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Draft:YZD

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

YZD is the ongoing development of the 370-acre (~150 hectare) former Downsview Airport lands in Toronto. Over the next three decades, the site will become home to seven new neighbourhoods.[1]

History

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Former Airport

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For almost 100 years, the site served as a general aviation airfield. It was formerly used as a military air force base for Royal Canadian Air Force units, and in more recent years was a testing facility for Bombardier Aerospace.[2]

Sale

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In 2018, Bombardier sold the Downsview Airport lands to the Public Sector Investment Board (PSP), which established Northcrest Developments to oversee the redevelopment of the site.[3] In August 2024, the site was renamed YZD.[4]

Process and Framework

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Downsview Development Plan

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The Downsview Lands Framework Plan was developed by Northcrest and Canada Lands Corporation and outlines the proposed 52 acres (approximately) of the area’s redevelopment. The Framework informed the City of Toronto's updated Secondary Plan, which was approved by City Council on May 22, 2024[5]. The updated plan came into effect on August 9, 2024.[6]

Development Overview

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In total, the redevelopment will include 28 million sq. ft. (~2.6 million sq. m) of residential, seven million sq. ft. (~650 thousand sq. m) of commercial, and 74 acres (~30 hectares)[7] of parks and public spaces, including the two-kilometre (~1.24 mile) runway[8], which will be preserved.[9]

Neighbourhoods

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The Hangar District

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The first phase of YZD is known as The Hangar District, which will repurpose approximately 1.5 million sq. feet[10] (~139 thousand sq. m) of hangar space into residential.


  1. ^ www.yzd.ca https://www.yzd.ca/about-yzd. Retrieved 2025-04-03. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ^ "Downsview Airport", Wikipedia, 2025-02-27, retrieved 2025-04-03
  3. ^ "Northcrest Developments | UrbanToronto". urbantoronto.ca. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  4. ^ "Huge Downsview Airport redevelopment gets a name: YZD". renx.ca. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  5. ^ "Agenda Item History". toronto.ca. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  6. ^ "Update Downsview". April 3, 2025.
  7. ^ "Toronto is turning an old airport into a sprawling new neighborhood - Fast Company". web.archive.org. 2025-01-15. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  8. ^ www.yzd.ca https://www.yzd.ca/about-yzd. Retrieved 2025-04-03. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ^ "Hines joins Northcrest to JV on Downsview Hangar District development". renx.ca. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
  10. ^ lindsaylow (2023-03-29). "Introducing the Hangar District, a massive new Toronto neighbourhood". Post City News. Retrieved 2025-02-19.