Urban Strategies was retained by Infrastructure Ontario to lead the planning approvals process for the zoning envelope of Ontario’s first tower courthouse, on an underutilized parking lot site in downtown Toronto. This process was undertaken concurrently with functional programming. The project required a high degree of coordination amongst several internal and external project stakeholders, including neighbours, numerous IO divisions, the Ministry of the Attorney General, functional programming consultants, Toronto City staff, and a large team of subconsultants coordinated by Urban Strategies.

As the lead planning consultant, Urban Strategies undertook extensive land use planning analysis and the coordination of necessary approvals documents, including a planning rationale, urban design guidelines, additional background studies, testing design options, overseeing the submission of the zoning by-law amendment, and liaising with City staff and subconsultants to see timely project approval. Community council approved the zoning by-law amendment to allow the development of the New Toronto Courthouse on June 14, 2016.

In January, 2018, Infrastructure Ontario announced the preferred proponent to design, build, finance and maintain the new Toronto courthouse project. [From the IO press release]:  Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and the Ministry of the Attorney General (MAG) selected EllisDon Infrastructure after extensive evaluations following an open, fair and competitive request for proposals process that began in October 2016.

The EllisDon Infrastructure team includes:
Developer: EllisDon Capital Inc.
Constructor: EllisDon Design Build Inc.
Design Team: Renzo Piano Building Workshop and NORR Limited
Facilities Management: EllisDon Facilities Services Inc. and SNC Lavalin O&M
Financial Advisor: EllisDon Capital Inc.

New Toronto Courthouse

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