DEVELOPMENT PLANNING
March 20, 2026 2.3K
Wilson District: High-rise buildings of up to 63 stories in the next Downsview phase
Northcrest Developments is moving forward with a district plan, along with a zoning bylaw amendment and a draft subdivision plan submitted to the City of Toronto for the Wilson district, a key new subdivision within the broader YZD (Downsview Airport Lands) redevelopment in North York. The proposal, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill with Adamson Associates Architects, calls for a mixed-use development with 22 buildings, with one building rising to 63 stories. The site is immediately adjacent to the Wilson Station on University Line 1 and is the southernmost district within the larger master-planned YZD community.
View northeast of the Wilson District designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Adamson Associates Architects for Northcrest Developments
The 18-hectare (180,841 m²) property extends north of Wilson Avenue between Dufferin Street and Allen Road and borders approximately 6 additional hectares of TTC-owned land. The site includes a section of the former Downsview Airport runway, parking areas and leased land. The surrounding area is diverse, with residential neighborhoods of low-rise apartment buildings and a mix of emerging mid-rise and high-rise developments clustered around the station area.
An aerial view of the site and surrounding area, image from submission to the City of Toronto
Following the closure of airport operations, the Downsview Secondary Plan 2024 set a long-term vision for the transformation of the 540 hectare Downsview site. One of 15 districts in this framework, the Wilson District is slated for mixed-use growth within a key transit station area, with a focus on the Wilson station.
YZD designed by Henning Larsen Architects and KPMB Architects for Northcrest Developments
The district plan outlines a transit-oriented, mixed-use neighborhood structured around a connected network of streets, parks and development blocks. The proposal envisages a gross floor area of approximately 705,280 m², of which 635,780 m² is for residential use, with a total area index of 3.9 times the coverage of the plot.
Conceptual plan designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Adamson Associates Architects for Northcrest Developments
Heights would range from approximately 29m to 195m, or up to 63 stories. Taller buildings would be concentrated on the eastern portion of the site near the train station or along major corridors such as Wilson Avenue and Billy Bishop Way. Building heights would decrease toward the west and north edges to provide a transition to adjacent smaller areas and future phases of development, with tower placement designed to maintain separation distances in accordance with City guidelines.
Conceptual site plan designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Adamson Associates Architects for Northcrest Developments
The housing program would deliver 9,529 units, including 951 studios, 4,290 one-bedroom units, 2,859 two-bedroom units and 1,429 units with three or more bedrooms. There is also 69,500 m² of non-residential space, including 24,505 m² of office use, 23,690 m² of retail and commercial space and a mix of shared facilities. These include a planned elementary school, a district library, three daycare centers and a flexible community room as well as a hotel and a centrally located cultural center called “Bezirksherz”.
Streetscape designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Adamson Associates Architects for Northcrest Developments
The extensive network of public spaces would create around 33,106 m² of open space. These include two public parks totaling 16,300 m², a 5,351 m² section of the Green Spine on the eastern edge and a number of POPS (Privately-Owned Publicly-Accessible Spaces) throughout the site. Elements include the Runway Plaza, which repurposes part of the former runway as a pedestrian corridor, the curved “Arc” link connecting the neighborhood to Wilson Station, and the Trailhead and other mid-block routes that improve permeability.
Conceptual ground floor plan designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Adamson Associates Architects for Northcrest Developments
The area is served by several TTC bus routes, with stops located along Wilson Avenue and at the adjacent train station. Existing bicycle infrastructure in the immediate area is limited, with sharrows on Faywood Boulevard approximately 600 m to the east, although the district plan calls for a finer-grained street network with dedicated bicycle facilities and pedestrian-focused design. Looking forward, Wilson Avenue and Dufferin Street have been identified as candidates for transit priority improvements under the RapidTO program, while longer-term regional initiatives include the GO extension and a proposed Sheppard Line 4 extension currently under review by Metrolinx.
In the northwest, the hangar district, another component of the YZD master plan, includes 39 buildings with 23 floors. East of the station, across Allen Road, is a growing group of developments that includes the under-construction 50 Wilson Heights Boulevard development, which will construct six buildings ranging from 11 to 16 stories, and the nearby Express Condominiums on the Subway, which will have three towers ranging from 14 to 17 stories. Other proposals include a 34-story tower at 2 Tippett Road and a five-tower project at 75 Billy Bishop Way ranging from 21 to 49 stories.
UrbanToronto will continue to monitor the progress of these developments, but in the meantime you can learn more in our database files linked below. If you’d like, you can join the discussions in the associated Project Forum threads or leave a comment in the designated area on this page.
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