Item - 2023.TE4.36

The Toronto and East York Community Council:

1. Requested the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning to continue to use the following Guiding Principles for the Revitalization of Ontario Place, intended to be read and interpreted in the context of the Central Waterfront Secondary Plan, in the review of the Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment applications for the Ontario Place redevelopment:

a. Removing Barriers/Making Connections:

i. integration of planning, programming and governance and consider rationalizing land ownership matters at Ontario Place and Exhibition Place in order to realize natural synergies between the two properties;

ii. explore opportunities to reduce the barrier effect of Lake Shore Boulevard West between Exhibition Place and Ontario Place; and

iii. ensure any future planning along Lake Shore Boulevard West is coordinated with a strategy to improve connectivity between the two properties, and provides a human-scaled edge to the popular Martin Goodman Trail;

b. Building a Network of Spectacular Waterfront Parks and Public Spaces:

i. secure and enhance public access for the full length of the Ontario Place shoreline;

ii. retain Trillium Park and the William Davis Trail as key place-making features at Ontario Place;

iii. explore low-impact recreational uses for the West Island shoreline; and

iv. consult with Indigenous peoples, including the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation on opportunities to weave Indigenous placemaking into the fabric of Ontario Place;

c. Promoting a Clean and Green Environment:

i. utilize findings of the Council-endorsed Waterfront Transit Network Plan to improve access to, from and between Ontario Place and Exhibition Place;

 
ii. explore opportunities to consolidate large expanses of surface parking below grade in order to create a more walkable and transit-supportive environment;

 
iii. implement the City's draft biodiversity strategy, build on the success of Trillium Park, extend green corridors into Exhibition Place; and

 
iv. protect and strengthen the site's shoreline Natural Heritage features;

d. Creating Dynamic and Diverse New Communities:

i. Ontario Place should include a mix of non-residential uses and activities that reflect its waterfront location and rebuild its original goal of being a showcase and destination for Ontario; and

e. Openness and Transparency:

i. make decisions through public process, with full transparency of the government decision-making process; and

 
ii. responsiveness to the broader community.

The purpose of this report is to provide an update on the Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment applications submitted by Infrastructure Ontario on behalf of the Ministry of Infrastructure for the redevelopment of the predominantly Provincially-owned lands at Ontario Place at 955 Lake Shore Boulevard West. The Official Plan Amendment is for the entirety of Ontario Place. The Zoning By-law Amendment is for the whole site but proposes specific permissions for the Therme tourism, entertainment and waterpark facilities on the Mainland and West Island as well as the mainland parking structure serving multiple tenants and uses, including LiveNation, science programming at the Cinesphere and Pods and visitors to the public realm across the Island. These applications were submitted on November 25th, 2022.

The applications envision a large scale redevelopment of the public lands and attractions at Ontario Place. The site is a Provincially-significant heritage and tourism attraction used by visitors from across Ontario, Canada and internationally. Ontario Place closed as a fully operating attraction in 2012, and the existing buildings, bridges, servicing infrastructure and shoreline are understood to require reinvestment to ensure the future viability of the site. Ontario Place today also serves as a waterfront public amenity and a cultural heritage landscape of international significance.

The applications propose the following:

- A Provincially-led Public Realm Master Plan for the free and continuously publically accessible lands on the East Island, Central Waterfront and Mainland;

- Integration and coordination of the public realm designs across the site with Trillium Park, inclusive of continuously and publicly accessible portions of tenanted lands;

- Retention and adaptive re-use of the pods and Cinesphere;

- A 65,000 square metre private entertainment, water recreation and wellness facility with a maximum height of 45 metres on the West Island;

- A 22,000 square metre entrance building at a maximum height of 26 metres on the mainland connecting to the Therme facility and proposed public realm on the West Island;

- Future programming on the East Island and Mainland with details to be determined with land use policy options to be  established in the draft Official Plan Amendment;

- A five-level underground parking structure with 2,100 spaces and a surface parking lot with 630 spaces;

- A bicycle parking facility with 680 spaces;

- A single storey building to be built on top of the proposed underground parking facility to host Science-based programming potentially in partnership with the Ontario Science Centre;

- Creation of new continuously publicly accessible lands and outdoor amenities on the West Island;

- Shoreline stabilization works for the entire site and approximately 36,000 square metres of lakefilling above water plus approximately 25,200 square metres of lakefilling below water on the West Island.

The Official Plan Amendment, which may include amendments to the City of Toronto Official Plan and the Central Waterfront Secondary Plan, is intended to guide the long-term land use direction of the lands and provides policy direction for the entirety of Ontario Place. An Official Plan Amendment is required to support the proposed land uses; provide specific guidance around the relationship of buildings to heritage buildings, structures and landscape and the public realm; and to appropriately address the existing and proposed parks, green space and natural heritage policies.

The Zoning By-law Amendment seeks permissions for land use, height and other development standards for the entertainment, water recreation and wellness facility on the West Island and associated public realm. The Zoning By-law Amendment also seeks broader permissions that will apply to the entire site, including a proposed shared underground parking structure on the mainland. Future Zoning By-law Amendment applications are anticipated for an entertainment venue on the East Island (Live Nation Amphitheatre) and the additional structures on the mainland (potential building to accommodate Science-based programming).