A meeting with Toronto's Design Review Panel (DRP) in November has shed light on early stage details regarding the development and expansion at Woodbine Racetrack.
Design Review Panels are comprised of volunteer design professionals such as architects, landscape architects, urban designers and engineers, who provide professional, objective advice aimed at improving matters of design that affect the public realm. According to the City's website, Toronto's Design Review Panel "provides advice on both private development and public projects, including advice on new urban design policy. The advice is based on publicly approved criteria such as zoning, secondary plans and urban design guidelines."
The November 24 meeting was the first review for the plans that involve two rezoning applications under review: one is to expand for table gaming, the other is to allow for the construction of the Gaming District -- phase 1A of the master plan.
Images below appear courtesy WEG and Urban Toronto, who noted that updated photos were presented at the November meeting.
Site plan of the Woodbine Racetrack Redevelopment
Ground floor plan
Second floor plan
Conceptual rendering of the Gaming District
Conceptual rendering of Queen's Plate Drive
Phasing Plan
"There was no vote on the proposal, but the [Design Review] Panel offered encouragement to the design team, pointing out that this was a tremendous opportunity to do something unique and successful," Urban Toronto reported. "They urged the designers to paint a clearer picture and present a more unified vision for the site, and that more work needed to be done to truly integrate the mix of uses proposed."