DEVELOPMENT PLANNING
February 17, 2026 586
OLT ratifies settlement for 53- and 56-story high-rises in the Port Lands
A settlement for 120 Bouchette Street in Toronto’s McCleary District in the Port Lands was ratified by the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) with an interim injunction. Designed by Turner Fleischer Architects for Development Collective and 1956565 Ontario Inc., the proposal has evolved from a three-tower plan with up to 49 storeys to a two-tower plan with 53 and 56 storeys. Located in the East Harbor Protected Major Transit Station Area, the plans now include affordable rental housing.
Looking northwest at 120 Bouchette Street, designed by Turner Fleischer Architects for Development Collective and 1956565 Ontario Inc
The 7,353 square meter property is located on the southwest corner of Lake Shore Boulevard East and Bouchette Street. The property is currently equipped with a warehouse and storage yard and reflects the long-standing industrial character of the Port Lands.
Looking southeast at the current location. The image was retrieved from Google Maps
In May 2024, an official plan and zoning ordinance amendment application was submitted for 120 Bouchette Street, proposing a three-tower redevelopment. The owner appealed to the OLT in January 2025. While the council initially instructed its staff to oppose the proposal to the court in June of this year, subsequent mediation in September 2025 resulted in an unbiased settlement offer, which the council endorsed in October.
An elevated view looking northwest of Turner Fleischer Architects’ previous design for 1956565 Ontario Inc
The revised plan consolidates the previous three-tower arrangement into two taller buildings, rising on a common base and measuring 53 and 56 stories, or 188.82 m and 198.12 m, in height. The original submission proposed towers of 43, 46 and 49 floors and up to 163.2 m high. The podiums would rise from 10 stories along Lake Shore Boulevard East to 8 stories at the south end, with a 12-story element on Bouchette Street and a 16-story pop-up building on the northwest corner. A centrally located 203 m² POPS (Privately-Owned Publicly-accessible Space) was introduced, leading to a courtyard near McCleary Park.
Looking north towards the central courtyard and POPS, image from submission to the City of Toronto
The previous proposal included 1,626 units with a gross floor area (GFA) of approximately 119,987 m², mainly residential units, with 2,840 m² of living and working space and 1,989 m² of retail space. The development has up to 1,754 units and a total GFA of 127,868 m², including 120,469 m² of living space, 2,399 m² of retail space and 5,000 m² for production, interactive and creative uses (PIC). The Floor Space Index rose from 16.79 to 17.39.
Looking southeast towards the podium designed by Turner Fleischer Architects for Development Collective and 1956565 Ontario Inc
The leisure area comprises 3,621 m² of indoor and 2,512 m² of outdoor space, distributed across the podium and roof levels. The previous plan called for approximately 6,708 square feet of combined indoor and outdoor amenities, evenly divided, including a second-floor business center connected to 39 live-work units. The new plan replaces the live-work component with secured PIC space. It formalizes affordable rental housing, offering either 10% of the gross living area for 25 years or 6.5% for 99 years, secured by a Section 37 benefit-in-kind agreement.
Site plan designed by Turner Fleischer Architects for Development Collective and 1956565 Ontario Inc
Above the podium, the tower clearance is now at least 40 m above the 20-story datum, up from the minimum clearance of 25 m specified in the original submission. Vertical circulation would be provided by 13 residential elevators and two additional elevators connecting the garage to the second floor, resulting in approximately one elevator for every 125 units, suggesting that high-speed motors would be required for adequate operation.
Ground floor floor plan designed by Turner Fleischer Architects for Development Collective and 1956565 Ontario Inc
There are still two levels of underground parking below the grade, although supply has increased. The original proposal called for 177 resident spaces and 54 visitor spaces, for a total of around 231 stalls. The revised scheme lists 273 residential vehicles. Cycling infrastructure has also been expanded, from 1,468 long-term, 326 short-term and 14 retail spaces in the previous version to 1,579 long-term and 351 short-term residential spaces, as well as 16 retail and 23 PIC locations.
The site is approximately 600 m from the future East Harbor station, currently under construction, which will integrate GO Transit service with Ontario Line 3. Surface transportation is currently provided by the 72 Pape bus, while planned extensions of Broadview Avenue south into the Port Lands are envisioned to allow future LRT connections with the planned Waterfront East LRT along Commissioners Street. Bicycle connections include the Martin Goodman Trail, which runs south of Lake Shore Boulevard East, as well as other routes along Villiers Street, Saulter Street and Commissioners Street.
An aerial view of the site and surrounding area, image from submission to the City of Toronto
Intensification is accelerating in the surrounding blocks. To the west, 115 Saulter Street South is planned at 47 and 53 stories, while 685 Lake Shore Boulevard East has received approvals for 54- and 58-story towers and CreateTO is advancing the McCleary District as a mixed-use community framework. To the south, the Basin Media Hub envisions studio and office buildings of up to five stories, while 280 Commissioners Street envisions additional 40- and 45-story towers. In the northwest, the 60-hectare East Harbor redevelopment is planned with 15 commercial buildings ranging from 23 to 65 storeys.
UrbanToronto will continue to monitor the progress of this development, but in the meantime you can learn more in our database file linked below. If you’d like, you can join the discussion in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the designated area on this page.
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