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west don lands precinct plan:toronto,ontario|may 2005|urban design associatesacknowledgements
PREPARED FOR
Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation
FUNDED BY
Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation
CONSULTANT TEAM
Urban Design Associates
Joe Lobko,Architect
du Toit Allsopp Hillier
LEA
Earth Tech
GHK
West Don Lands
Precinct Plan
STAKEHOLDER ROUNDTABLE
David Baker
Julie Beddoes
John Berman
Rita Brooks
Hugh-Francis (Frank) Burns
Mike Comstock
Don Cross
Ron Fletcher
Adele Freeman
Shirley Hartt
Reid Henry
Randee Holmes
Bob Howald
Joanna Kidd
Pierre Klein
Brian Knoll
Chief Brian Laforma
Bruce MacDougall
Alan Marsh
Pam Mazza
Michael McClelland
Bruce McMillan
George Millbrandt
Jonathan Mousley
Rollo Myers
Mary Neumann
Edward Nixon
Catherine Raven
Marilyn Roy
Margaret Sault
Brad Searchfield
Nancy Shepherd
Eduard Sousa
Judy Stewart
Jeffrey Stinson
Helen St.Jacques
PJ Taylor
Jim Vafiades
Madelyn Webb
Cynthia Wilkey
John Wilson
David Winterton
Paul Young
The Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation,particularly John
Campbell,Marc Hewitt,and Kristen Jenkins,who provided invaluable assis-
tance and direction throughout the evolution of the plan.
Urban Strategies,under the leadership of Joe Berridge and Pino Di
Mascio,who have provided excellent coordination throughout this process.
The West Don Lands Steering Committee including:Rollo Myers,who
presented us with an excellent historic overview,including mapping and text,
portions of which we have incorporated into this report.
Cynthia Wilkey who,as chair of the West Don Lands Committee,helped
us better understand the priorities of the local community and the key ideas
that had emerged from the many previous planning initiatives.
The City of Toronto staff through coordination of the Waterfront
Secretariat,whose commitment to the project is clear and who have provided
valuable advice regarding numerous details of the plan.
The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) and Dillon
Consultants team,for their willingness to work so closely with our team in an
effort to coordinate their work on flood control of the Don River with ours.
The staff and consultants of the Ontario Realty Corporation (ORC),who
as landowners,provided us with much welcomed input as the plan evolved.
Nicole Swerun and the LURA team for their expertise in communicating
and facilitating.
A special thanks to the countless Toronto residents,too many to name,
who gave their time and energy to this effort.04
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west don lands precinct plan:toronto,ontario|may 2005|urban design associatestable of contents
Table of ContentsOVERVIEW1
THE VISION FOR THE WEST DON LANDS4
ANALYSIS10
Heritage11
Previous Planning Efforts14
Physical15
Public Process18
PUBLIC REALM PLAN20
Street Patterns21
Street Types22
Transit24
Pedestrian & Bike Circulation25
Parks & PublicOpen Space26
Affordable Housing31
Community Facilities33
Municipal Services34
Sustainability35
DEVELOPMENT PLAN & GUIDELINES36
Land Use37
Built Form38
Design Context39
Parking & Service40
NEIGHBOURHOOD CHARACTER & URBAN DESIGN41
Front Street Neighbourhood42
Mill Street Neighbourhood44
Don River Neighbourhood46
River Square Neighbourhood51
PHASING AND IMPLEMENTATION5304
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west don lands precinct plan:toronto,ontario|may 2005|urban design associatesoverview 1
OverviewPrecinct Planning is an important step in achieving Toronto’s vision
for a revitalized waterfront.In adopting the Central Waterfront
Secondary Plan,Toronto City Council outlined a Precinct Planning
process intended to further articulate the policies of the Plan for spe-
cific areas of the waterfront.The Precinct Plans are intended to out-
line development principles and guidelines at a level of detail not
possible within the broader Secondary Plan.These principles and
guidelines form the bridge that will allow the City to move from
Official Plan policies to Zoning By-law provisions.
The Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation (TWRC)
has been given the role of preparing Precinct Plans for the area with-
in its waterfront mandate.The West Don Lands Precinct Plan repre-
sents the first of several important Precinct Plans that will be tabled
by the TWRC.The plan has emerged as a result of a collaborative
effort of many individuals and organizations and included a compre-
hensive consultation process that engaged a variety of stakeholders.
Structure of the Plan
The Precinct Plan provides guidelines for the implementation of
public infrastructure (e.g.,streets,parks,community facilities,etc.) as
well as the built form of new development.With these guidelines,
the Precinct Plan will serve to help direct public infrastructure
investments and the preparation of Zoning By-laws within the West
Don Lands over the coming years.
The Precinct Plan is organized into six sections.The first section,
Vision,sets out the goals and aspirations for this community as well
as the general framework for the public realm and new development.
The second section,Analysis,provides an overview of the investiga-
tion into the West Don Lands’strengths,weaknesses and
opportunities.
The third section,Public Realm Plan,sets forth the public invest-
Neighbourhood Character
Development Guidelines
Public Frameworks04
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west don lands precinct plan:toronto,ontario|may 2005|urban design associatesoverview 2
Queen S
treet Eas
t
East
ern A
venu
e
King
Stre
et E
ast
Front St
reet East
DON RIVER PARK NEIGHBOURHOOD
Par
liam
ent
St
ree
t
Ch
err
y S
tre
et
Don
Val
ley
Exp
ress
way
Mill Stre
et
Eastern A
venue Ex
tension
Bay
view
Ave
nue
Riv
er S
tree
t
Trin
ity
St
ree
t
Richmon
d Street
East
Ade
laid
e St
reet
Eas
t
FRONT STREET NEIGHBOURHOOD
RIVER SQUARE NEIGHBOURHOOD
MILL STREET NEIGHBOURHOOD
ments required to accommodate the growth and redevelopment of
the West Don Lands.Development Plan and Guidelines,the fourth
section,provides direction for the build form of the Precinct,
addressing issues such as land use,building types and massing guide-
lines.The purpose of this section is to provide the parameters within
which development will occur in order to assist in the preparation of
Zoning By-law amendments,which will set out exact building
envelopes and design codes.Zoning By-laws will be brought forward
on a phased basis as explained in the Phasing and Implementation
section of this report.
The fifth section,Neighbourhood Character and Urban Design,
establishes four primary neighbourhoods within the West Don
Lands.This section describes in greater detail the vision for each area
along with urban design guidelines.The final section,Phasing and
Implementation,provides a strategy for achieving the full build out
of the West Don Lands in a 10-15 year period.
Interpretation of the Plan
This Plan should be interpreted as a guiding document meant to
provide a flexible framework within which to achieve the Vision set
out for the West Don Lands.Numerical and quantitative provisions
set out in the Plan are not to be taken as rigid standards but are
meant to illustrate specific ideas and concepts.Exact standards (e.g.,
buildi