The building is intended to be an important public destination as well as provide a range of housing and commercial opportunities. No residential or education facilities could be built near the existing Redpath Sugar plant until TEDCO's Corus building buffered the new development from the old industrial uses. However, many aspects of the project have been mired in controversy.

Corus Quay is located near the previous site of the Waterside Sports Tennis Club, which was looking for a new location "waterside". But as neither the city nor