A huge tower is planned to soar high above downtown Toronto's St. James Park, the latest and tallest in a series of evolving redevelopment proposals for a site near the future Moss Park Station on the upcoming Ontario Line.

Stafford Developments and Greybrook Realty Partners have proposed sky-scraping new addition to the blocks north of St. Lawrence Market that, if approved, would add 65 storeys of housing in an area predominantly built out with quaint heritage buildings and towers in the 15-to-25-storey range.

The site in question is currently home to a four-storey office building overlooking St. James Park, with convenience addresses of 110 and 112 Adelaide Street East and 85 Lombard Street.

The latest 65-storey plan before City planners is actually the fourth and by far the tallest in a series of design and height changes for the site since 2020. An initial proposal called for a 42-storey tower, which was scaled down to 36 storeys in a revised plan before being increased back up to 39 storeys in a later submission.

After a series of changes, the site was purchased by Stafford and Greybrook in 2023, leading to the current submission, planned to rise far taller than any of the previous visions for this location.

The updated design from architects Arcadis would rise to a height of over 217 metres, eclipsing the heights of its surroundings.

However, its northern end fronting Lombard Street attempts to blend in with the heights of surrounding buildings through a much shorter mid-rise volume.

However, between the urgent need for housing, proximity to the Ontario Line, and other tall buildings approved for the surrounding blocks with heights exceeding 50 storeys, there are some pretty good arguments to go tall at this site.

A total of 600 condominium units are proposed atop a base containing 400 square metres of retail space and 330 square metres of office space,

Locals concerned about an influx of traffic on their streets can relax knowing that no vehicular parking is proposed for the new tower. Instead, a sizeable above-ground bike storage area will house 660 spaces for residents and visitors.