DEVELOPMENT PLANNING
May 22, 2026 2.3K
Council approves revised Ookwemin mining framework in port areas
A redevelopment framework for Ookwemin Minising has received approval from Toronto City Council, advancing updated Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw changes alongside a revised District Plan for the emerging island community of Port Lands, formerly known as Villiers Island. Planned by Waterfront Toronto and CreateTO, with master planning and urban design led by Allies and Morrison as well as SLA and Trophic Design, the revised framework would transform approximately 39.8 hectares in the Lower Don Lands into a mixed-use waterfront neighborhood with 15 buildings (some with multiple towers) and heights of up to 46 stories.
A bird’s-eye view looking north at Ookwemin Minising, planned by Waterfront Toronto and CreateTO
Bounded by the Keating Channel, Toronto Inner Harbour, Polson Slip and Don Roadway, Ookwemin Minising is envisioned to be a pedestrian waterfront community structured around new parks, pedestrian corridors, bicycle infrastructure and the future Waterfront East LRT along Cherry Street and Commissioners Street. The revised framework increases density by approximately 27% compared to the 2024 District Plan, while expanding the focus on ecology, Indigenous landscaping and climate-responsive urban design.
Axonometric view looking northeast at Ookwemin Minising, planned by Waterfront Toronto and CreateTO
One of the largest private redevelopment properties within the district is 65 Ookwemin Street, formerly known as 309 Cherry Street (shown as Old Cherry Street in the diagram below), which occupies a 20,158 m² site at the southeast corner with Villiers Street and extends south to Commissioners Street (excluding the location of the Cherry Street Bar-B-Que). The site was previously progressed through separate redevelopment applications and now falls within the wider Ookwemin Minising framework through site-specific planning permissions and exemptions.
Axonometric view of 65 Ookwemin Street, designed by SvN for Castlepoint Numa
Much of the island remains vacant or temporarily vacant following extensive flood control and infrastructure work, although parts of the area continue to contain industrial, port-related and transient commercial uses. Existing historic structures throughout the district include the former Bank of Montreal building, the former Canadian Oil warehouse, the Queen’s City Foundry, the Toronto Hydro substation, and the former Ontario Portland Cement silos to the west of the site.
Looking west toward the Cherry Street Bridge in the Port Lands, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor hkhho
Ookwemin Minising, formerly known as Villiers Island, was created by the Port Lands Flood Protection Project with the diversion and naturalization of the mouth of the Don River into Toronto Harbour, transforming former industrial areas into a new island precinct intended for long-term mixed-use redevelopment. Toronto City Council adopted the original Villiers Island Precinct Plan in 2017 as part of the broader Port Lands revitalization strategy.
The district has since evolved through several revisions, including renaming to Ookwemin Minising (meaning “Place of Black Cherry Trees” in Anishinaabemowin/Ojibwemowin), as well as expanded Indigenous engagement involving the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Six Nations of the Grand River, the Wendat Nation, Indigenous co-creators and urban Indigenous communities.
Looking west at Waterfront Toronto and CreateTO’s previous plan
The revised district framework divides Ookwemin Minising into 17 mixed-use development blocks containing approximately 12,370 apartments, including 3,000 affordable rental units. Heights would range from low and mid-rise forms to 46-story towers, providing an estimated long-term population of approximately 21,000 residents and approximately 2,900 jobs.
Illustrative site map of Waterfront Toronto and CreateTO
The updated concept replaces previous continuous podium conditions with a mix of building typologies, including mid-rise buildings of up to 12 stories, taller mid-rise buildings of 12 to 22 stories, “fabric towers” within the island’s core, and taller “Keating Towers” that frame the northern waterfront edge. Density would be concentrated along the Keating Channel and central blocks while sloping towards Biidaasige Park and the edges of the island.
Illustrative ground floor floor plan, from Waterfront Toronto and CreateTO
The revised building form strategy places greater emphasis on sunlight access, transmittance and environmental performance through increased spacing between buildings, including 40m spacing between towers, 18m spacing between taller mid-rise buildings and 12m spacing for mid-rise buildings. Along the Keating Canal, taller and mid-rise buildings would create a diverse skyline and a busy waterfront, while lower buildings line the Center Commons and park edges to improve solar access and pedestrian convenience. The updated plan also envisions Villiers Street as the island’s main shopping corridor, Center Commons as a community-focused pedestrian mall, and side streets designed to provide more discreet service and transportation access.
Center Commons, Ookwemin Minising, planned by Waterfront Toronto and CreateTO
The “Growing Streets” concept prioritizes streetscapes, ecology and open space over individual buildings. At the heart of the plan is the Center Commons, a 2,500-foot-long pedestrian corridor lined with more than 400 trees that will serve as the neighborhood’s social and environmental backbone. Other distinctive areas include the Keating Channel entertainment and cultural district, the pedestrian-oriented historic corridor Foundry Lane and Ookwemin Street, where the Sandbar Trail traces the alignment of the historic shoreline and Indigenous travel routes that once connected the Don River to the Toronto Islands. Developed with Indigenous co-creators Trophic Design, the revised framework integrates the Living Legacy strategy through interpretive landscapes, native planting, ecological restoration measures and gathering spaces.
Ookwemin Street at Ookwemin Minising, planned by Waterfront Toronto and CreateTO
Compared to the previous District Plan 2024, the updated framework places greater emphasis on biodiversity, climate resilience and microclimate-responsive urban design. The revised proposal includes habitat creation strategies, stormwater management systems, urban heat island mitigation measures and layered planting conditions designed to support birds, pollinators and native vegetation throughout the district. Wind, sunlight and thermal comfort analyzes were incorporated into both the revised massing and landscape approaches, while the updated framework further expands Indigenous placemaking elements throughout public spaces.
The future Waterfront East LRT runs through the precinct along Cherry Street and Commissioners Street along a protected right-of-way, with planned stops near Cherry Street and Commissioners Street and at Commissioners Street and New Munition Street. The existing reconstructed connections Cherry Street and Commissioners Street would act as the island’s main thoroughfares, while narrower local streets, including Ookwemin Street and Foundry Street, are planned as one-way streets to reduce the width of sidewalks and improve pedestrian conditions. The transportation network would also include cycle paths, pedestrian-oriented streetscapes and a new Keating Channel pedestrian bridge to connect to Biidaasige Park.
Streetscape at Ookwemin Minising, planned by Waterfront Toronto and CreateTO
The revised framework comes amid significant redevelopment activity in the region. The redevelopment of the Lower Don Land will further transform former industrial areas in the south. Major projects planned to the north include the 32- and 46-story Oak House at Canary Landing, the 49-story 351 Lake Shore East and The Bend community, which will feature nine buildings ranging from 8 to 53 stories. Further north-west, the redevelopment of Quayside includes the proposed Block 4, with towers of 15 and 72 storeys at the eastern end of the site.
UrbanToronto will continue to monitor the progress of these developments, but in the meantime you can learn more in our database files linked below. If you’d like, you can join the discussions in the associated Project Forum threads or leave a comment in the designated area on this page.
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