Quayside ...

Quayside is a landmark 12-acre waterfront redevelopment redefining the future of city-building in Toronto: a vibrant mixed-use neighbourhood bringing together housing, employment, retail, public space, and community amenities as a connected extension of the city’s eastern waterfront. Working alongside Quayside Impact Limited Partnership (QILP), the design team, and Waterfront Toronto, the Spanier Group was engaged to shape the retail and mixed-use vision for the development.

The mandate centred on creating an animated and resilient ground-floor experience, one that strengthens the public realm and supports a vibrant, walkable community. That meant aligning retail programming, tenant mix, unit sizing, patio locations, and back-of-house planning with the broader urban design vision, so retail and public spaces would work seamlessly together rather than compete.

The Spanier Group developed recommendations across retail programming, tenant mix, sizing and configuration, and patio and back-of-house planning, and contributed to the Quayside Urban Design Guidelines. Through an integrated placemaking approach, the team helped shape a destination that supports residents, businesses, and visitors alike, demonstrating how thoughtful retail strategy and placemaking can enhance the long-term success of mixed-use communities while creating engaging public spaces that foster everyday activity and connection.