The City of Toronto, together with CreateTO and Waterfront Toronto, is advancing a significant revitalization project for the Port Lands. The Port Lands is being transformed into a dynamic, inclusive mixed-use community, with housing at all levels of affordability combined with supportive community infrastructure. It will also continue as an employment hub, bolstering the City’s film, television, and creative sectors, alongside sustained port and industrial activities. The new Island, currently using the working name “Villiers Island” and receiving a permanent Indigenous name in the Fall of 2024, will be the first mixed-use residential community emerging through this transformation — defined by the renaturalized Don River it will develop into a sustainable and complete community. The Island is part of Toronto's broader waterfront revitalization, building on two decades of a successful tri-government collaboration. This model has spurred long-term economic growth and prosperity by flood protecting and remediating contaminated land, and developing both market and affordable housing. Waterfront revitalization has also delivered award-winning parks, public spaces, and architectural advancements, all while setting higher standards in sustainable development. This approach attracts innovation-focused companies and enhances the waterfront's appeal as a destination for both Toronto residents and visitors. Over a decade of planning and consultation has focused on the future development of the Island. In 2007, Waterfront Toronto held an urban design competition for the Lower Don Lands, which include the Island, resulting in Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates' (MMVA) winning design. In 2011, a refined plan proposed a slight realignment of the Don River and the river mouth. The 2010 Lower Don Lands Framework Plan envisioned four mixed-used residential communities that would be adjacent to the new Don River valley and mouth, connected by bridges. As envisioned in the Lower Don Lands Framework Plan and the 2017 Villiers Island Precinct Plan (the “Precinct Plan”), the Island will be a central connection point for surrounding emerging waterfront precincts, and will have destination parks, a new naturalized Don River Valley, community facilities including a new neighbourhood library, and unique opportunities to experience the Keating Channel. Eighty percent of the developable area on the Island is in public ownership (see Figure 2). The City, CreateTO and Waterfront Toronto have collaborated extensively to review the Precinct Plan and the density on public lands through a Density Study. The partnership sought to identify appropriate built form changes that could help contribute to the City’s ambitious housing and affordable housing goals. This comprehensive Density Study process was informed by a series of iterative design workshops, expert advice from professional planning and design consultants, due diligence studies, feedback from the Waterfront Design Review Panel, and the public feedback through consultations and focus groups. This report recommends the approval of amendments to the Official Plan, Zoning By-law, and Precinct Plan that describe how the Island will develop, based upon the outcome of the Density Study. It also recommends an update to the Municipal Code regarding parkland dedication, and endorsement of the Villiers Island and Keating Channel West Public Art Master Plan. Taken together, these revisions update the planning framework for the Island in response to Toronto's Housing Action Plan, to permit a dense, inclusive, sustainable, and walkable urban community. The proposed amendments contemplate towers with heights between 19 and 46 storeys, enabling an estimated 9,000 residential units and resulting in a net density of 7.7 times the area of the Island's development blocks (see Figure 1). Of the estimated 9,000 units, approximately 2,200 - 2,700 will be affordable housing, with a target of 30 percent affordable housing on public lands. These affordable units will be secured as long-term or permanently affordable housing aligned with the City's income-based definition of affordable housing. Achieving affordable housing will require an intergovernmental funding and financing strategy. The amendments also permit a minimum of approximately 80,000 square metres of retail and office space, 7,850 square metres of community space, and a Toronto Public Library neighbourhood branch. A Business and Implementation Plan for the first phase of development on the Island will be presented to City Council later this Fall or in early 2025. The Business and Implementation Plan will build on this report by outlining the proposed costs and funding strategies, implementation roles and responsibilities, and implementation milestones (including phased development and early activation) for this emerging Island community, ensuring the planned density and necessary infrastructure are coordinated for maximum benefit. The redevelopment of the Island presents unique infrastructure challenges. Although close to the city, it requires replacing the existing infrastructure systems with contemporary ones, including stormwater management, water and wastewater systems. The public realm, established through the Don Mouth Naturalization and Port Lands Flood Protection Environmental Assessment, the Lower Don Lands Infrastructure Master Plan Environmental Assessment and the Precinct Plan, including the planned grid of streets, blocks, and open spaces, will support increased density through generous sidewalks, cycle tracks, green infrastructure elements and future transit connections. Upon completion, the Island will house more than 15,000 residents, part of the larger Port Lands area, which is projected to be home to nearly 40,000 people and 20,000 jobs. The Island will also be a waterfront destination – its infrastructure and amenities will serve a local population, downtown, and the region. The revitalization of the Island and Toronto's waterfront will not only contribute to achieving provincial and federal housing targets, but also support the housing commitments in the City's housing plans. Revitalizing the Port Lands is one of the largest and most complex city-building projects in the City. The recommendations in this report will allow the City, CreateTO, and Waterfront Toronto to advance implementation plans to enable more affordable housing to be built faster. Building on the success of the Port Lands Flood Protection Project and a generation of planning for Port Lands revitalization — the report's actions will take the next crucial steps to transform a vast industrial and underutilized waterfront area into a vibrant, mixed-use community, important destination, home to tens of thousands of future resident amid a growing cluster of production, interactive and creative uses, and the hustle and bustle of a working port.
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