Transit Progress, Tall Towers, Redesigns Made Headlines in October, 2025

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November 3, 2025 by Anthony Teles 653

Transit advances, tall towers and redesigns made headlines in October 2025

Toronto may still be suffering from grief after the Blue Jays' dramatic loss in Game 7, but the pain was tempered by the shared joy of seeing the city behind the team. The same mix of pride and resilience ran through UrbanToronto's coverage in October 2025. Transit once again tied together many stories, from the GO expansion and the TTC's takeover of the Finch West Line 6 LRT to the progress of the Ontario Line 3 as new high-rise projects continued to reshape the skyline of Yonge and St. Clair, One Yonge and Cooksville GO. In our database, forum, and threads, discussions and searches revolved around transit and megaprojects like One Bloor West, Quayside, and Forma.

Let's look at our top stories, database files and threads for October 2025.

Our ten most read messages

Attention turned to Midtown Toronto at #12, where Graywood Developments acquired 34 Montgomery Avenue from First Capital REIT and refined its plans for the site. Now designed by Turner Fleischer Architects, the 27-story, purpose-built rental tower would bring 335 units, including 10 affordable apartments, to the northeast corner of the duplex and Montgomery Avenue, just steps from the Yonge-Eglinton train station.

12. Graywood acquires and reworks a 27-story project near Yonge and Eglinton

Looking northeast at 34 Montgomery Avenue, designed by Turner Fleischer Architects for Graywood Capital

Transit and redevelopment headlines dominated readership in October, led by the Ontario government's plan to expand GO service along the Kitchener Line and increase weekend frequency through Brampton. This was followed by Pinnacle International's revamped South Block at One Yonge, which would replace the planned offices with 80- and 85-story residential towers, while Wittington and Choice Properties unveiled a new three-tower design by Kohn Pedersen Fox with the updated St. Clair Place proposal. As part of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat/Council on Vertical Urbanism Conference in Toronto, UrbanToronto toured TD Terrace, 160 Front Westwhile two Toronto vs. Chicago features round out the list.

10. Toronto vs. Chicago: High-rise vs. low-rise

9. Toronto vs. Chicago: Transit moves masses through the metropolises

8. CTBUH/CVU Tours: A rare visit up at TD Terrace at 160 Front West

7. Finch West Line 6 handed over to TTC, Mount Dennis GO-UPX to open

6. Park Road's curved shape shines as golden plaques emerge in Bloor-Yorkville

5. 3,000 units planned in 8 towers in Cooksville GO and LRT

4. Ontario begins work on value-based Caledonia GO station

3. New architect revises multi-tower development plan in Yonge and St. Clair

2. Pinnacle One Yonge South Block reimagined with two mixed-use high-rise buildings

1. Continue to Bramalea, Mount Pleasant and Kitchener

Our ten most wanted database files

At No. 16, there was renewed interest in Quayside, where Dream Unlimited and Great Gulf presented a major overhaul of the East Bayfront master plan. The update reorganizes phasing to prioritize rental and affordable housing in the first phase and defer condominiums to later phases. New site plan applications refine the tower forms as part of Quayside's next development along the Lake Shore-Queens Quay corridor.

16. Kai

Looking northwest at the revised four-tower design for Quayside, designed by architects Alliance, Henning Larsen Architects and Teeple Architects for Dream Unlimited, Great Gulf and Waterfront Toronto

October's database activity mixed familiar favorites with several new entries. Pinnacle One Yonge retained the top spot as interest in its multi-phase site remained strong, while the proposal at 110 Adelaide Street East surprisingly debuts at No. 2 following a forum discussion of mediation updates for the 65-story tower planned for the St. Lawrence district. New arrivals included Pinnacle One Yonge's revamped South Block, The Pemberton, whose twin towers began to rise from the podium, and One Delisle, which UrbanToronto toured as part of the CTBUH/CVU conference. The Stella returned to the list as continued progress is made in the Six Points area of ​​Etobicoke as part of the city's Housing Now program.

10. The Stella

9. A delicacy

8. The Pemberton

7. Pinnacle One Yonge South Block

6. Pinnacle Lakeside (Phase 1)

5. Concord Sky

4. Shape

3. A Bloor West

2. 110 Adelaide Street East

1. Pinnacle One Yonge

Looking south toward the SkyTower at Pinnacle One Yonge, image by UrbanToronto Forum contributor mburrrrr

Our ten most visited threads

Coming in at No. 14, discussions continued about the ongoing transformation of the Lower Don Lands, where Waterfront Toronto continues to advance the landscape work of Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates. Forum members shared detailed photo updates showing new tree plantings and fall colors in the first phase of Biidaasige Park, and also noted progress on paving, fencing and lighting along Lake Shore Boulevard East and Don Roadway.

14. Redevelopment of the Lower Don Lands

Public art trail along the new Don Lands estuary in Toronto's Port Lands, image by NORM LI

In October, public transport discussions took center stage again at forums, with the long-delayed Eglinton Line 5 maintaining its lead as anticipation for its opening grows. The One Bloor West climbed to second place as work progressed on the crown structure housing the tuned mass damper, while the Pinnacle One Yonge dropped to third place. Forma jumped to fourth place with the cladding now climbing the 73-story East Tower, the first visible sign that Frank Gehry's sculptural design was taking shape. Ontario Line 3 remained stable in the top five while work continued on major stations.

10. Revitalize Union Station

9. CIBC SQUARE

8. Finch West Line 6 LRT

7. KING Toronto

6. Concord Sky

5. Ontario Line 3

4. Shape

3. Pinnacle One Yonge

2. A Bloor West

1. Eglinton Line 5

Looking southwest at the crown construction at One Bloor West, image by UrbanToronto Forum staff hawc

We'll be back in early December to provide a look back at November's top news stories, database files and forum threads.

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UrbanToronto's research and data service, UTPro, provides comprehensive data on construction projects in the Greater Golden Horseshoe – from proposal to completion. Other services include instant reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from the first application.​