritage-designated Gelber Building, which will be partially retained and integrated into the base of the new development, with heritage retention overseen by ERA Architects.
The January, 2026 Site Plan Approval resubmission by Bousfields on behalf of the developers to the City of Toronto, addresses remaining technical comments, particularly related to engineering and servicing. The updated proposal calls for a 58-storey tower rising to 186.6m, a notable increase from the earlier 50-storey scheme submitted in 2020. Gross Floor Area has grown to 34,341m², with 34,213m² allocated to residential uses and 120m² to retail at grade, completely removing the previously planned office use that once occupied a significant portion of the podium. The project achieves a Floor Space Index of 26.9 times coverage of the 1,275m² site.
The revised program would deliver 528 residential units, in a mix of 35 studios, 303 one-bedrooms, 105 two-bedrooms, and 85 three-bedroom or larger units, representing a substantial increase from the 293 units previously proposed. Vertical circulation would be handled by four elevators, equating to approximately one elevator per 132 units, indicating quite high-speed motors would be required for adequate service response times when all elevators are operating. Amenity space of 1,102m² indoors and 253m² outdoors is planned. Two underground levels are proposed: no vehicular parking is proposed, while bicycle parking is planned at 280 spaces, including 250 long-term and 30 short-term spots, though reduced from earlier plans.
Facade retention work is clearly underway on the heritage-designated Gelber Building, seen below in December, 2025, where a full-height green steel frame has been erected to stabilize the west elevation. The structure has been stripped of its windows, exposing rough masonry openings within the buff brick facade, while the retention frame’s diagonal cross-bracing transfers lateral loads during demolition and upcoming excavation. At grade, site mobilization is evident with a mobile boom lift positioned for access to upper levels.
In January, 2026, the façade retention frame had been substantially expanded, then fully enveloping the Gelber Building. The exoskeletal frame, composed of vertical columns and diagonal cross-members, tightly secures the heritage masonry walls as internal demolition progresses behind it. Along Adelaide Street West, the sidewalk is maintained under protective hoarding.
From Charlotte Street in February, 2026, demolition had cleared much of the site east of the Gelber Building, opening up a staging area for early construction activity. In the foreground, an orange telescopic boom lift, its articulated arm extended toward an adjacent blank party wall of an adjacent condominium, sits within a fenced work zone. Behind it, the retained heritage structure stands at roughly five storeys on this elevation, with exposed brickwork stabilized by the surrounding steel frame, while interior walls are lined with white weatherproofing to protect against the elements during partial demolition. Additional equipment, bins, and temporary site infrastructure are visible deeper into the lot.
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, Bousfields, ERA Architects, Gradient Wind Engineers & Scientists, WZMH Architects |
