Thank you to everyone who attended the public meetings to review and discuss a proposed Emerging Preferred Option for North York Centre. For those who were not able to attend, you can still share your input and ideas by completing the online survey.

A review of the North York Centre Secondary Plan is underway. As part of the review, the City will engage with the community to refresh the vision and planning framework that will help shape the Centre as an inclusive, resilient, and complete community.

The primary study area for North York at the Centre is consistent with the current Secondary Plan area boundary and stretches along Yonge Street from Highway 401 in the south to Drewry Avenue / Cummer Avenue in the north. The study area is bounded by Beecroft Avenue in the west, and Doris Avenue/Kenneth Avenue in the east. The City is all examining boundary expansion study areas within approximately 800 metres of the local subway stations (Sheppard-Yonge, North York Centre and Finch).

A map showing the boundaries of the North York Centre Secondary Plan area, as well as a key map showing the location of the area within the overall city context.

Technical Study Areas

Several technical studies that are being completed as part of  North York at the Centre include expanded study area boundaries to capture infrastructure, facilities and services that serve the population of North York Centre:

North York Centre is a dynamic, transit-oriented community that is home to more than 50,000 residents and nearly 35,000 employees, making it the largest office-based employment hub in the city outside of the Downtown. Given its excellent access to rapid transit, the Centre is recognized as a focal point for mixed-use development and growth. North York Centre is one of four Centres identified in the Official Plan.

The existing North York Centre Secondary Plan  was adopted in 1997 and has helped shape positive change in the area for over 25 years. A review of the Secondary Plan is now needed to better reflect current conditions, trends, and set the stage for a policy refresh to guide growth in the Centre over the coming decades. Considerations include:

  • maintaining a balance between residential and non-residential uses to support a robust and diverse economy
  • encouraging a diverse range of housing options including affordable housing
  • providing the necessary infrastructure, parks, amenities and community services and facilities to support daily living
  • encouraging the continued mode-shift towards walking, cycling, transit and new mobility options
  • addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation.

The review will centre reconciliation, equity and inclusion in the updating of planning policies and will include engagement with the community and interested parties on all aspects of the project. North York at the Centre will build on and integrate recent initiatives in the study area, such as Transform Yonge and broader and broader city-wide initiatives. Updates to the Secondary Plan that are required to ensure conformity to Provincial policies and regulations will also be identified.

Alongside the recently completed plans for Downtown (TOcore), Midtown (Yonge-Eglinton Secondary Plan), the ongoing Our Scarborough Centre study, North York at the Centre will contribute to a contemporary policy framework for Toronto’s Centres.

North York at the Centre will be completed in three phases, with public engagement events and activities held in each phase to inform the study deliverables.

Phase 1 – Background Review (Complete)

  • The Background Report (October 2024) is the main deliverable for Phase 1, and it catalogs existing and planned conditions in the study area and identifies opportunities and constraints for how the Centre can change over time. With input from the community and interested parties, the report outlines a Visioning Framework for managing growth and change in the Centre.
  • Technical Studies completed in Phase 1 include:
    • The Community Services and Facilities (CS&F) Background Report (February 2024), which identifies key issues based on an analysis of current facilities and service provision levels for child care, schools, libraries, recreation facilities and human services. Future CS&F improvements needed to serve the growing population are being assessed in Phase 2 and 3.
    • The Non-Residential Current Conditions and Projections Report (March 2025), which provides an assessment of the Centre’s needs for non-residential gross floor area (GFA) to support existing and projected employment and population growth.

Phase 2 – Options and Directions (In progress)

  • The Options and Directions Report is the main deliverable for Phase 2 and will document alternate options for how the Centre should change over time, particularly in terms of the mix of land uses (housing, places of work, services, shops, etc.), mobility, public realm, parks and open spaces, and building types and heights.

Based on the Visioning Framework identified in Phase 1 and feedback from the community and interested parties on the alternate options, a preferred option will be identified as the recommended basis for updating the Secondary Plan. The recommended preferred option will be brought to City Council with a request for direction to update the Secondary Plan at the end of Phase 2.

Phase 3 – Secondary Plan Update

  • A new North York Centre Secondary Plan will be brought forward in Phase 3, based on the directions identified and endorsed by Council in Phase 2. The Secondary Plan will provide a new vision and planning framework to guide private development and public projects in the Centre in the coming decades.

If adopted by Council, the Secondary Plan will be subject to a 20 day appeal period. Pending the resolution of any appeals, updated zoning for North York Centre will be developed in a future phase 4, in consultation with the community and interested parties.

