The Planning Partnership prepared a comprehensive Master Plan for Toronto’s newest Business Improvement Area (BIA), the Toronto Entertainment District. The Master Plan set out a long-term vision and implementation strategy for improving the streets and open spaces in the District. The Plan also provided guidance for ensuring that the characteristics that make the area unique, such as the historic ‘brick and beam’ warehouse buildings, are retained and enhanced, and that new development further enriches the area.
The study process included an extensive consultation process. Important elements of the consultation were a multi-day design charrette and several days of stakeholder interviews. The Master Plan provides the BIA with guidance for direct investments in the public realm, as well as the necessary tools to guide planning and design decisions with respect to new developments. As an outcome of the Plan, numerous initiatives are now underway, including the creation of an arts and culture promenade.