625 Church

Committed to community.
Today and tomorrow.

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Vision

Vision

Our vision is to provide an elevated standard for architectural quality, cultural impact and realized urban potential.

625 Church will deliver a vibrant, mixed-use development that enhances the pedestrian experience, contributing a variety of livable residential options, inspiring office space for local businesses and harmonious street front retail.

Residential

We believe in placemaking that promotes community. 625 Church will feature beautiful, purpose-built rental units that provide a variety of livable options for a range of individuals and families.

Office

625 Church will provide innovative work spaces to meet the needs of the evolving workforce. Our design will incorporate unique amenities and creative layouts that cater to a variety of workers, employers and organizations.

Retail

Consciously curated retail is fundamental to maintaining a neighbourhood’s vibrancy. 625 Church will feature street-level retail that supports and enhances the existing amenities offered within the local community.

Neighbourhood

Located on the east side of Church Street, one block south of Bloor, 625 Church is ideally situated among some of the city’s most notable amenities–shopping in Yorkville, the Toronto Public Library, ROM, Gardiner Museum, Isabel Bader Theatre and U of  T campus.

625 Church is also ideally positioned within a 10-minute walk of four main transit stations, serving two subway lines, including the interchange station at Yonge and Bloor.

Neighbourhood Information

Click on the categories below the map to reveal nearby local amenities

    • The Bishop and Belcher Pub
    • Asahi Sushi
    • Mad Radish Salads and Bowls
    • Longo’s The Market
    • Sabai Sabai Kitchen and Bar
    • Focaccia Restaurant
    • Smith
    • No Frills
    • Maison Selby
    • Loblaws at Maple Leaf Gardens
    • Hudson’s Bay
    • Dollarama
    • The Source
    • Zara
    • Holt Renfrew
    • H&M
    • Nordstrom Rack
    • 401 Games
    • Shoppers Drug Mart
    • Rexall
    • Nearest Bus Stop - Bloor St East at Church St
    • Bloor-Yonge TTC Station
    • Sherbourne TTC Station
    • Wellesley TTC Station
    • Lyft Fitness
    • George Hislop Park
    • CAA Theatre
    • Hone Fitness
    • Barbara Hall Park
    • Asquith Green Park
    • TD Gallery at Toronto Reference
    • Cineplex Cinemas
    • Gardiner Museum
    • Royal Ontario Museum

Team

Manulife Investment Management's Real Estate team is dedicated to managing over 62 million square feet of commercial real estate for thousands of customers each day. Customers that call our buildings home.

Our global portfolio is comprised of office, industrial, retail and multi-family space. We take a long-term approach in the operations and management of our buildings, with a strong focus on customer service.

With over 90 years of development experience, we have seen how a simple vision, thoughtful planning and world-class partnerships can enhance the communities in which we operate. We approach development projects with a long-term view in supporting the existing community and improving the city’s overall public realm.

In the Community

We are deeply committed to Toronto and the Bloor-Yorkville neighbourhood. Our corporate headquarters, housing nearly 5,000 employees, are located on Bloor Street just west of Church, and have been for nearly a century.

We are an active member of the community. Providing publicly-accessible green space and participating in local initiatives have helped to frame our workspace and culture. We strive to respond to the needs of our neighbours in the same way we respond to the needs of our customers. We are committed to providing infrastructure that will create vibrant and livable cities—today and into the future.

The Project Team

We have engaged a local team of industry experts, heavily rooted in Toronto.

RAW Architects is one of Toronto’s most vibrant and respected architectural design studios. They focus on both the understanding of site opportunities, and the goals and objectives of their clients. RAW takes an open-minded approach to design, encouraging a fluid and collaborative process that leads to creative responses to design problems.

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ERA logo

ERA Architects is a planning, architecture and design firm specializing in heritage conservation and adaptive reuse. Their core goal is to connect heritage to wider considerations of urban design and city building. They use their expertise to collaborate with other firms to engage in city building, conserving heritage architecture and improving the built environment.

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The Planning Partnership has a depth of expertise in designing public and private realms to create beautiful, accessible, healthy and sustainable communities. They act as landscape architects and urban ecologists who conceptualize, design and oversee the construction of open spaces, parks, urban squares and streetscapes.

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Bousfields Inc. is one of the pre-eminent community planning firms in Ontario with special expertise in urban design, planning policy, community design, development approvals and project management. They have extensive experience leading land use planning and urban design for the development industry, municipalities and government agencies.

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Sussex Strategy Group is one of Canada’s premiere strategic communications and government relations consultancy firms with specialized experience in municipal issues, including property development and the urban planning approval process. Their team has experience in stakeholder engagement, community engagement and outreach, public consultation, and communications around project planning and development across the country.

