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West of the Credit River, the marina, and the historic Port Credit village, the Mississauga street grid is broken up by an expanse of vacant land. From above, the former Imperial Oil Lands could—depending on the season—be mistaken for a park. The street level tells a different story. A 72-acre stretch of brownfield land remains fenced off to the public; a remnant of 20th century industry. In March of this year, however, the long-vacant site was officaly sold by Imperial Oil to the 'West Village Partners' (WWP) development consortium, who have now revealed a draft plan for the site's mixed-use redevelopment.
Consisting of developers Kilmer Group, Dream, Diamond Corp, and Fram + Slokker, the WWP won an RFP to purchase the lands in December of last year, with the sale finalized in the early months of 2017. Long slated for redevelopment by the City of Mississauga, the site became the subject of a comprehensive City-led evaluation, with extensive public consultation (begun in 2012) informing the publication of 2015's Inspiration Port Credit (IPC) report.
Prioritizing sustainability, green space, and public access to the waterfront, the report envisioned "urban neighbourhood of landscapes, meeting places, living, working, learning and drawing people to the water’s edge to play." In particular, maintaining public access to the waterfront was a primary concern, with an aim to avoid the condo-dominated lakefront seen across parts of Toronto.
Now, a year and a half later, the developers have came forward with a preliminary vision for the site—dubbed 'West Village Port Credit'—which calls for some 2,500 units, as well as approximately 200,000 ft² of combined retail and office space. Set to house about 5,000 residents, the community will be fronted by a new waterfront park, featuring a beach and "ecological gardens," while a series of green corridors will create pedestrian and cycling links through the site, leading to Lakeshore Road.
Incorporating a series of greenscaped public squares, the site will be anchored by a proposed community centre and adjoining public space. To program the facility, the WWP is exploring partnerships with the YMCA and Evergreen, though more concrete information about the nature of the space is not yet available.
As it stands, the draft plan outlines a fairly preliminary vision, with programming, site planning, and architectural expression, still to take shape as the planning process gets underway. While plans for the site remain largely conceptual, the provision of affordable housing is also being touted as a crucial element of the community.
Occupied predominantly by mid- and low-rise structures—apparently slated to feature extensive green roof coverage—up to six of the site's buildings will be high-rises. A height peak of 26 storeys has been identified, with the tallest buildings set to be clustered at the south end of the site, adjacent to the community centre and waterfront park.
The site plan will also attempt to incorporate the vacant site–which was decommissioned by Imperial Oil in 1988—into the surrounding street grid. However, since the street grids to the east, north, and west of the site all vary, the the new thoroughfares will have to transition from the tightly packed urban street grid that characterizes the historic Port Credit Village (to the east) towards the much looser suburban grid to the west and north.
With site studies and surveying now underway, preparatory activity is scheduled to being by the end of the year. Pending approvals, the first phase of construction could begin as early as 2019, though the project's ultimate schedule is contingent on what may prove a complex planning process.
Located over a kilometre from the Port Credit GO station, the viability of the West Village community is at least partially contingent on the implementation of all-day RER service, which would significantly enhance connectivity with Downtown Toronto. In addition, the Port Credit station would serve as an intermodal transfer point for the planned Hurontario-Main LRT, further expanding the area's regional connectivity.
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We will keep you updated as more information becomes available, and the plans continue to take shape. In the meantime, you can learn more by checking out our newly established dataBase file, linked below. Want to share your thoughts? Leave a comment on this page, or join the ongoing conversation in our Forum.
