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Since construction began in May, 2023, the 12-acre site for Residences at Central Park has transformed from empty land to a massive excavation with two tower cranes. Designed by Core Architects for Amexon Development Corporation, the masterplanned community will include five towers from 12 to 31 storeys at the northwest corner of Leslie Street and Sheppard Avenue East, residential, retail, commercial, and public spaces. Today, UrbanToronto looks back at the construction progress made over the last year.
Ground work at the extensive site has been underway since May 2023, with tons of earth gradually being excavated, and by November of 2023, the pit had grown deep, with two tiers visible and shoring walls fully lined with orange tarps to stabilize the site and prevent erosion. Workers in high-visibility gear can be seen at left in a blue articulating boom lift to apply white weatherproofing tarp to the north elevation adjacent to the existing office building.
The first tower crane was installed in April, 2024, marking the transition from excavation to structural work. Concrete columns and walls are formed in the northeast corner, alongside sections of formwork visible around the crane, supported by vertical rebar and horizontal rebar grids in preparation for further concrete pours. To the east and north at right lies the East Don Parkland, part of a 500-acre ecological corridor that connects residents to a citywide network of walking and cycling trails eventually leading to Lake Ontario.
That same month, drone photography provided a bird’s eye view of the site and its surroundings, showing that the excavation pit covers all condo phases at the site. The 10,000 ft² presentation centre is seen just to the left of the pit's widest point, standing out with the white pavilion’s glass-panelled exterior and sleek steel frame. It won the BILD Award for Best Presentation Centre, featuring a design by Core Architects with interiors by II BY IV DESIGN; it will be repurposed as an event venue upon project completion. Just to its left, GO Transit's Richmond Hill Line runs parallel to the site’s western edge. Oriole station, currently located a few hundred metres south, will be relocated directly adjacent to Central Park, with its main entrance on the south side of Sheppard Avenue, at Leslie subway station on Sheppard Line 4, putting both rapid transit stations just a short walk away for Central Park residents and visitors.
Central Park’s most recent construction milestone came in August, 2024, with the installation of a second tower crane at the south end of the site. Behind it, an earthen ramp leads from grade into the pit, where we see machinery and wood forms. To the left, additional formwork and rebar are seen at the higher elevation of the tiered excavation. Phase 1’s 31-storey tower will rise just to the left of the photo, its crane's counterweights visible at the top left.
Upon completion, the community’s buildings will range from 46.5m to 105.90m high, offering 1,478 residential units.
UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file, linked below. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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UrbanToronto has a research service, UTPro, that provides comprehensive data on development projects in the Greater Golden Horseshoe — from proposal through to completion. We also offer Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application.
