Project Overview:

Carla led the award-winning revitalization of an 80-acre brownfield site at a unique location at the mouth of the Don River and transformed it into a vibrant, mixed-use, transit-oriented masterplan with 6000 residential units, one million square feet of commercial space, 23 acres of parks and public space and 1200 units of affordable housing. The masterplan unlocked $10 billion in revenues through adjacent development and $650 million in revenues in the first phases of the project.

In addition to the main challenges of revitalizing a brownfield site into a livable community, the West Don lands was challenged by an overpass bisecting the development parcels with undesirable dark space underneath increasing the risk of unsafe activities next to the proposed projects. 

Early in the planning process, the team identified the potential risks and physical constraints of the land underneath the overpass and transformed it into an award-winning park that increased the value of the development projects, and positioning the park as a marketing asset for the development.

Today the West Don Lands is recognized as an award-winning jewel of the City of Toronto with its mixed-use riverside community benefiting social, economic and environmental needs of the region.