Developer unveils vision for Toronto rail deck community at site once envisioned as a giant park

“The project will include a mix of housing types, including purpose-built rental and condo units,” said Jordana Ross, vice-president of development for Fengate Real Estate, in an email.

“Our housing approach is informed by supply-based demand to ensure Toronto gets the mix of housing it needs, where people want it.”

The plans call for a new six-acre deck over the Bathurst North Rail Yard.

The project will include 85,000 square metres of office space, 4,700 square metres of retail space, as well as access to Go Transit, two daycares and more than two acres of elevated urban parkland.

There will be no affordable rental units, Ross added. Under Ontario rent control laws, which exempt units occupied on or after Nov. 15, 2018, the rental units will not be rent controlled, meaning the landlord can raise rents as much as they want every year. 

Ross did not provide a breakdown of the number of units that would be condos vs. rental units but said the “current concept,” which may change in the planning and design process, includes about 12 per cent studios, 62 per cent one-bedroom units, 17 per cent two-bedroom units and 10 per cent three-bedroom units. 

It’s been a tough time for new condo developments, as for the first time in 30 years there were zero new condo projects launched in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area in the first quarter of the year, according to real estate market research firm Urbanation.

Asked how they can proceed when so many others are stalled, Ross credited the relationship with their investor, LiUNA.

LiUNA did not respond to a request for comment by deadline.

The 2.3 acres of parkland will be privately owned but publicly accessible, she added, with shade, children’s playgrounds, and spaces for community festivals and markets.

The city’s original dream was to build a public park of about 20 acres of elevated green space similar to Chicago’s Millenium Park. But there was a long fight about air rights and what could be built there. 

Ross said after “extensive consultation with Metrolinx,” they determined that it was not “feasible to design or construct the decking that would be required to support a park above the active rail corridor at this time because of ongoing GO expansion,” she said. 

“Our proposal focuses on the portion of the site that can move forward now, while maximizing the amount of high-quality open space.”

A spokesperson for Metrolinx said in an email its “only role would be if any permits/permissions are required as part of the development adjacent to or above our rail corridor. Outside of that, we are not involved with this project.

The spokesperson added that “Metrolinx is working collaboratively with Fengate to understand how they can maximize their development proposal without impacting the delivery of GO Expansion.”

The project will be designed by global architectural firm Henning Larsen.

Michael Sørensen, global market director for Henning Larsen, said in an email that designing for underused space above the active rail corridor is “complex.”

“Every decision about how people arrive, move through and gather in the neighbourhood was carefully considered in the design of Toronto Rail Yards,” he said. 

“Our goal is to create a livable community that helps connect a long-standing gap in this part of the city and where people feel connected to one another.”

Construction on the deck is supposed to start in 2028.