Huge Toronto parking lot could soon become a $42M aquatic centre

A waterfront parking lot could soon be transformed into a dynamic, multi-million dollar destination, as the City moves ahead with plans for a new park and aquatic centre featuring a highly requested indoor pool.

The City is preparing to transform the roughly 2.4-acre site, located at 318 Queens Quay W., into a new public space anchored by a new park and a first-of-its-kind aquatic centre. The waterfront site, which is currently home to an open-air parking lot with nearly 300 spaces, has long been envisioned as a future park.

The parking lot boasts views of the CN Tower, and is located just steps away from local landmarks like the Rogers Centre, Ripley's Aquarium, and the Harbourfront Centre.

Toronto previously held an international design competition for the site back in 2018, although plans for its construction were ultimately scrapped. Since then, the City's website has continued to identify the site as the location of a future park.

According to city documents, a total of $42 million has been set aside for the project in the City's 2026-2035 Capital Budget and Plan. Local residents and organizations have advocated for a pool on the western waterfront for at least two decades, and the need for an aquatic centre in the neighbourhood was identified in the 2018 City Council-approved Bathurst Quay Site and Specific Area Policy.

Councillor for Spadina—Fort York, Ausma Malik, confirmed on her website that the new waterfront park and facility will be designed through an upcoming international design competition.

"I've made it a priority to bring the long-planned Waterfront West Pool to our community and I'm thrilled to bring a vision to transform the 2.4 acres Rees Street parking lot (at 318 Queens Quay West) into a new park and first-of-its-kind Aquatic Centre with complementary uses for our waterfront," Malik wrote.

Public consultations are set to be held in 2027, and the design competition for the site will follow the next year. According to the City's website, staff are working with Waterfront Toronto on the project, and more updates will be announced in early 2027.

Until then, the City will be working on completing environmental investigations, reviewing options for the aquatic centre and park, and developing a community engagement strategy to help inform the future design competition.