Church Wellesley Update
News from the Church Wellesley Neighbourhood Association
Barbara Hall Park The City is collaborating with the local Church-Wellesley Village community to develop a new vision and Master Plan for Barbara Hall Park. The objectives of the park vision and Master Plan are to enhance the park’s function for everyday use and, as a central gathering space for the City’s LGBTQ2S+ community, a space capable of accommodating passive and active uses, special events, moments of reflection, and to improve park maintenance and safety. Community consultations have started. For more details see our blog post on Barbara Hall Park and the City's page on Barbara Hall Park Improvements. James Canning Gardens Of the three linear parks running between Charles and Dundonald Streets, James Canning Gardens underwent a rebuild and was re-opened to the public in 2021. Since then the lot immediately to the east, at 14 Dundonald, has been transferred to the City as parkland. However, the new open space has not been integrated into the design of James Canning Gardens. There will be a future opportunity to expand the park and make the combined space more useful. George Hislop Park and Norman Jewison Parks In 2020 and 2021 the City hosted two public consultations and two stakeholder meetings on the redesign of the other two linear parks, George Hislop and Norman Jewison Parks; as well as Alexander Street Parkette. (See the Yonge Street Linear Park Improvements page at Toronto.ca for background.) Revitalizations of George Hislop and Norman Jewison Parks had been projected to start in late 2022; however, construction was delayed until 2023 with a projected completion of mid-2024. 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. Unfortunately, George Hislop Park has been fenced off from public access since the summer of 2021, after the City cleared an encampment. Looking forward, there is a good possibility that George Hislop Park will have a small expansion to its southwest as a part of two proposed development projects to its immediate west. 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). Alexander St. Parkette Alexander Street Parkette's improvements are being coordinated with a garage roof replacement project for 25 Maitland Street's underground parking. The garage project is now underway and the park has been excavated and fenced off. The rebuild of the park should be complete by mid-2024. 15 Wellesley Green P Parking Lot
Looking further forward, the 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.” The City has not yet determined if the entire lot will go to parkland or if some will be allocated to affordable housing. Given the significant increases in our neighbourhood's population in the past years -- and for many years to come -- the CWNA supports the allocation of the entire lot to parkland. Improvements to existing parks and the addition of more green space will be very welcome in our rapidly densifying neighbourhood. In July 2023, City Council approved ONE Properties' revised application for the proposed tower at 64 and 66 Wellesley Street and 552-570 Church Street. The revisions are in response to final negotiations with the City Planning Dept., following the January 2022 City Staff Preliminary Report and the June 2022 Community Consultation.
The proposal is for a 28-storey tower stepping back from Church Street. The laneway that once separated the Church building from the Wellesley building has been eliminated and the corner at Church and Wellesley has been rounded. For full timeline and links to documentation, see our dedicated article. In late 2021 Republic Developments 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 included 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 proposed a 150m² park space that would enlarge George Hislop Park. The developer appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal. The City agreed to a Settlement Offer in June 2023 that will see a 66-storey tower with a slightly smaller footprint, creating a larger setback from the park. Details can be found in the links at the end of the City Council adoption minute: https://tinyurl.com/3kytscpu More Information: March 2022 City staff issued a Preliminary Report https://tinyurl.com/4y3khw5w June 2022 City staff issued a Report for Action: https://tinyurl.com/y7pfskzv June 2023: Settlement Offer: https://tinyurl.com/3kytscpu Urban Toronto: https://tinyurl.com/2p8b4rm8 Development Application Information Centre: https://tinyurl.com/v77shktp In July 2023, Capital Developments received approval from City Council to demolish the 14-storey apartment building at 88 Isabella Street and replace it with a 62-storey condominium tower.
The site is one building east of Church Street, adjacent to Al Sparrow Lane. The existing apartment building has 82 units. The new tower will include 720 residential units, 82 of which will be rental replacement units. Details about the proposal can be found at the City's Development Application Information Centre and the Staff Decision Report. [Update: In November 2023 Capital Developments received approval for a 69-storey building next door at 90-94 Isabella] On May 2, BV Realty Partners proposed to demolish the houses from 2 to 12 Cawthra Square and to redevelop the site with a 45-storey residential tower, including a 3-storey podium. The proposal is for 488 residential units.
