Toronto is so starved for housing that towers are being planned on an island that doesn't even exist yet, technically speaking.

The $1.25 billion Port Lands Flood Protection Project is transforming a portion of the barren post-industrial wasteland into a new island courtesy of a re-routed and naturalized Don River valleyetched through the area.

Water won't flow through the new river mouth until 2025, but bridges are in place, and thefuture Villiers Islandis already being targeted for development.

Details about the island's future development plan were revealed during a recent public meeting hosted by the City of Toronto and its real estate asset arm CreateTO.

Three different visions for high-density developments were shared at the meeting, and the City along with CreateTO are now seeking feedback from the public on the island's future.

In the recent public meeting on Villiers Island, with the@cityoftorontoand@CreateTO, we shared three approaches to increasing density. Now we’re looking for public feedback. Share your thoughts in this survey, until July 9th:https://t.co/5g4F86Hy5Cpic.twitter.com/f7Q251DJGo

— Waterfront Toronto (@WaterfrontTO)July 4, 2023

Asurvey asks the publicto rate potential uses of the land by importance, including opportunities for affordable housing, animating the water's edges, creating a network of public open spaces, prioritizing pedestrian, cycling and transit infrastructure, and a handful of other factors.

All three visions floated share one thing in common, though. They all propose high-density land uses that would bring thousands of new residents and businesses to the soon-to-be-island.

Uhh, all three renderings look the same. (Of course, not your problem.)

— Bike Tarrytown (@BikeTarrytown)July 4, 2023

Several people have reacted to a preview of the three visions shared by Waterfront Toronto, with the shared complaint that the trio of renderings appear almost identical.

The 3 choices look almost identical... How about taking a page from Best practices and look at Chicago's waterfront and not make the same butcherjob mistakes that was carried out on the Queen's Quay East waterfront ?

— Mike 222 (@Mike22282285503)July 4, 2023

One commenter suggests that the island should only be built out with low-density development, however, several responses called out this logic amid Toronto's ongoing housing crunch.

Single family homes ideally.

除非,中高层的混合体。高层s are low agency for people.

— Alex Bernardino (@Al3xBernardino)July 4, 2023

Others are fully behind high-density development for the Port Lands, as long as it gets housing built quickly.

Whatever approach builds the most housing. Just make sure you properly plan it for mixed use and functional everything else.

— Trendl Tipple (@TippleTrendl)July 4, 2023

Thesame flood protection project, once complete, will alsoopen up another huge swath of land north of the Keating Channelfor redevelopment by eliminating the floodplain it sits on through the river's redirection.