Distillery District Planning Governed by Official Plan and Heritage Rules

The Distillery District in Toronto is currently regulated by a patchwork of planning documents including the Official Plan, King-Parliament Secondary Plan, and existing heritage easement agreements. These rules determine how new projects are assessed in the area.

City Council authorized a study in 2014-2015 to designate the Distillery District as a Heritage Conservation District, which would include the triangle lands at the district's southwestern edge. The study was intended to address heritage considerations across the southwestern portion of the district.

Land Use and Mixed-Use Permissions

The Distillery District is designated as a mixed-use area in Toronto's Official Plan, permitting commercial, residential, entertainment facilities, and art galleries. This designation supports a range of activities that residents rely on for employment, housing options, and access to cultural and recreational services in their neighbourhood.

Development proposals must therefore fit within the mixed-use framework while also satisfying the requirements of the secondary plan and any heritage easement agreements that apply to specific properties.

Heritage Protections and Review Outcomes

The district was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1988 and has been protected under the Ontario Heritage Act since 1976. An ambitious proposal for a 49-storey tower at 31 Parliament Street in the triangle lands was rejected by the City's Design Review Panel in 2016 due to lack of Official Plan Amendment approval for the proposed height.

Planning decisions continue to reference these established documents and prior reviews. Residents experience the effects through the pace and scale of construction that receives approval, as well as the preservation measures applied to historic structures.

Further steps on the Heritage Conservation District study remain under consideration by the relevant planning bodies, with any outcomes expected to influence how future applications in the triangle lands and surrounding blocks are evaluated.