Ontario Place - Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment - Status Report

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).