DEVELOPMENT PLANNING
May 8, 2026 2.1K
Downsview West District resubmission refines plan for former airport site
A revised vision for one of Toronto’s largest redevelopment areas is moving forward in North York, as updated plans for the Downsview West District portion of the former Downsview Airport Lands refine a massive mixed-use community around Downsview Park TTC and the GO train station. The master plan was planned by Urban Strategies in collaboration with SLA and Indigenous-led Trophic Design for Canada Lands Company (CLC), with heritage integration overseen by ERA Architects. The new submission further develops the district framework following feedback from city staff and Toronto’s Design Review Panel.
A top view looking northwest of the Downsview West District designed by Urban Strategies, SLA and Trophic Design for Canada Lands Company
The 30.3 hectare site occupies a large portion of the former aerospace and military site north of Downsview Park. Located south and west of Sheppard Avenue West and Keele Street, the site includes the existing Downsview Park TTC and GO station at its northeast corner, while the sprawling Cold War-era Depot Building, an 875,000-square-foot industrial building that currently houses interim uses such as film studios and the Downsview Park Merchants’ Market, currently dominates the otherwise grassy site.
A top view looking south at the current location, image from submission to the City of Toronto
The long-term redevelopment of the former Downsview Airport site is one of the largest urban transformation sites in North America. Planning for the broader Downsview framework was shaped through the id8 Downsview process led by Canada Lands Company and Northcrest Developments. Downsview West emerged in 2024 as the first major Canada Lands-led district north of Downsview Park to move toward implementation. The original district framework was submitted to Toronto’s Design Review Panel in February 2025. Since then, the proposal has evolved through ongoing consultations with City staff, Indigenous communities, authorities and local stakeholders, resulting in the Zoning Bylaw Amendment and Draft Subdivision Plan applications being resubmitted to the City of Toronto in March 2026.
Previous design by Urban Strategies, SLA and Trophic Design for Canada Lands Company
The revised framework divides the site into three areas: Station Quarter near Downsview Park station, Heart at the Crossroads focusing on “Heart Park” and the northern part of a shared depot building, and the smaller Mews district to the south. The tallest buildings would continue to be concentrated closest to Transit, where towers would reach a maximum height of 60 stories or 197 m.
Conceptual plan designed by Urban Strategies, SLA and Trophic Design for Canada Lands Company
This latest submission further refines the placement of the towers and the transition between taller buildings in the station area and the predominantly mid-rise southern blocks. The updated materials also provide more detailed studies of tower spacing and floor plate size, including flexibility for 800 m² floor plates for towers over 20 floors while maintaining a minimum spacing of 30 m, providing more generous “breathing space” and privacy than the City’s general 25 m policy.
View north of the Downsview West District designed by Urban Strategies, SLA and Trophic Design for Canada Lands Company
The proposal continues to target approximately 8,800 residential units, including 20% ​​affordable housing, as well as a mix of employment, retail, institutional and community uses. Previous plans called for approximately 120,000 m² of gross floor area (GFA) for non-residential buildings and approximately 25,000 m² of retail space, while the latest plans reduce the GFA for non-residential buildings to 90,000 m², including 65,000 m² of institutional GFA, 16,000 m² of office space and 9,000 m² of retail space. This includes office space adjacent to the transit station and retail outlets concentrated along the busy street frontages and Depot Mews.
Depot Plaza in the Downsview West District designed by Urban Strategies, SLA and Trophic Design for Canada Lands Company
A primary school, three daycare centers and around 930 m² of municipal agency space are also planned. Central to the proposal remains the adaptive reuse of the depot building, which would be divided by the Dovehouse Avenue extension, while retaining large portions of the structure for retail, employment, market, cultural and community uses.
Conceptual ground floor plan designed by Urban Strategies, SLA and Trophic Design for Canada Lands Company
The revised submission further develops the concept for Depot Mews, a narrow community street inspired by older urban retail corridors. Public space plans continue to focus on a network of parks and open spaces including Heart Park, Tuscan Gate Park, Fire Hall Park, Depot Plaza, Carl Hall Plaza and the Bio Corridor, all connected by the Native-inspired Ancestors’ Trail.
Heart Park in the Downsivew West District, designed by Urban Strategies, SLA and Trophic Design for Canada Lands Company
An expanded and finer-grained road network with extensive active transportation routes would connect the station to Downsview Park and surrounding neighborhoods. The Dovehouse Avenue extension would create a new east-west connection and pass under the Barrie rail corridor to connect to the future Downsview East District phase of the redevelopment. Sustainability goals include Toronto Green Standard Tier 3 Version 4 performance, a goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, approximately 1,300 new trees and a decentralized stormwater management strategy based on bioswales, green infrastructure, permeable surfaces and landscape-based water retention. The phasing distribution generally ran south to north over more than a decade, starting with blocks closest to Downsview Park and Carl Hall Road and then moving toward the Station District.
Tuscan Gate Park in the Downsview West District, designed by Urban Strategies, SLA and Trophic Design for Canada Lands Company
Downsview Park station is served by University Line 1 and GO Transit’s Barrie Line, which is currently being expanded to accommodate eventual all-day round trip service. New TTC land transport routes are planned for the new road network. The plan also promotes protected bicycle infrastructure on major streets, off-street bike paths through the organic corridor, and possible bridge connections directly connecting the station to Downsview Park and future neighborhoods east of the rail corridor.
Extension of Dovehouse Avenue through Depot Passage in the Downsview West District, designed by Urban Strategies, SLA and Trophic Design for Canada Lands Company
Other major redevelopment proposals nearby are also being progressed as part of the Downsview framework. To the west, CLC’s Arbo community is planned to feature eight 20-story buildings, while to the south, Northcrest’s Hangar District will feature 39 23-story buildings. Just outside the former Downsview Airport site, the Downsview LTC & Retirement Residence project calls for three towers ranging from 9 to 16 stories to the west of the site, while a 29-story tower is planned at 3374 Keele Street to the southwest. Further east, applications for a 15-story mixed-use building at 1050 Sheppard Avenue West and three towers of 50 to 55 stories at 20 De Boers Drive continue to increase density.
UrbanToronto will continue to monitor the progress of this development, but in the meantime you can learn more in our database file linked below. If you’d like, you can join the discussion in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the designated area on this page.
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