Republic Developments has proposed a 54-storey condominium tower at 15 Charles Street East, currently occupied by the Anndore House hotel and Constantine restaurant, adjacent to George Hislop Park.

The proposed tower would include a six storey podium, 549 units,  retail space at street level and 65 parking spaces.  The developer also owns the property directly to the south, at 16 Isabella, and proposes a 150m² park space that would enlarge George Hislop Park.

City staff are reviewing the proposal and a Preliminary Report is expected shortly.

Notice of a community consultation  will be sent to property owners within 120 metres of the property. You can be notified of the consultation by clicking the "Community Consultation" tab on the project's Development Application Information Centre page. 

Development Application Information Centre: 
https://tinyurl.com/v77shktp

Urban Toronto:
https://tinyurl.com/2p8b4rm8

In 2017, CAPRIET Limited Partnership, the owner of the 28-storey rental apartment building at 100 Wellesley Street East, applied to build a new 10-storey building wrapped around its Jarvis, Wellesley and Cawthra Square frontages.

The preliminary  City staff report rejected the proposal as an over-development of the site.  CAPRIET appealed to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal. In 2020, the owner and the City reached a settlement agreement resulting in the same number of units but wrapping only around the Jarvis and Cawthra Square frontages, leaving the Wellesley Street frontage as open space.  The agreement also provides for a Privately-Owned Publicly Accessible Space (POPS) on the east side of the property and adjacent to Barbara Hall Park.

As of January 2022 CAPREIT Limited Parternship does not appear to be moving forward with the development.

In 2020 and 2021 the City hosted two public consultations and two stakeholder meetings  on the redesign of the George Hislop and Norman Jewison Parks and Alexander Street Parkette. (See the Yonge Street Linear Park Improvements page at Toronto.ca  for background.)

Revitalizations of George Hislop and Norman Jewison Parks are scheduled to start in late 2022 with completion by late 2023. Alexander Street Parkette's improvements will not start until 2023, as they must be coordinated with a garage roof replacement project for 25 Maitland's underground parking.  
 
Alexander St. Parkette
The parking garage roof work will entail removing all of the landscaping above it. The City is now in discussion with the property manager of 25 Maitland Street (The Cosmopolitan) to coordinate the timing of their repair work with the park improvements.

​​The goal is that both projects would be completed sequentially during the outdoor construction season of 2023. This schedule needs to be confirmed with both parties. The City will be implementing the park plan developed through consultation, below. ​

A larger image of the above Alexander Street Parkette plan is here.

George Hislop Park and Norman Jewison Parks
 
The detail design stage of work for George Hislop Park and Norman Jewison Park has now been completed and the consultant is preparing construction documents for tender. 
 
Among the improvements, George Hislop Park will feature an LGBTQ2S+ art installation; artist Catherine Tammaro has been engaged to create Indigenous placemaking elements in Norman Jewison Park.
 
The anticipated schedule for these two parks is a construction start in late 2022 with completion by late 2023.​​​

A larger image of the George Hislop Park plan is here (after opening, click the image for maximum size).

A larger image of the Norman Jewison Park plan is here (after opening, click the image for maximum size).

Wellesley Green P Lot

Looking further into the future, the large Green P parking lot that sits across from the Wellesley subway station has been promised, in Toronto's Official City Plan, as parkland for many years. 

In the recently released, "TOCore Implementation Strategy: Downtown Parks and Public Realm Plan," 15 Wellesley East is listed as one of the “New Parks Secured through Development and Acquisitions.” 
​
According to Councillor Wong-Tam's office, the City has not yet determined if the entire lot will go to parkland or if some will be allocated to affordable housing. 

Improvements to existing parks and the addition of more green space will be a welcome change to our rapidly densifying neighbourhood.