Waterfront Toronto has announced that Sidewalk Labs, Google’s city-building sister company, will be its partner in creating a new tech-focused neighbourhood on the eastern Toronto waterfront.
Reports began circulating last spring that Sidewalk Labs, a subsidiary of Google parent Alphabet Inc., was eyeing the unassuming piece of low-slung industrial area for its first major foray into building a community, as it puts it, “from the internet up.”
On Tuesday afternoon, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Premier Kathleen Wynne, Mayor John Tory, and representatives from Waterfront Toronto and Sidewalk Labs announced plans for the new live-work area, called ”Sidewalk Toronto.”
“Together, our goal is build a complete urban community where there are good opportunities for everyone to work hard … a place where innovation of every variety can flourish,” said Wynne.
Sidewalk Labs ‘scoured’ world for ideal place to build
In March, Waterfront Toronto, created by all three levels of government to oversee transformation of waterfront land, announced that it was seeking a “funding and innovation” partner to create a complete community along the water near Bonnycastle Street and Queens Quay East.
At the time, Andrew Hilton, then director of communications and public engagement at Waterfront Toronto, described the new area as “a kind of test bed: a place in the city where we can look at trying new approaches, new technologies.”
Another image from the website Sidewalktoronto.ca shows the ‘mixed-use vision’ for the neighbourhood. (Sidewalk Labs)
On Tuesday, Sidewalk Labs CEO Dan Doctoroff said in a release the company had “scoured the globe” for the ideal location to build a technology-focused neighbourhood before settling on Toronto.
“On Toronto’s eastern waterfront, we are making a bold bet that innovative technology and forward thinking urban design can make fundamental improvements on city life,” Alphabet executive chairman Eric Schmidt said in the same release.
Project kicks off with year of consultation — and $50M
The release describes Sidewalk Toronto as a place for “tens of thousands of people to live, work, learn and play” where advanced technology like self-driving public transit and ultra-efficient energy systems are a part of everyday life.
When Waterfront Toronto announced its search for a development partner, it stipulated that the development be “climate positive” — meaning its carbon emissions clock in at less than zero — and that 20 per cent of new housing units be affordable.
To make the Port Lands usable, three levels of government committed $1.25 billion to protect them from flooding and to rehabilitate the mouth of the Don River, which empties into Lake Ontario. (CBC News)
The release also promises to bring new construction techniques to lower housing costs and connect all Torontonians to “waterfront beaches, parks and communities.”
The project will begin with a year of public consultations, beginning with a community town hall on Nov. 1. Sidewalk Labs has also committed $50 million to fund the first planning push for the neighbourhood.
Another key first step is the Port Lands flood protection project, a $1.25-billion flood-proofing and revitalization effort funded by three levels of government.