Another year gone, another year of growth is on the way. Our annual Growth to Watch For series returns, and this year it is bigger, taller, and more comprehensive than ever before. We bring you every significant development happening across the city, and we'll venture beyond into the GTA, from projects just proposed, to those advancing their way through the planning process, to those already under construction or about to be completed.

Our count last year totalled 882 projects within Toronto's borders, and the numbers look set to increase once again this year. 2018 was a landmark year that saw several high-profile projects get underway, from Toronto's first two supertall towers beginning construction with The One and Pinnacle One Yonge, to transformative master plans like Mirvish Village and The Well beginning to materialize. TOCore was implemented while Reimagining Yonge was not, and Toronto's remake of its parks and public spaces continues with iconic projects like the Meadoway, the Bentway, and Rail Deck Park.

With no signs that Toronto's construction craze is slowing down, there is a lot to look forward to in 2019. So, without further ado, let's begin with a brief glimpse at the first instalment.

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As has become our tradition, we begin our journey in the Entertainment District, in what has been the most active development area in Toronto over the past few years. A staggering number of office and residential projects are planned or under construction within the roughly one square kilometre area bordered by Simcoe Street, the Rail Corridor, Bathurst Street, and Queen Street. Soon to be home to tens of thousands of new residents and workers, the Entertainment District is quickly becoming one of Toronto's densest neighbourhoods with a slate of high-rise buildings on the way.

The District ranges from Bathurst to west of Simcoe, & south of Queen to the rail tracks. Image created wth Apple Maps

In this report, we follow a winding path through the area starting on Front Street West, before snaking back and forth along Wellington, King, Adelaide, and Richmond Streets to summarize the explosion of high-density projects in what is without a doubt Toronto's busiest development node.

A concept drawing of Rail Deck Park facing east, included in the City's latest study

Some notable projects discussed in this report include public improvements like the proposed Rail Deck Park, architectural landmarks like the Bjarke Ingels Group-designed KING Toronto and the sky-scraping Mirvish+Gehry Toronto towers, and smaller-scaled projects like the boutique hotel underway at 51 Camden Street.

Looking northwest to updated plans for Mirvish+Gehry Toronto, image courtesy of Great Gulf/Dream/Westdale

Our report covers in detail both the buildings planned for the area and those currently under construction. To get access to it, the enhanced-scope 2019 series is being offered in two ways:

For those looking to subscribe to our NDI service, a free one-week trial is available for a limited time. New and existing NDI subscribers will get the daily newsletter service, along with multiple comprehensive Growth to Watch For updates per month.

New GTWF instalments will appear on a regular basis, each covering another section of the Greater Toronto Area. Our next instalment heads west, covering Queen West, Roncesvalles, Liberty Village, and more areas. You can subscribe to the year's Growth to Watch For features here. For more information, please feel free to reach out to us here.