Private Development

Private Development Thresholds

The design review process is most beneficial in areas experiencing pressure to address issues of:

• mixed-uses
• contextual fit and quality
• integrating new development into either established or entirely new urban contexts

As such, design review for private development focuses on targeted growth areas which are experiencing these challenges (such as Centres, Avenues and along Transit Priority corridors).

Criteria for the design review process for new site plan and rezoning applications

1. All publicly-initiated projects with significant visual and physical public realm impacts (e.g. Environmental Assessments, new buildings such as police stations, fire halls and libraries, new parks, and new policies which contain public realm implications)
2. All large-scale site plan and rezoning applications within the Design Review Districts (Fort York Neighbourhood, Humber Bay Shores, Mimico-by-the-Lake, King-Parliament Neighbourhood, St. Lawrence Neighbourhood, Etobicoke City Centre, North York Centre, Yonge-Eglinton Centre, King-Spadina and Scarborough City Centre)
3. Applications with significant public realm impacts as a result of their location, scale, form or architectural quality and if they are located along:
   • an avenue (see Official Plan Map 2)
   • a major street (see Official Plan Map 3)
   • a surface transit priority corridor (see Official Plan Map 4 and Map 5)

Exclusions from the design review process

Projects with little or no impact on the public realm, such as projects with grade-related residential uses and one-storey commercial developments, are excluded from the Design Review process.