The Waterfront at the mouth of the Don River
You might want to wander down to the waterfront to get a ‘before’ picture to compare with an ‘after’ picture a few years from now. The changes promise to be – well, groundbreaking. This first article in a series about Toronto’s waterfront takes a look at the neighbourhoods that are planned for the area.
West Don Lands
AN under-used former industrial area is in the process of becoming a new destination.
This past spring, construction began on the Flood Protection Landform, a berm that will provide flood protection for an area that extends west to York Street and includes Toronto’s financial district. The landform, being constructed in partnership with the Ontario Realty Corporation, will be the future home of the Don River Park, an 18-acre park (roughly 20 times the size of Dundas Square) and a signature piece of the West Don Lands Community. Plans call for four different neighbourhoods to be built in the area – all anchored by the Don River Park.
Construction is expected to begin in early 2009on the District Energy Centre in the West Don Lands, which will begin delivering heating and cooling to the first buildings by 2010. While district energy plants are common in Scandinavia and other parts of Europe, they have yet to be introduced on a large urban scale in North America.
In addition, Waterfront Toronto has chosen the first private developer for residential construction, which will begin in 2009.
East Bayfront
THE East Bayfront area of Toronto’s waterfront begins at Jarvis Street and extends east to Parliament Street. Waterfront Toronto has divided the public lands in East Bayfront into three neighbourhoods – Bayside, Dockside and Parkside.
Bayside is located on 13 acres of waterfront property between Sherbourne and Parliament Streets. Dockside, a similar 11-acre site between Jarvis and Sherbourne, will be a mixed use community. The smaller Parkside area is slated for primarily residential development.
“After four years of planning, we have moved into the implementation phase of East Bayfront,” said Elaine Baxter-Trahair, Waterfront project director with the City’s Waterfront Secretariat. “There are a number of exciting projects now underway. Waterfront Toronto has begun construction of the infrastructure needed to support new development.”
The Toronto Economic Development Corporation has begun construction on First Waterfront Place, which will be the home of Corus Entertainment Inc. Additionally, Waterfront Toronto recently announced plans to build George Brown College’s new health sciences campus and student residence in Bayside. City staff are now studying the proposal and will make a recommendation to City Council sometime this fall.
Two new parks will anchor the area – Jarvis Park and Sherbourne Park. Both will be completed in 2010.
Andrew Gray, vice president of East Bayfront for Waterfront Toronto, said, “The waterfront will be under construction for a long period of time but Torontonians can now see incremental change to the area. At the end of day, we are building a neighbourhood that will be a tremendous asset to the city.”
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