The Client, in collaboration with the City of Toronto and Waterfront Toronto, is in the early stages of developing a precinct plan and establishing municipal approvals required to permit the redevelopment of McCleary District in Toronto’s Port Lands. McCleary District is envisioned as a dense, mixed-use community with the non-residential component focused on key economic clusters synergistic with districts to the north and south.
The Port Lands Area Specific Policy and the Port Lands Planning Framework, both adopted in 2017, provide direction for economic development in McCleary District. The District will include a minimum of 30 percent non-residential uses, including a minimum of 25 percent of the total gross floor area within a block as Production, Interactive, and Creative (“PIC”) uses.
In 2022, Toronto City Council received the Igniting Innovation report, a call to action for innovation-led economic development on the waterfront which reinforced an emphasis on creative industries in the next phase of waterfront revitalization, in addition to cleantech and life sciences uses.
At this time of change in Toronto’s market economy and with a renewed vision for economic development in the waterfront, the Client and its partners wish to evaluate the market potential for creative industries.
