The plan is to turn underutilized Port Lands into a beautiful Villiers Island community
Every year, Toronto is hit by floods during thunderstorms and Port Lands on the eastern side of the Waterfront is severely affected by it.
Due to floods, Port Lands is one of the most underutilized areas of Toronto with less scope of development. In a few years, things are about to change for Port Lands with the construction of a brand new Villiers Island. As a part of the flood protection program, Toronto Waterfront seems all set to get a massive facelift by reconstructing the mouth of Don River to divert water safely into the Keating Channel.
According to Waterfront Toronto (the organization responsible for rejuvenating Port Lands), a new river valley will be created to provide a safe passage to Don River into the harbour and thus avoid flooding of Port Lands, which in turn will lead to the creation of Villiers Island. With parks, public spaces, wetlands and commercial spaces spread across the 88-acre island, Villiers island would be connected to Downtown Toronto through roads, streetcars, and cycling paths. The island will be surrounded by Don Roadway in the east, Inner Harbour in the west, Keating Channel to the north, and Polson Slip to the south.
With Google’s futuristic neighbourhood and Amazon’s HQ2 headquarters being built on Eastern Waterfront, Villiers Island will be just a stone’s throw away from these prestigious projects. With over $1.25 billion budget, Villiers Island is expected to be up and running by the end of 2024.
We would love to see what the future has in store for Toronto Waterfront.