An automotive company has filed an application with the City of Toronto to build a three-storey Porsche dealership and service centre in the rapidly developing Port Lands region.
If approved, the dealership would replace a parking lot at 190 Cherry Street in the Polson Quay district, just south of Villiers Island and the newly built mouth for the Don River. CreateTO — Toronto’s real estate arm — leased the land in July 2023 to DFC Auto Group, which also owns an Audi dealership in Markham. Details of the lease could not be disclosed.
The dealership would span 60,000 sq ft and would include a café with an outdoor patio at the corner of Cherry and Polson Streets. It also would have a store selling Porsche-branded merchandise.
“This project represents a first wave of new development in the Polson Quay district,” CreateTO spokesperson James Wattie told Green Street News. “The 190 Cherry Street site plan supports the overall transition of the Port Lands from solely industrial land to a future mixed-use destination.”
DFC’s former Porsche dealership, at 68 Parliament Street in downtown Toronto, was demolished in 2022 to make way for the Ontario Line subway. The operation temporarily has set up shop in a former Volvo dealership at Front Street East and Parliament Street.
The proposed project will use “dynamic architecture and urban design” to create a “landmark building,” planning documents explain. The ground floor will have “an abundance of glazing,” allowing passersby to look into the Porsche showroom. Aluminum panelling — a signature style for Porsche dealerships — will cover much of the remainder of the building.
The dealership is a small part of an extensive facelift planned for Toronto’s eastern waterfront, much of which is owned by the city. Infrastructure improvements underway include new bridges, roads and the flood-protecting mouth for the Don River.
A sprawling community is planned for Villiers Island — a new island carved out by the creation of the river mouth — including residential towers, a school and stores. Developers for Villiers Island have not yet been selected.
“The Port Lands represent one of the most significant undeveloped pieces of real estate in North America,” Wattie said. “As the majority landowner in the Port Lands with over 400 acres in our portfolio, CreateTO is making sure this unique downtown district delivers maximum value for the people of Toronto.”
Revenue from land leases, like the one for the Porsche dealership, is put back into the improvements to the area, including a new city park slated to open this summer.
