The 2030s could introduce 6.3 acres of new development land above an active rail corridor and maintenance depot in downtown Toronto, through an ambitious scheme for an elevated deck to support an infill mixed-used community. LiUNA Pension Fund of Central and Eastern Canada and Fengate Asset Management have unveiled Toronto Rail Yards, a joint development project envisioned to eventually encompass 4,000 housing units, a 915,000-square-foot office tower, 50,000 square feet of retail and two acres of public park space.

The master planned project is now in the design stages — under the direction of the international firm of Henning Larsen with support from Toronto-based Hines, PCL, WW+P Architects and RJC Engineers — with the expectation that the three-year period for the deck construction could begin in 2028. Other elements would be built in phases as the deck progresses, while the regional public transit provider, Metrolinx, also proceeds with a planned GO train station that would interconnect with Toronto Rail Yards at the prominent nexus of Front Street and Spadina Avenue.

“Toronto Rail Yards will deliver the homes, public space and amenities the city needs through a project of exceptional scale, complexity and ambition,” says Jaime McKenna, President of Fengate Real Estate. “Delivering a community of this magnitude above an active rail corridor takes vision, discipline and deep execution capability.”

Reminiscent of New York City’s Hudson Yards, the project would be the first to make use of air space above the rail corridor in the heart of Toronto’s downtown core. It’s expected to be an exemplar for future infill near infrastructure, transit-oriented communities and low-carbon development. As well, it’s projected to boost the construction economy, including LiUNA’s membership, with a labour requirement equivalent to building 10 high-rise residential towers.

“Great cities are built with ambition, and with a responsibility to leave something meaningful behind,” observes Joseph Mancinelli, LiUNA’s regional manager for central and eastern Canada and chair of its pension fund. “The deck alone is expected to create more than 4,600 construction jobs and generate more than nine million union construction hours, making this not only a transformative investment in Toronto’s future, but a testament to what union labour can build for generations to come.”