Toronto’s Amexon Development Corporation is aiming to drive its 12-acre master-planned community The Residences at Central Park toward an electrified future with an electric vehicle (EV) charger at every one of its approximately 1,500 parking spots.

The initiative will make Amexon the first real estate developer in North America to offer an EV charger in every parking stall on one of its properties, Ashling Evans, general manager of real estate at the Toronto-based company, told Sustainable Biz Canada.

Planned to have approximately 2,000 condo units across five towers, The Residences at Central Park will have parking across four levels of underground garages and outdoor spaces.

“We’re looking ahead and we want to set a trend,” Evans said, as more Canadians purchase EVs and a 2035 mandate looms for all new light-duty vehicles sold to have zero emissions.

It also aligns with the sustainability mindset of Amexon, complementing the other features for the community, which he said is designed for a net-zero future.

Electrifying every parking spot

To be developed Toronto's Bayview Village, Central Park will have four residential and one mid-rise tower centred around a three-acre park.

Amexon focused on building it as a green community from the beginning, Evans explained. The developer is targeting a LEED Platinum standard.

The emphasis on EV charging is “very, very important for our sustainability going forward”. With more Toronto consumers and homebuyers requiring more EV chargers and sales of gas-powered vehicles being phased out, Amexon wanted to have the infrastructure to match its vision for a sustainable community.

The EV chargers will be in every parking space, including visitor spots.

The underground parking facility, which is under construction, is scheduled to be finished in the spring of 2026 which will coincide with the completion of the first tower. Four of the five towers will be serviced by the underground garage.

Amexon will fund the project on its own; accessing government incentives to help lower the cost is currently not part of the plan, Evans said.

A supplier has not been finalized yet. Amexon aims to partner “with the best supplier of stations” that have features such as scheduled charging at optimal times. Evans could not disclose the anticipated charging power of the stations.

The ubiquity of EV chargers at Central Park may encourage residents to buy an EV, she said.

The surge in EV adoption has raised concerns over how electric grids can handle the leap in electricity demand. Evans said Amexon planned the community’s power capacity around the chargers, working with Toronto Hydro and electrical engineers. Smart meters and shared load calculations will be in place to manage the forecast power demand, she continued.

Other green features of Central Park

“We’ve always been a partner in sustainability in all our projects,” Evans said about Amexon. All of the company’s developments have EV charging stations, and the company has used green roofs, solar panels, thermal building envelopes and high-performance LEDs in past projects.

Central Park will additionally feature:

• green roofs that reduce energy consumption;
• rooftop solar panels;
• a building envelope made to reduce energy use;
• metered electrical and water usage for greater control over consumption;
• insulated aluminum windows to boost energy efficiency;
• a high-performance thermal building envelope to minimize solar gain and heat loss;
• LED lighting fixtures and motion sensors in corridors and common areas; and
• low-waste systems and water-efficient fixtures for showers, sinks and dual-flush toilets.

The data on environmental performance at Central Park will be calculated and published in the future, Evans said.

About Central Park

Amexon, the developer of the 55-storey commercial and residential tower The Residences of 488 University Ave., has planned Central Park to be built in phases.

The first tower will stand 31 storeys and contain 322 housing units. Units will range from 439-square-feet with one bedroom to as much as 1,200-square-foot units with three bedrooms.

The second tower is anticipated to be complete in late 2026, followed by the third in the spring of 2027, with the remainder finished by 2028.

Central Park is designed to have over 320,000 square feet of office space, along with 55,000 square feet of amenities such as a private daycare. Public transit options such as the TTC and GO Transit will be accessible.