Queen & River
The original 2017 proposal for 28 River Street was refused by City Council. The applicant appealed to the OLT. In 2022, a revised settlement proposal expanded the development site to include 544 and 550 Queen Street East and moved to an 18-storey mixed-use building with 380 residential units, retail, office space, and parking. City Council accepted the settlement offer in June 2022, and the OLT issued an order in August 2022 approving the zoning by-law amendment portions, with the order effective August 11, 2022. Recent 2026 news about Brewers Retail and Block Developments is relevant because it involved the 28 River property, but it is a legal/damages story and not itself a construction or development update.
Approved / pre-construction mixed-use redevelopment at 28 River Street and 550 Queen Street East, publicly known as Queen & River.
Site area: 5,727.3 sq. m.
Building form: 18-storey mixed-use building at 60 metres, excluding mechanical penthouse.
Total GFA: 31,236 sq. m total GFA, including 28,268 sq. m residential GFA and 2,968 sq. m non-residential GFA; approximately 5.45 FSI.
Residential units: 380 total units.
Unit mix: Mix of live/work, townhouse, and apartment-style residential units.
Non-residential space: 2,968 sq. m total non-residential GFA, including 465 sq. m of retail facing River Street and 1,405 sq. m of office space.
Parking/loading: 106 vehicle parking spaces; drawings also show bicycle parking rooms and Type G & Type B loading areas.
Key planning context: The original 2017 application was for a 15-storey mixed-use building at 28 River Street with 162 dwelling units, 458 sq. m of ground-floor commercial space, and 11,752 sq. m total GFA. City Council refused that application in April 2017 and the applicant appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal. A revised 2022 settlement proposal expanded the development site to include 550 Queen Street East and resulted in the current 18-storey, 380-unit mixed-use proposal. City Council adopted the settlement direction in June 2022. The project is not currently under construction and should be treated as pre-construction, potentially stalled.
Project Details
28 River Street; 544 and 550 Queen Street East
Developer: Spotlight Development Inc. & Liberty Development Corporation
Owner: Queen River Limited Partnership
Architect: BDP Quadrangle
Planning Consultant: Bousfields Inc.
Key Dates
Dec. 19, 2016: Original application received under file 16 268409 STE 28 OZ.
Mar. 16, 2017: City staff refusal report dated for the original 28 River Street proposal.
Mar. 23, 2017: Community consultation meeting held for the original proposal.
Apr. 4, 2017: Toronto and East York Community Council adopted the staff refusal recommendations.
Apr. 19, 2017: City staff supplementary report dated, summarizing feedback from the March 23 community consultation meeting.
Apr. 26-28, 2017: City Council refused the original 28 River Street zoning amendment application.
June 8, 2022: Applicant submitted a with-prejudice settlement offer for the revised proposal, expanding the site to include 544 and 550 Queen Street East.
June 15-16, 2022: City Council accepted the settlement offer for the revised proposal at the Ontario Land Tribunal.
Aug. 9, 2022: Ontario Land Tribunal issued a decision and order approving the zoning by-law amendment portions of the revised proposal, subject to issuance of a final order.
Aug. 11, 2022: Ontario Land Tribunal order became effective, amending the zoning by-law in accordance with the revised proposal.
Sept. 20, 2022: Toronto Preservation Board considered the related heritage request for 544 and 550 Queen Street East.
Sept. 28, 2022: City Council approved the related heritage alterations for 544 and 550 Queen Street East and 28 River Street.
City File Number
2017.TE23.15 / appeal PL170622, OLT-22-03289
City Contact
2022 related item: 2022.PB38.8