The proposed building would tower over the northeastern corner of Barbara Hall Park. As proposed it is very dense, set close to the street, and would see mature trees fronting the existing houses removed. Significant new shadow would fall on Gloucester Street. There is no provision for on-site parkland dedication. The City has 90 days to respond to the application. If it does not the developer can appeal directly to the Ontario Land Tribunal. The City is moving to have 6-12 Cawthra Square listed on the Heritage Register. You can review the development application documentation, including the architectural plans, the block context plan and the shadow study by clicking "Supporting Documentation" at the Development Application Information Centre page for this application. On the same page, you can register to be notified of a community consultation and submit your comments on this project. The development proposal for the the southeast corner of Isabella and Yonge (619-637 Yonge; 7-9 Isabella) has been appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal. In November 2021, Colliers Strategy and Consulting (on behalf of YI Developments Limited) submitted an application for a 57 storey tower at the site. The Yonge Street frontage would be retail space, with the residential entrance on Isabella Street, and servicing, parking and loading accessed via Gloucester Lane. The site is within the Yonge Street Heritage Conservation District, which the City of Toronto designated in 2016 under the Ontario Heritage Act. However, a group of developers, including YI Developments, has appealed The Heritage Conservation District Plan to the Ontario Land Tribunal. The current development proposal calls for the demolition of the existing buildings. City staff released a Preliminary Report with recommendations in January 2022. In July 2022, the Toronto Preservation Board recommended that City Council designate the existing buildings as heritage properties. In August 2022, the City issued a Notice of Intention to designate the buildings as heritage properties. In May 2023 the developer appealed the application to the Ontario Land Tribunal. A hearing has been set for August 2024; however it is likely that the City and developer will come to a settlement agreement before then. Application Information Centre:
https://tinyurl.com/57rvbt6s Ontario Land Tribunal https://tinyurl.com/ycxcrym3Development Urban Toronto: https://tinyurl.com/yckr9fd2 The Beer Store site at 572 Church Street has been put up for sale for $13,250,000. There has been no activity on this site since an August 2019 Settlement Offer was agreed to that would have seen a 12 storey condominium built there.
In mid-2017, the developer proposed a 16-storey condominium, replacing The Beer Store and its parking lot. The City rejected the proposal. The developer appealed to the Local Planning Appeals Tribunal. A Settlement Offer which would see a 12 storey building with a 44 degree viewing angle was agreed upon in August, 2019. The sales document provides details of the approved proposal, but there is still a possibility that a new owner may submit a new development proposal. For more information: City Staff Preliminary Report: https://tinyurl.com/ybepxspc Local Planning Appeal Tribunal: https://tinyurl.com/yader7a2 Urban Toronto: https://tinyurl.com/ycnbv97m The City hosted a virtual community consultation meeting on March 1, 2023 for residents to learn about the Upper Jarvis Neighbourhoods Study and to communicate what is valued about Neighbourhoods and Apartment Neighbourhood-designated lands in the Upper Jarvis Area and what changes may be desirable.
The meeting included a presentation, a Question & Answer session, a discussion of the physical elements that define the Upper Jarvis Area and priorities for its future. Further consultations will be taking place, with the goal of creating an Upper Jarvis Planning Framework. A new Board of Directors was elected by acclamation at the CWNA's Annual General Meeting on March 16.
Congratulations to the new directors: Luben Blagoev, Matti Charlton, Corina Death and Parker Gauld. Neil Gibb, Connie Langille and Robert Packham were re-elected to one-year terms. They join continuing directors Donald Altman and Tara Schorr. Trevor Hennig has retired from the Board. Date: Wednesday, March 1, 2023
Time: 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm To Register: On the City Planning Consultations page, find the "Upper Jarvis Neighbourhoods Study" by searching for "Jarvis" in the search box located to the right of "Upcoming Events." The City Planning Division of the City of Toronto is hosting a virtual information session at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, March 1, 2023, for those who wish to learn more about the Upper Jarvis Neighbourhoods Study and to participate in a meeting to help identify what spaces and attributes of the Upper Jarvis Area are valued and what conditions could be improved. The Upper Jarvis Neighbourhoods Study concerns lands that are designated Neighbourhoods and Apartment Neighbourhoods in the City of Toronto Official Plan in the Upper Jarvis Area Lands designated Neighbourhoods in the City of Toronto Official Plan are considered physically stable areas where new tall buildings are not permitted. The City has received applications to amend the Official Plan to change the Neighbourhoods designation on three sites in the Upper Jarvis Area to permit the development of tall buildings. In response to these applications, Toronto and East York Community Council directed Planning Staff to undertake a study of the Upper Jarvis Area to help evaluate these proposed developments and to develop a planning framework to help assess future development applications. The feedback received as part of this public meeting will be used to help inform the development of a planning framework which may outline key principles for evaluating current and future development applications in the area. This study area includes lands between Bloor Street to the north, Sherbourne Street to the east, Wellesley Street to the south, and Church Street to the west. How to participate: To register, on the City Planning Consultations page, find the "Upper Jarvis Neighbourhoods Study" by searching for "Jarvis" in the search box located to the right of "Upcoming Events." The City Planning Consultations Webpage will also provide you with the link and/or call-in number to join, once registered, and provide you with more information about how to join and participate in the meeting and our code of conduct. Attendees are encouraged to email the Planner questions prior to the meeting. (Abraham.plunkett-latimer@toronto.ca). The Planner will answer submitted questions as part of the Question and Answer portion of the agenda. Attendees will be able to submit questions through the Q&A feature in Webex Events and receive a response during the meeting. The ability to accommodate live verbal questions will be based on the number of participants. |
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