Waterfront Toronto announced this afternoon that Quayside Impact Limited Partnership, comprised of Dream Unlimited and Great Gulf Group, has been selected to develop the Quayside property in downtown Toronto. The announcement follows a competitive process in which four teams qualified to compete for the opportunity to transform the 12-acre site into a community with a significant component of affordable rental housing, expansive public spaces and new jobs and business opportunities for Toronto residents and residents.
Quayside Aerial – Full view of proposed development, image courtesy of Waterfront Toronto
The development, which is at a preliminary design stage (though the renderings are intricate), is expected to feature five towers in total and one of Canada’s largest solid wood residential buildings.
“The proposal, unanimously approved today by the Waterfront Toronto Board, includes hundreds of affordable housing units, new public spaces on 40 percent of the available land, including a municipal farm on one of Canada’s largest solid timber buildings, and strong social and employee benefits at 20 percent of construction hours and 20 percent of post-occupation jobs will go to capital-earning groups,” Toronto Mayor John Tory said in a statement. “Quayside will be a cultural landmark celebrating Indigenous culture and history. It will also be an exemplary one be low-carbon development – the first all-electric, zero-carbon community of this scale.”
Quayside Impact’s winning entry proposes to create a visionary, world-class architecture that raises the bar for design throughout the neighborhood and creates a visually striking focal point on Toronto’s waterfront. Designers include high profile offices from London, UK – Alison Brooks Architects and David Adjaye Associates, and from Denmark – Henning Larsen Architects and SLA Landscape Architects.
The sprawling development will feature more than 800 affordable housing units (more than double the affordable housing units that Waterfront Toronto has brought to the shore), many of which will be delivered in earliest stages to fill an urgent need.
Western Curve Building designed by Alison Brooks, image courtesy of Waterfront Toronto
There will also be lush new public spaces, including a two-acre wooded green space and a significant urban farm on one of Canada’s largest solid timber residential buildings.
Community Forest public space designed by MSLA landscape architects, image courtesy of Waterfront Toronto
A pioneering cultural destination and multifunctional arts venue will be part of the development, bringing together performing arts spaces, indigenous cultural celebrations and flexible educational spaces.
The Henning Larsen-designed upper floor, image courtesy of Waterfront Toronto
Finally, the development will feature exemplary low-carbon developments and innovations, making Quayside the first all-electric, zero-carbon community of this scale.
Log home designed by Adjaye Associates, image courtesy of Waterfront Toronto
Following this announcement, Waterfront Toronto and Quayside Impact Limited Partnership will negotiate a project agreement. Negotiations are expected to be complete by fall 2022, at which time more information will be shared with the public as Waterfront Toronto and Dream and Great Gulf work to finalize development plans, obtain municipal approvals, including development permits, and bring this remarkable community to life .
Jack Winberg, Chair of Waterfront Toronto’s Investment and Real Estate Committee, said, “Today we are taking an important next step in realizing the full potential of the city’s waterfront. Dream Unlimited and Great Gulf, along with their team of architects and local partners, have a powerful proposal to make Toronto’s Quayside and waterfront one of the best in the world. As we begin negotiations for a project agreement, we are more confident than ever in the transformative power of the Quayside project for the economic and social recovery of Toronto, Ontario and Canada.”
More information on this development will follow shortly, but in the meantime you can learn more from our database file for the project, linked below. If you’d like, you can join the conversation in the related project forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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