North York at the Centre

The primary study area for the North York at the Centre initiative is consistent with the current Secondary Plan boundary, stretches along Yonge Street from Highway 401 in the south, and 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.

Expanded Study Areas

Several elements of the North York at the Centre initiative feature study area boundaries that expand beyond the primary study area:

• Boundary Expansion Study Areas
• Watermain, Sanitary Sewer, and Stormwater Sewer Study Areas
• Mobility, Parks, and Community Services and Facilities Study Areas

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 and is recognized as an Urban Growth Centre in the provincial planning document A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe.

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 and trends, setting the stage for a policy refresh to guide growth in the Centre over the coming decades.

The City is working with the community and interested parties to refresh the vision for the area and develop recommendations for updating the Secondary Plan to shape the area as an inclusive, resilient, and complete community as it changes over time. Considerations will include:

• maintaining a balance between residential and non-residential uses to support a robust and diverse economy to achieve a complete community
• 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 Official Plan policies. The North York at the Centre initiative will build on and integrate recent initiatives in the study area, such as REimagining Yonge 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, the North York at the Centre initiative will contribute to a contemporary policy framework for Toronto’s Centres.

Phasing

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

Phase 1 – Background Review

Phase 2 – Options and Directions

Phase 3 – Implementation Strategy

Reports

The North York at the Centre initiative involves preparing three main reports, developed through technical analysis and informed by engagement with the community and interested parties.

1. The Background Report will catalog existing and planned conditions in the study area and identify opportunities and constraints for how the Centre can change over time. With input from the community and interested parties, it will outline a vision, principles, and criteria for developing options on how to update the Secondary Plan.
2. The Options and Directions Report will document alternate options for how the Centre should change over time, particularly in terms of the mix of land uses (for housing, places of work, services, shops, etc.), the mobility and public realm network, the parks system, density and built form (i.e. the size, shape, and configuration of buildings, as well as how the buildings relate to the public realm, such as the distance of lower storey setbacks and tower stepbacks). Based on evaluation criteria from the Background Report and feedback from the community and interested parties on the options, a preferred option will be selected as the basis for updating the Secondary Plan.
3. Based on the preferred option, the Implementation Strategy will identify recommended changes to the North York Centre Secondary Plan and related amendments to the Zoning By-law. The Implementation Strategy will also recommend how to coordinate, fund, and phase improvements to infrastructure, facilities, and services that are needed to meet the area’s current and future needs as it grows.

Technical and Supporting Documents

The main study components will integrate findings from supporting technical studies and documents.

• A Study on office, retail and other non-residential uses in North York Centre that will assess the Centre’s needs for non-residential gross floor area (GFA) to sustain existing and support projected new employment and population growth (with a planning horizon of 2051), ensuring the area continues to fulfill its role as an employment centre within Toronto’s urban structure.
• The Community Services and Facilities (CSF) Strategy will include an analysis of current conditions and future needs, and recommend improvements to child care facilities, schools, libraries, recreation facilities, and human services. The CSF Strategy will be developed in three parts, including a CSF Background Report, CSF Directions Report, and final CSF Strategy.
• A Functional Servicing Assessment that will include 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.
• Urban Design Guidelines will be prepared 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 recommended for the updated Secondary Plan.

• Preliminary Background Report – August 2023

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

In-Person Visioning Workshop – Phase 1

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:

• Visioning Workshop Information Boards
• Visioning Workshop Activity Boards
• Visioning Workshop SWOT Analysis Boards

Community Pop-ups – Phase 1

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). Feedback provided at the events will be included in a Phase 1 Engagement Summary that will be available in Q1 2024.

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 once available.

In the meantime, sign-up for e-updates to receive project updates and notices when meetings and events are scheduled, and online engagement activities are launched.

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.