City officials and developers broke ground on Tuesday on a new mixed-use housing development near a TTC subway station.
A total of 1,484 residential homes will be built on a former commuter parking lot at 50 Wilson Heights Blvd.
The project, near Wilson station at Wilson Avenue and Allen Road, is part of the city’s HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan’s Housing Now initiative, which makes city-owned lands available to develop affordable rental housing. The total to be built includes 520 affordable rental homes.
Tridel, a real estate developer, Greenwin, a real estate development and management company, and KingSett Capital, a private equity real estate firm, will develop the site, according to the city.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, who was at the ceremony to mark the project’s beginning, said the development in the Wilson Heights neighbourhood is moving forward.
“Standing in this parking lot, we are marking the start of a community,” Chow said. “It was known as the Housing Never. But what a change. It is Housing Now. We are building now, finally.”
‘Exciting milestone,’ developer says
The development will include 444 condos and a mix of one- to three-bedroom rental homes that will be available to residents of various income levels.
Kevin Green, CEO of Greenwin, said the development will play a part in making Toronto more livable and more accessible.
“This is an exciting milestone as the second ever Housing Now project to break ground in Toronto,” Green said.
Green said the four-block community that will be created will include a childcare centre, community space, retail space and public park.
Coun. James Pasternak, who represents York Centre, said the project took years to be approved because some residents were opposed to the commuter parking lot being developed.
“I can confidently say the battle over the 50 Wilson Heights community parking lot is officially over,” Pasternak said.
“This has not been an easy journey but in the end we will see over a thousand people living in affordable rental units when this construction project is complete.”
In a news release on Tuesday, the city said crews have already begun to remove parking infrastructure to prepare the site for development. Construction is set to begin in the spring, with occupancy expected in early 2029.
The city describes Housing Now as a housing supply program. Under the program, the city hopes to build 65,000 new rent-controlled homes by 2030.
Toronto city council has allocated more than 20 city-owned sites to Housing Now, according to the city. Of these sites, construction is underway at 5207 Dundas St. W., while 13 sites in total have been rezoned and development partners have been selected for six sites.