In southeast Mississauga, the redevelopment of the former Lakeview Generating Station lands has become the setting of a potential showdown between its developers and the City of Mississauga, with the possibility of putting the Provincial Government at odds with the City of Mississauga.

Lakeview Community Partners Limited, a consortium of developers, have submitted a request for a Minister’s Zoning Order (MZO) that would effectively double the site's density while drastically reducing or eliminating various limits prescribed by the Zoning By-law that directs new development on the expansive site. In response, Mississauga's Planning and Building Department is concerned that if the MZO is allowed, the Lakeview Village development would overwhelm the capacity of local infrastructure to handle the increased demand, and have a lasting impact on the Greater Toronto Area.

Masterplan overview of Lakeview Village, designed by Sasaki Architects for Lakeview Community Partners

The area in question is south of Lakeshore Road East at Hydro Road, between the major intersections of Cawthra and Dixie roads. The land is approximately 71.63ha/716,300m²/177 acres in area, extending to Lake Ontario. It has been approved for a new mixed-use community with more than 20 development blocks, and — sitting between Marie Curtis and Lakefront Promenade Parks — would also add extensive new parkland alongside Lake Ontario while rerouting a section of the Waterfront Trail closer to the lake.

An aerial view of the site with the land outlined, image from submission to Government of Ontario

The MZO request looks for an overhaul in the Zoning By-law for the site, doubling the permitted density from 8,050 to 16,000 residential units. Further requests include unlimited heights (except for a 10-storey limit for buildings directly facing the waterfront), elimination of site plan control, no density maximum on a block-by-block basis, increased tower floor-plate sizes, no requirement for townhomes, no podium requirements, reduced amenity areas for buildings, reduced landscape areas, and more.

Rendering of the development as currently approved, image from submission to Government of Ontario

The City of Mississauga's Planning and Building Department has expressed several concerns regarding these requests, including that;

  • the development relies on Lakeshore Road East for its road access, which is seen as insufficient for the units proposed
  • the impact of increased density, unlimited building heights, and reduced amenity spaces would negatively impact the community's livability and its surrounding environment

Looking south to Lakeview Village, designed by Cacada Design for for Lakeview Community Partners

The Planning and Building Department report is particularly wary of setting a precedent for future developments in the region by granting an MZO under the circumstances as presented here. Until now, the City has initiated three MZO requests (two of which have been granted, the third is in progress), and supported two other requests by applicants at the beginning of the planning process where an MZO would expedite projects otherwise threatened by timelines. In this case, the City sees an MZO timed after all of the planning has been negotiated over years to be an undermining of the existing planning framework that would lead to further conflicts between developers and planning authorities.

Current view of the northernmost end of the site at Lakeshore Road East and Hydro Road, image retrieved from Google Street View

The Planning and Building Department Commissioner's report will be reviewed at a Planning and Development Committee meeting to be held on May 15, 2023 at 6:00 PM, at the Civic Centre in Mississauga. The full report, with many more details, can be read here.

UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file, linked below. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.

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Related Companies:  Greenloc Environmental Hoarding, Kramer Design Associates Limited, NAK Design Strategies, PreCon Real Estate, Tridel, Urban Strategies Inc.