Church Wellesley Update
News from the Church Wellesley Neighbourhood Association
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The proposal to demolish the existing heritage buildings at the southeast corner of Yonge and Isabella Streets and build a 57 storey tower has been settled with the City and developer agreeing to save the heritage facades but with a tower of 70 storeys. 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 was set for August 2024 but the City and developer came to a settlement agreement before then. Under the settlement agreement the facades of the existing heritage buildings will be preserved and some of the setbacks of the tower will be increased, but the height of the tower will now be 70 storeys.    Application Information Centre:
https://tinyurl.com/57rvbt6s Ontario Land Tribunal https://tinyurl.com/ycxcrym3Development Urban Toronto: https://tinyurl.com/yckr9fd2 In May 2023, 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 was for 488 residential units. In January 2024, a Community Consultation was held. Community members had many objections to the project. CWNA Board members attended the meeting and have submitted a written response to the proposal. Among the concerns raised: - Height: The current buildings in and around the project are low rise. Even if one concedes that the site could be developed at a greater height it should be consistent with buildings to the south that are in the 20-storey range, rather than the proposed 45 storeys. - Community benefits: Those outlined are vague and sometimes debatable as to how they qualify as "benefits" (ie a public easement on the west side of the property; a walkway to Montieth Street). - Transportation: The street is a dead end, only 1 1/2 lanes wide and the sidewalks are narrow. Despite underground parking for service vehicles, the potential for vehicles blocking the street and sidewalks is very high. - Parks and Trees: the building will create shadow over Barbara Hall Park; the park will experience overuse from increased foot and bicycle traffic; 15 trees will be removed on the building site. Heritage: The City has listed 6-12 Cawthra Square on the Heritage Register. The Heritage Study should be resubmitted and at least the facades of the listed buildings should be saved. A copy of the full CWNA response to the development can be downloaded here. The City had 6-12 Cawthra Square Designated under the Ontario Heritage Act in March 2024. After meetings with the City in 2024, the developer has indicated that it will re-submit its application. New development application documentation will be posted under "Supporting Documentation" at the Development Application Information Centre page for this application. On the same page, you can register to be notified of any further community consultation and submit your comments on this project. Barbara Hall Park The City is collaborating with the residents of the Church Wellesley neighbourhood 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.  James Canning Gardens in 2021 George Hislop Park and Norman Jewison Parks Parks are scheduled to be opened in December 2024! 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 late 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.  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 taking place at the same time as those of Norman Jewison and George Hislop Parks, with the park rebuild projected to be completed by late 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 2022 the Church Wellesley Village BIA released a final draft of the Church Street Master Plan, a long-term vision for streetscape improvements. A synopsis of the plan (dated May 2022) is available at City Councillor Moise's Toronto Centre Projects. Scroll to the bottom of that page for a pdf of the plan in full.
The Church Street Master Plan will not begin construction until Phase 2 of YongeTOmorrow, the Yonge Street revitalization plan, starts construction. Phase 1 of Yonge TOmorrow, covering from Queen Street to College / Carlton Street, was approved by the City in late 2021 but the current estimated schedule for tender and construction is from 2025 to 2028. Consultations for Phase 2 of Yonge TOmorrow, covering from College / Carlton to Davenport have not even started, so it will be several years before Phase 2 (and therefore Church Street) will see major streetscape improvements. There will be further community consultations on the Church Street redesign. The CWNA's 14th Annual General Meeting was held on May 6. Committees reported and the election of a new Board of Directors took place. Here is the slide presentation of the meeting. Donald Altman, Luben Blagoev, Matti Charlton, Neil Gibb, Connie Langille and Tara Schorr will continue to serve on the Board of Director; they will be joined by new directors Wasim Ghani, Scott Morrison and Phil Parsons. The business meeting was followed by a presentation by the ArQuives [slideshow here].