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LEA Consulting Ltd. Is a Canadian consulting engineering firm specializing in providing active and sustainable transportation solutions, including site planning design for access and parking, to the public and private sectors.

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Colliers Project Leaders is a development management consultancy that offers owners of important urban sites guidance and support in their efforts to build great cities. From project visioning through to construction completion, they deploy industry best practices to ensure new developments meet the highest standards of urban design and quality construction.

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Community Engagement

625 Church is being designed for and with the community.

Community engagement has been integral to the 625 Church development process from day one and will continue to be as we move forward with our planning. We committed from the outset to a robust consultation process, which has included multiple engagements with the community before submitting an application to the City, additional engagement following our application, and ongoing open dialogue with community stakeholders.

More importantly, not only have we consulted – we have listened. We have heard what community members, neighbourhood associations, BIAs, residents, city planners and others had to say about 625 Church and our design and planning reflects and have evolved to better meet those needs.

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We remain committed to involving the community in our ongoing planning and design process to ensure 625 Church continues to deliver value and vibrancy to the neighbourhood. Community members will have additional opportunities to inform the site plan and property management issues throughout the Site Plan Approval process, such as materials and lighting used, landscape planting species and design, ensuring safety and noise concerns are addressed, and additional community services and facilities that are integrated into the site. If you’re interested in becoming a part of the process, please sign up for our newsletter to receive project updates and invitations to future events.

Progress So Far: Step 7

1 First Community
Open HouseDec, 2018
2 First Thought-Shop
Working SessionJul, 2019
3 Second Community
Open HouseOct, 2019
4 Development
Application to the CityDec, 2019
5 City-Led
Public Meeting
Sep, 2020
6 Second Thought-Shop
Working SessionNov, 2020
7 On-going Consultation
with City Departments,
Agencies and the Public

WE ARE HERE
8 Project Approval
9 Construction
Commencement

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    • If you’re interested in becoming a part of the process, please sign up for our newsletter to receive project updates and invitations to open house events.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Manulife Investment Management’s Real Estate platform develops and manages commercial real estate for thousands of customers around the globe. Its portfolio includes millions of square feet of office, industrial, retail and multifamily space strategically located in major metropolitan markets. The Real Estate team leverages its global platform and local expertise to provide market-leading solutions for its tenants and deliver results for its clients.

 

As at June 30, 2020, the Real Estate portfolio totaled over 61 million square feet. Additional information can be found at www.manulifeim.com/realestate.

Located in the Yorkville neighbourhood, one of Toronto’s most vibrant cultural hubs, and within a 10-minute or less walk to four TTC Subway Stations, 625 Church Street is an excellent location to continue our growth. The current building is under-utilized and there is an opportunity for a mixed-use community on site, bringing rental-residential and community-serving retail to the neighbourhood.

We take a long-term approach to the development and management of our buildings, which allows us to focus on our customers and communities in ways that short-term planning doesn’t. We’re committed to providing a sense of place and a sense of community in an ever-evolving landscape. Our customers drive our creativity, and we strive to develop spaces that will inspire them to do—and be—their best.

625 Church will deliver a vibrant, mixed-use development that enhances the pedestrian experience, contributing a variety of livable residential options, inspiring office space for local businesses and harmonious street front retail.

We have proposed 66 studio, 319 one-bedroom, 200 two-bedroom, and 66 three-bedroom apartments totaling 651 units.

We have proposed 10,101 m2 of office space and 583 m2 of retail space. We will provide flexible floorplates that cater to a wide range of workers, employers, and organizations.

We are proposing to build a 59-storey tower, just over 662 feet tall.

We have proposed 260 parking spaces and 709 interior bicycle parking spaces to the city.

Neighbourhood walkability will be improved by the laneway that will connect the site to surrounding transit and amenities. A drop-off and deliveries area will be located at the back of the building. The parking entrance will be located at the back of the building.

As part of our application, traffic studies have been completed to ensure we are considering existing and future transportation demands in and around the site.

A construction management plan will be prepared as part of the approvals process.

This site is designated for intensification due to its close proximity to transit and other community amenities. Toronto has a very low vacancy rate and is in need of new rental housing options. As part of our application, we will work with the city to ensure we are considering existing and future demands on community infrastructure in the area.

As part of our application, a comprehensive shadow study has been completed to ensure we are considering the surrounding neighbourhood.

Resources

For more information on our development application, please click here to access submission documents posted by the City of Toronto.

City-Led Meeting: Presentation Materials

Presentation materials from our city-led meeting on September 23, 2020.

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Open House Number Two: Presentation Materials

Presentation materials from our second open house on September 22, 2020.

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Have Questions? Contact Us