Although the Shops at Wilson Station plaza could be demolished to make way for a proposal of unprecedented height in the area surrounding the subway station, development of this site may not begin for some time due to long-term commercial leases in place. Located in North York's Clanton Park neighbourhood, plans call for five residential towers up to 49 storeys. Designed by BDP Quadrangle for Manulife Investment Management, Real Estate, the buildings would rise steps from the subway station, within its Major Transit Station Area. 

Looking north to 75 Billy Bishop Way, designed by BDP Quadrangle for Manulife Investment Management & Real Estate

Encompassing 75 through 81 Billy Bishop Way, the site at the southeast corner of Wilson Avenue and Billy Bishop Way is currently at retail plaza with four single-storey commercial buildings surrounded by surface parking. Originally a TTC commuter parking lot, the site was redeveloped by CreateTO in 2017 as part of a big-box retail destination, most of which is across the street to the west. The closure of Downsview Airport in 2024 and subsequent removal of height restrictions on lands for the YZD masterplanned community paved the way for higher-density redevelopment here and at surrounding sites.

Looking south to the current site, image retrieved from Google Maps

Now, Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment applications to the City of Toronto call for three mixed-use buildings comprising five residential towers, arranged around a central publicly accessible open space. The towers would rise from 21 (83.57m) to 49 storeys (164.09m), with the tallest positioned at the northeast corner. Each tower would be set atop a six-storey podium, activating the ground level with residential lobbies, retail, a daycare, and amenity uses. Tower floor-plates would average 800m², larger than the 750m² floor-plates the City seeks in its Tall Buildings Guidelines, with 25m separations between them.

The project proposes a total gross floor area of 151,655m², including 149,161m² of residential use and 2,493.4m² for retail and community functions such as the daycare, with a Floor Space Index of 8.5 time coverage across the 17,745m² site. A total of 2,055 unspecified residential units are planned, distributed across the five towers. With 24 elevators across the site, the three buildings would have approximately one elevator for every 78 to 98 units, which indicates generally good service levels.

Site plan, designed by BDP Quadrangle for Manulife Investment Management & Real Estate

Despite the site’s location within a Major Transit Station Area, the proposal does not include any dedicated affordable housing component. While the site falls within the Downsview Secondary Plan area, the plan remains under appeal and is not in force.

The proposal includes 6,740m² of indoor and 4,344m² of outdoor amenity areas. The former would be distributed across the first, second, and seventh floors of each building, with outdoor terraces located on the podium rooftops. 

Ground floor plan, designed by BDP Quadrangle for Manulife Investment Management & Real Estate

Two levels of underground garage for the site would contain 804 spaces for residents, 25 for visitors, and 82 for retail and daycare use. Bicycle parking entails 1,403 long-term and 148 short-term spaces for residents, 23 for retail, and 49 publicly accessible short-term spaces. 

Site circulation is structured around a new private driveway running north-south from Wilson Avenue to Billy Bishop Way, while a pedestrian-priority woonerf would extend east from Billy Bishop Way to the private drive. A 1,775m² POPS (Privately-Owned Publicly-accessible Space) would be located at the heart of the site. The western edge of the site would include a 15m-wide extension of the Green Spine park corridor on the western edge. Along the eastern boundary, the 2,882m² Ministry of Transportation setback would be repurposed as a pedestrian corridor with its existing connection to the adjacent station entrance, putting residents within 48 metres of the subway.

POPS at the west end of the site, image from submission to City of Toronto

Cyclists are supported by the Allen Road Pathway, which links directly to the station, as well as nearby bike lanes on Faywood Boulevard and multi-use trails in Downsview Park and Earl Bales Park. 

An aerial view of the site and surrounding area, image from submission to City of Toronto

The proposal generally exceeds nearby developments in scale. Northeast of the site, the 50 Wilson Heights Boulevard community calls for phases with a 10-storey building and three 17-storey towers. Southeast, Express Condominiums on the Subway is under construction with three towers ranging from 13 to 16 storeys, while 1–11 Vinci Crescent seeks 14 storeys, and 2 Tippett Road proposes 34 storeys. South across Highway 401, the Yorkdale Shopping Centre intensification proposal envisions 23 towers up to 50 storeys. 

UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file, linked below. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.

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Related Companies:  BDP Quadrangle, Bousfields, Colliers Development Services, Counterpoint Engineering, Gradient Wind Engineers & Scientists, LEA Consulting