In March 2024, the City approved a proposal for the redevelopment of 34-42 Maitland, including The Maitlands Apartments. The proposal, originally for a 61-storey building, is approved at 56 storeys, including a 4-storey podium that retains the heritage character of the existing buildings. There will be 55 rental replacement units. The approved height reflects changes made at the provincial level as to what is now allowed on Yonge Street and the side streets running off of it. A Community Consultation took place on April 26, 2023. The City issued an Intention to Designate the property under the Ontario Heritage Act in May 2023. City Staff issued an approval report on March 14, 2024.    In March 2023, the developer applied for a 68-storey tower with 663 condo units at 543 Yonge Street. There are no provisions for residential vehicle parking. The site is currently occupied by an LCBO and a Dollarama. A community consultation meeting was held in March 2024. More information: Development Application Information Centre: https://tinyurl.com/jkxmr2uc Urban Toronto: https://tinyurl.com/5n6pezz8    City staff have issue a Refusal Report regarding the new tower proposed at the north-east corner of Church and Wellesley. The properties are currently leased to several businesses, including the Pizza Pizza at the corner. There are apartment rentals above. 505, 507 and 509 Church St. and 68, 72 and 76 Wellesley St. E. are owned by KingSett Capital, which submitted a development application on Feb. 1, 2024 for a 28-storey tower with about 258 dwelling units, preserving the existing heritage buildings. The building (centre) would be the same height as the recently completed 81 Wellesley East (right) and the recently approved 66 Wellesley East (left) but with little setback from Church Street. A virtual Community Consultation Meeting was hosted by City staff on March 5, 2024. Among the concerns expressed at the meeting: • the height, massing and location of the building • shadow impacts on Barbra Hall Park; • the impact on the Church Street streetscape • inadequate stepbacks from the street in regards to the heritage building The refusal report reflects many of the same concerns expressed by the community.  View looking northeast For more information: Development Application Information Centre: http://tinyurl.com/mu52dzk2 Staff Decision Report - Refusal https://tinyurl.com/5n6vw9bp Urban Toronto: http://tinyurl.com/3p72wmt3  view looking north up church street  view looking north from wellesley  In May 2023, 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. On January 18, 2024, a Community Consultation was held. Community members had many objections to the project. CWNA Board members attended the meeting and have submitted a written response to the proposal. Among the concerns raised: - Height: The current buildings in and around the project are low rise. Even if one concedes that the site could be developed at a greater height it should be consistent with buildings to the south that are in the 20-storey range, rather than the proposed 45 storeys. - Community benefits: Those outlined are vague and sometimes debatable as to how they qualify as "benefits" (ie a public easement on the west side of the property; a walkway to Montieth Street). - Transportation: The street is a dead end, only 1 1/2 lanes wide and the sidewalks are narrow. Despite underground parking for service vehicles, the potential for vehicles blocking the street and sidewalks is very high. - Parks and Trees: the building will create shadow over Barbara Hall Park; the park will experience overuse from increased foot and bicycle traffic; 15 trees will be removed on the building site. Heritage: The City has listed 6-12 Cawthra Square on the Heritage Register. The Heritage Study should be resubmitted and at least the facades of the listed buildings should be saved. A copy of the full CWNA response to the development can be downloaded here. 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. Barbara Hall Park will be undergoing major improvements in the near future. The City is collaborating with the Church Wellesley community to develop a new vision and Master Plan. 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.
Phase 1 of Community Engagement started in May 2023. During this phase, the City worked with residents and stakeholders to define a renewed overall vision for the park, including a series of Design Principles and Big Moves which will guide the development of design options in Phase 2. This section, reproduced verbatim from the City of Toronto website, is organized as follows:
Finalized Drivers of Change These are the opportunities and challenges driving the need for a change to the park’s design. A place with diverse users and needs Barbara Hall Park has diverse users with varied needs. In many ways, the space is expected to be “everything to everyone”: a space for the everyday, while also being a place for reflection, mourning and celebration, and where people come to access the services of the 519 Community Centre. In the past, the park accommodated all of these uses quite well, but this has not been the case more recently. There is a lack of cohesion between the different park elements, and the park struggles to accommodate the huge number of users who visit during the annual Green Space Festival. A green heart in need of improvement The park is the green heart of the Church-Wellesley Village – a highly prized oasis of green within the community that is also its central gathering place. The raised lawn, garden beds, and canopy trees are all highly valued by nearby residents. However, the park lacks an appropriate range of seating, is not properly lit, and the pathways are not wide enough to accommodate heavy use. The programmed spaces present maintenance challenges that the community would like improved. The park has a lack of flat surfaces which make it difficult to program. A place for reflection and grief As the home of two significant LGBTQ2S+ memorials, the Toronto AIDS Memorial and the Trans Memorial, Barbara Hall Park is an important community space for grief, reflection, and activism. There is a strong desire to maintain these memorials as places where people can grieve or reflect quietly. However, there is a feeling that these memorials are not properly or clearly identified or maintained and they are sometimes vandalized. In addition, the AIDS Memorial does not resonate strongly with HIV-positive youth, who feel it should also inspire hope and celebrate the lives of those people who are currently living with HIV. A place where people sometimes feel unsafe The lack of clear sightlines throughout the park and the presence of dark corners present safety challenges and often attract undesirable activities, like drug use and drug dealing. Particular areas of the park, including the area to the south of the 519 and the northeast corner of the park, lack good lighting and/or programming and can feel particularly unsafe. Draft Vision Statement A vision statement is a short description of the ideal future park. It inspires everyone towards a common understanding of the project’s overall goals. The draft vision for Barbara Hall park is: A revitalized Barbara Hall Park will be an inclusive and welcoming space that is the green focal point of the City’s 2SLGBTQ+ community in the Church-Wellesley Village. As home of the AIDS and Trans Memorials, the park will offer calm and quiet space for reflection and mourning of those lost, while also celebrating the history and resilience of the 2SLGBTQ+ community through heritage interpretation, art and culture. The park design will ensure it is a place where everyone in the surrounding community feels welcome and comfortable while centering needs of the most vulnerable. Barbara Hall Park will be a highly accessible, functional and cohesive space that is easy to program and is animated throughout the year with community-focused programming for people of all ages, ethnicities, abilities, and incomes. It will be a place to gather, celebrate, and heal. Draft Guiding Principles Guiding principles are high-level directions that reflect the community’s most important values and ideas for how the park should look and feel. They help guide how the park should be designed so that the vision statement can be achieved. The draft guiding principles for Barbara Hall Park are:
Big moves are the main priorities for the design of the park. They are specific directions to the design team that flow from the vision and principles and help to make them a reality. In no particular order, the draft big moves for Barbara Hall Park are:
A Phase I Summary Report is expected to be released very soon. The timeline for the project, subject to change:
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