  • Urban Design Guidelines will be prepared alongside the Secondary Plan to illustrate how the streets, parks, open spaces, public right-of-way, buildings, built form, and landscape elements of new developments will work together to achieve the overall vision and goals of the Secondary Plan.
  • An Implementation Strategy will also complement the Secondary Plan, and include recommendations on how to coordinate, fund, and phase improvements to infrastructure, facilities, services and programs that are needed to meet the area’s current and future needs as it grows.
  • Supporting Technical Studies in Phase 3 include:
    • A Community Services and Facilities (CSF) Strategy, with analysis of current conditions and future needs, and recommended improvements to child care facilities, schools, libraries, recreation facilities, and human services.
    • Functional Concept Plan for the mobility and public realm improvements identified in the Secondary Plan, including feasibility analysis and 10% design.
    • A Functional Servicing Assessment, with analysis of existing watermain, storm and sanitary sewer network capacity and constraints, and recommendations for any new or upgraded infrastructure required to accommodate growth, based on the preferred land use option.

Information on virtual and in-person meeting dates and times, how to attend, and what will be discussed will be posted once scheduled.

Phase 2 – In-Person Public Meetings

Three Public Meetings were held to share the proposed Emerging Preferred Option for managing growth and change in North York Centre. The Emerging Preferred Option includes proposed policy directions and maps on topics like land use (e.g. housing, offices), building types and heights, parks, the public realm and mobility. The Emerging Preferred Option reflects public feedback we received during Phase 1 of the project.

The input we received will be included in a Phase 2 Engagement Summary that will be available in June 2025. Information and materials from the meeting are provided below.

Video Presentation

Presentation Boards

Phase 2 – Virtual Local Indigenous Community Meeting

A virtual meeting with the local Indigenous community was held on Wednesday, April 2 from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. to share and receive feedback on a proposed Emerging Preferred Option for managing growth and change in North York Centre. The proposed Emerging Preferred Option includes maps for land use, building types and heights, parks, the public realm and mobility, as well as policy directions on topics like affordable housing, the environment, placekeeping, heritage, community services and facilities and economic development.

The input we received will be included in a Phase 2 Engagement Summary that will be available in June 2025. Information and materials from the meeting are provided below:

Phase 2 – Community Pop-ups

Two community pop-ups were held in the Winter of 2025 at the North York Central Library. The first was held on February 8 as part of the Lunar New Year celebrations and the second on March 1 as part of the Nowruz celebrations. Stay tuned for more community pop-ups that are being planned for the Summer around North York Centre!

Phase 1 – Local Indigenous Community Meeting

A local Indigenous Community Meeting was held virtually on Wednesday, May 22, 2024 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thank you to all those who attended. For those who weren’t able to attend but are interested in learning more, information and materials from the meeting are provided below:

Phase 1 – In-Person Visioning Workshop

The first public meeting for the North York at the Centre project was held on November 28, 2023 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the North York Memorial Community Hall. The input we received will be included in a Phase 1 Engagement Summary that will be available in Q1 2024. Information and materials from the meeting are provided below:

Phase 1 – Community Pop-ups

Three community pop-ups were held in the Fall of 2023 at the Finch Subway Station (November 22), Yonge Sheppard Centre (November 30), and North York Central Library (December 2).

Additional community pop-ups were held over the Summer of 2024, including at the North York Farmers’ Market at Mel Lastman Square (June 20 & July 11), the Avondale Market and Movie Night (August 7), the Taste of North York Community and Food Festival (September 8), and the Yonge North York BIA Brokers’ Summit (September 26).


How else can I get involved?

Sign-up for our e-updates to receive periodic updates and notices for upcoming meetings and events.

Online engagement activities where you can share your thoughts, submit questions, and provide input will be posted here when available.

You can also sign-up for e-updates to receive project updates and notices when meetings and events are scheduled, and online engagement activities are launched.

Emerging Preferred Option Survey

You are invited to complete an online survey on the Emerging Preferred Option for managing growth and change in North York Centre. The survey includes proposed directions for the Secondary Plan update with questions on topics like building types and heights, retail and jobs, parks, the public realm, and mobility.

The online survey will close May 4, 2025.

Cultural Heritage Mapping Exercise

You are encouraged to complete an online mapping exercise to help identify spaces and places in the Centre that you feel are important to the area’s communities and history. Your input will be used as part of a Cultural Heritage Resources Assessment (CHRA) that is being undertaken for North York Centre.

The online survey will close May 4, 2025.

Online Visioning Survey and Mapping Exercise (Phase 1)

An online survey and mapping exercise was launched in December 2023 to collect input from the community on what works well in North York Centre today and what should change. The survey is now closed. Feedback provided online will be included in a Phase 1 Engagement Summary to be released in Q1 2024.

Sign-up for E-Updates to receive periodic updates and notices about upcoming meetings and events.

Type (don’t copy and paste) your email into the box below, check the box next to the e-update description and then click “Subscribe”. You will receive an email with instructions to confirm your request.


Subscribe for periodic updates about project milestones, as well as information on opportunities to participate in the North York at the Centre. You can unsubscribe at any time.
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