April 29 2013: A “for sale” sign has been posted in front of the vacant property at 81 Wellesley Street East …
… where a century-old mansion and coach house stood until January 2012 when the buildings were hastily demolished after new owners took possession …
… with plans to construct a 29-storey condo tower in their place. The proposed highrise is depicted in this artistic illustration by Toronto’s Core Architects
Back on the market: A controversial condo tower development planned for the heart of the Church-Wellesley Village appears to be dead now that the property has been listed for sale.
As I reported in an October 17 2012 post, a small Toronto firm called Icarus Developments held an informational meeting last fall to publicly reveal its plans to build a 29-storey, 200-unit condo tower at 81 Wellesley Street East. Designed by Toronto’s Core Architects, the highrise would occupy a vacant piece of land that had been occupied for many decades by two by heritage-character buildings — the Odette House mansion and a coach house behind it — that were hurriedly demolished in January 2012.
The surprise demolition — and the brazen manner in which the buildings were razed — outraged local residents as well as Ward 27 Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, who only a few weeks earlier had initiated procedures under which city staff would consider whether Odette House could be designated as a heritage property (see my January 19 2012 post for photos and a report about the demolition incident).
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Be cautious, councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam is playing both sides. She loves the development dollars. She cozies up to the residents but is in bed with the developers. Kristyn Wong-Tam it seems will approve extra floors on developments already approved, but she says “they pay alot for those extra floors” but what do local residents get in exchange? Kristyn Wong-Tam does not share updated information with resident groups to help there cause at council to fight these developers, but will contribute the information at a time were the group will look unprepared. Don’t be fooled she knew about 81 Wellesley development long before any demolition was planned. I hope we remember 81 Wellesley St. loss at the next election, or Church St. will look like Bay St..
A proposal on my street (2 GloucesterSt.) were the residents have less then the size of a sheet of paper is going to lose park space due to the plan and will put what park there is at present into almost total shade. But the wonderful development dollars will help not our local neighbourhood but mostly the Reference library and Regent park, with some going to a park upgrade (Cawtra park) that was already promised almost ten years ago as part of the 519 expansion. The expansion of course took even more parkland on the south side of the building away from the area residents.
looks like the project was cancelled seeing as the property is now up for resale