Distillery District Toronto: Council Vote on $2.3M Project

Toronto city council will vote July 22 on whether to extend the pedestrian priority zone along Mill Street into the Distillery District core and allocate $2.3 million from the 2026 capital budget for the work.

The decision arrives as property assessments in the area rose 14 percent between 2024 and 2025, according to Municipal Property Assessment Corporation data released last month, and as developers submit new applications for mixed-use buildings on adjacent parcels near Cherry Street.

Input from Residents and Businesses

Two organisations have led recent consultations. The Distillery District Business Improvement Area surveyed 340 merchants in May and found 62 percent support the extension if loading zones remain on adjacent side streets. The Corktown Residents Association held an open house at the Cooperage building on July 3 that drew 180 people, many of whom raised concerns about delivery access for the weekly farmers market held on Distillery Lane.

Staff from the city's transportation division will present three options at the July 22 meeting: a full closure to vehicles between Parliament Street and Cherry Street, a timed restriction during daytime hours, or a narrower curb extension that keeps one traffic lane. Each option carries different maintenance costs listed in the staff report.

Heritage Toronto has also weighed in, noting that any paving changes must preserve the original brickwork visible along the south side of Mill Street and cannot alter the facades of the 19th-century Gooderham & Worts structures.

Next Steps for Funding and Timeline

If council approves the full closure, construction would begin in September 2026 and finish by March 2027, according to the project schedule. The Distillery District BIA has offered to cover $180,000 of the total through its existing levy if the city matches the amount for wayfinding signs and lighting upgrades.

Business owners along Mill Street can submit written comments until July 18 through the city's online portal or by attending the public deputations session scheduled for July 20 at City Hall. The outcome of the vote will determine whether the pedestrian zone expands before the holiday market season opens in November.