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Oxford Properties Group has resubmitted plans for Union Park, a mixed-use redevelopment proposal on Front Street West in Downtown Toronto, west of Union Station and north of the railway corridor. The proposal features towers from 50 to 71 storeys designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects (with Adamson Associates as Architect of Record), replacing the previously proposed west office tower with a residential building. A east 61-storey office tower is a holdover from the previous proposal.
Spanning 315 and 325 Front Street West, the site occupies approximately 16,393m². It is currently home to 6-storey and 17-storey office buildings, both slated for eventual demolition.
The Union Park development was first introduced in 2012 as "Oxford Place," evolving into the Union Park proposal in 2019 designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli as a four-tower mixed-use project, it included two office towers and two residential towers. The project gained approval in 2022, securing permissions for 50- and 52-storey residential towers, and 50- and 61-storey office towers. The 61-storey office tower would be a 'supertall' at 303.33 metres.
Since the 2022 approval however, shifting market demands have resulted in recent changes to the proposal, namely the replacement of the 50-storey office tower with more residential. Now, Urban Strategies Inc. has resubmitted a Zoning By-law Amendment application to the City of Toronto on behalf of the developer. The revised plan consists of four towers, with two 50-storey residential buildings at approximately 173.5m in height, and a 71-storey residential building at about 234.7m.
Total Gross Floor Area (GFA) now stands at 291,191m², down from 340,430m², driven by a reduction in office (260,610m² to 138,675m²) and retail space (11,943m² to 4,377m²). Meanwhile, residential GFA has increased significantly from 66,830m² to 146,954m². These changes bring the proposed Floor Space Index (FSI) to roughly 19.57.
The total residential unit count would now be 1,793, up from 832 in the earlier plans. A mix of daycare, an unspecified amount of affordable rental housing, and two POPS (Privately-Owned Publicly-accessible Spaces) continue to anchor the project’s public benefits. There would be 3,586m² of indoor and 3,227m² outdoor amenities across the three residential towers. A proposed park deck over the railway corridor that extended to the walkway alongside the Rogers Centre is no longer part of the proposal.
The updated proposal is divided into three phases. Phase 1 would see the two western 50-storey residential towers rise from a shared podium with retail at ground level plus 1,185m² of daycare. Phase 2 would add the 71-storey residential tower, and more ground-floor retail.
There would be five elevators per residential tower in Phase 1, or approximately one elevator per 89 units, and eight in Phase 2, or approximately one for every 113 units in that building. Two underground garage levels would house 281 residential parking spaces, 33 visitor spots, and two car-share spaces for both phases, decreasing from 688 spaces overall. Bicycle parking provisions include 1,993 residential and 38 retail spots.
Along the southern edge of the site, a “Shoreline Stitch” promenade is designed with a meandering, natural shape inspired by the historic Lake Ontario shoreline. Phase 3 retains the previously approved 61-storey east office tower, but its Pelli Clarke Pelli design is expected to be replaced before that phase would proceed.
The initially envisioned Overbuild Park is still permitted under the previous approval but not included or addressed in the resubmission. It is conceivable that it could be reconsidered when the third phase eventually moves ahead. The 400m² POPS within Isabella Valancy Crawford Park would be upgraded during Phase 3, retaining its size while adding improved seating areas, new plantings, and an elevator for accessibility between levels.
The site is located 600m, or roughly a 7-minute walk, from Union Station. Cycling infrastructure includes access to the Martin Goodman Trail, Richmond and Adelaide cycle tracks, and bike lanes on Blue Jays Way and Wellington Street West. The planned Spadina-Front GO Station on the Barrie GO Line would be 300m from the site. Future transit plans also include the Waterfront Transit Network’s expanded LRT services along Queens Quay.
There is significant other development activity in the area. To the north, proposals include a 60-storey tower at 277 Wellington Street West and two towers at 310 Front Street, rising 65 and 70 storeys. To the west, near The Well, plans for 433 Front Street include two towers at 43 and 51 storeys, while 400 Front Street proposes three towers ranging from 27 to 60 storeys. Concord Canada House is under construction close by to the southwest, with towers reaching 64 and 74 storeys. Further west, another ambitious proposal along the rail corridor is the Rail Deck Development envisioning nine towers, ranging from 36 to 72 storeys.
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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| Related Companies: | Adamson Associates Architects, Gradient Wind Engineers & Scientists, Hariri Pontarini Architects, OJB Landscape Architecture, Urban Strategies Inc. |
