Rental Tower Proposal at Church and Wellesley Adds Height, More Retail

DEVELOPMENT PLANNING
March 3, 2026 by Anthony Teles 483

Proposal for a rental tower at Church and Wellesley will add height and more retail

Applications for official plan and zoning bylaw amendments seek to replace an in-principle approval for a previously proposed 31-story tower at the northwest corner of Church and Wellesley streets with a new plan for a 36-story 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 feature a fully purpose-built rental building rather than condominiums.

Looking northwest at 66 Wellesley Street East, designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects for MOD Developments Inc. and Montez Corporation

The site east of the Wellesley subway station is within the Protected Major Transit Station Areas of four nearby stations and is composed of 64 and 66 Wellesley Street East, a north-south public right-of-way called Dapper Lane, and 552 to 570 Church Street. The road would be used up by the renovation. The properties are currently occupied by a mix of one- to five-story commercial and residential buildings, including the five-story landmarked Wellesley Street Apartments at 64 Wellesley, which includes 65 existing rental units. The surrounding context includes mid-rise buildings along Church Street and a growing collection of tall residential towers nearby.

Looking west from Church Street to the current location, image from submission to the City of Toronto

The corner has been the subject of several redevelopment efforts. Previous concepts have ranged from a single 43-story design to two-building concepts. Most recently, in June 2023, the City Council granted in-principle approval for a 31-story mixed-use building with 405 units and 770 square meters of retail space, including the replacement of 65 rental apartments and the retention of the heritage facade.

This authorization required the fulfillment of a number of conditions before it came into force. These steps were not completed and the implementing regulations were never put into effect. After forming a new partnership between Montez and MOD and redesigning the project, city staff called for new applications to be submitted.

Looking northwest at the previous 31-story floor plan designed by S9 Architecture & Graziani + Corazza Architects for ONE Properties

The revised plan calls for a 36-story, mixed-use building with a height of 120.79 m on the west side of the property, up from the previously approved height of 104.5 m. A continuous five-story podium would line Church and Wellesley and would extend to a tower floor area of ​​approximately 826 m², slightly larger than the previously recommended 806 m² panel.

The project would deliver a gross floor area (GFA) of 29,620 m² to 32,218 m², increasing the floor area index from 9.12 to 10.6 times the coverage of the 3,028 m² site. The residential GFA would increase to 31,348 sqm, along with 870 sqm of ground-level retail space, compared to 770 sqm previously approved. Tower spacing remains consistent with the previous plan, maintaining a clearance of over 20m to the 18-storey building at 41 Dundonald Street, approximately 50m to the towers west of the site at 50 Wellesley Street East, and a minimum clearance of 13.3m to the 12-storey proposal at 572 Church Street.

Site plan designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects for MOD Developments Inc. and Montez Corporation

The building would contain 431 dedicated rental units, an increase from the 405 condominium and rental replacement units approved in principle, and would maintain a requirement to replace all 65 existing rental units. Of these, 366 would be market rental suites and 65 rental replacement units, spread across 51 studios, 244 one-bedroom suites, 100 two-bedroom suites and 36 three-bedroom suites.

ERA Architects would oversee the preservation of the designated Wellesley Street Apartments. The 1931 polished brick Georgian-style building’s main façade and parts of the east and west façades were preserved in situ, with the west façade selectively reconstructed to retain its three-dimensional shape. The heritage structure would serve as a residential entrance.

Looking north at the podium designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects for MOD Developments Inc. and Montez Corporation

The leisure area has been expanded from 1,360 m² in the previous approval to a total of 1,724 m², offering 862 m² of indoor and outdoor space. Four elevators are planned for the tower, with a fifth limited to the podium levels, resulting in approximately one elevator for every 86 units, indicating reasonable response times.

Ground floor floor plan designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects for MOD Developments Inc. and Montez Corporation

Below grade, two underground levels would accommodate 107 parking spaces, a significant increase from the 38 spaces approved in principle, including 101 spaces for long-term residents and six spaces for short-term visitors. The number of bicycle parking spaces would total 432 spaces, slightly more than the previously approved 416, with 388 long-term and 44 short-term spaces provided.

The location is approximately 150 m east of Wellesley Station on Yonge Line 1, a walk of approximately three minutes. The property is also just half a mile from Bay, Bloor-Yonge and College train stations. The site is also served by multiple surface routes as well as protected or separated bike lanes along Wellesley Street, Sherbourne Street, Yonge Street, Bay Street and the Bloor-Danforth corridor.

An aerial view of the site and surrounding area, image from submission to the City of Toronto

The proposal contributes to an area that is experiencing continued intensification in several directions. To the east, 68 Wellesley Street East would rise 28 stories. Further east, the proposals include 100 Wellesley East with 11 storeys, 110 Maitland with 57 storeys and 2 Cawthra Square with 63 storeys. To the south, the 42-story Yonge at Wellesley Station is under construction, alongside proposals such as 48-story 506 Church and 56-story 34 Maitland. To the west of the property, properties 543 and 530 Yonge Street are planned, each with 68 floors.

UrbanToronto will continue to monitor the progress of this development, but in the meantime you can learn more in our database file linked below. If you’d like, you can join the discussion in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the designated area on this page.

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