Gilbach Inc. has submitted an application to build an entertainment and hospitality complex across the street from Toronto Premium Outlets.
The property, located at the northeast corner of Steeles Avenue and Eighth Line, is currently vacant. Gilbach is looking to build a water park, hotel up to eight storeys, convention centre, restaurants, a spa and flying theatre, and possibly more.
A flying theatre is one where the audience sits in seats attached to a large articulating arm that moves with the screen, creating the illusion of moving with the “camera.”
Halton Hills Council held a public meeting this week on the subject as the developer requires an Official Plan amendment in order for the plans to proceed to the next step. No residents came forward to speak during the meeting.
South Halton Hills along Eighth Line will be a hive of activity in the near future. Several swaths of land along the corridor has been primed for development, along with the proposed entertainment district.
A mammoth 1,000-acre chunk of land bounded by Eighth Line and Trafalgar Road to the east and west and 15 Sideroad and 10 Sideroad in the north and south will be home to Vision Georgetown. This is the Town’s plan to create homes for 19,000 residents and 1,700 new jobs.
Staff has been consulting with the public regarding a major upcoming expansion of Eighth Line. The widening and upgrading of the road cross-section will happen between Steeles Avenue and Maple Avenue, along a 10.5-km stretch.
The land on which the entertainment district is proposed has been tapped for major development as well. Stretching from Sixth Line all the way to a tributary of the Sixteen Mile Creek north of Steeles Avenue is a tract of land called Phase 1B. The Town is eyeing that area for general employment-related development.
Across the street from the proposed entertainment and hospitality district, developer Prologis is hoping to build three logistical warehouse facilities.
QuadReal, another developer, owns lands further west on Phase 1B for an industrial project similar to the Prologis one.
A tract of land east of Eighth Line called Phase 2B, which stretches from the tributary all the way to Winston Churchill Boulevard, is also slated as employment land.
Town staff will bring a recommendation on whether to approve or deny the Official Plan amendment to a future council meeting. If approved, the developer will also have to apply for a zoning bylaw amendment before the plans can proceed.
