Through the Toronto-Ontario New Deal, the City and the Province agreed to advance several Transit-Oriented Communities (TOC) including a new mixed-use TOC at the future Woodbine GO station, located at the southeast quadrant of the Woodbine lands. The City has committed to prioritization and expeditious treatment of planning approvals for the Woodbine TOC.
Following the Toronto-Ontario New Deal, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing approved Official Plan Amendment 653 with modifications, including Site and Area Specific Policy 896 for the southeast quadrant of the Woodbine lands (the study area), outlining a structure for a Secondary Plan Study process.
The Woodbine Secondary Plan Study is being undertaken to develop a vision and comprehensive planning framework for the study area. The framework will form the foundation for the Woodbine Secondary Plan, Urban Design Guidelines, Transportation Master Plan (TMP), Infrastructure Master Plan (IMP) and other planning tools to be developed by City staff in cooperation with the landowner, Woodbine Entertainment Group.
The Woodbine lands are located at 555 Rexdale Boulevard and are bounded by Rexdale Boulevard to the north, Highway 27 to the east, the rail corridor to the south, and Highway 427 to the west. The lands are currently occupied by the Woodbine racetrack and casino.
The Secondary Plan study area only includes the southeast quadrant of the Woodbine lands, as shown on the map below.
The Woodbine lands were previously designated Core Employment Areas and General Employment Areas, in the City’s Official Plan. In 2023, a request to convert the northwest quadrant of the Woodbine lands to Mixed Use Areas was adopted by Council through the City’s Municipal Comprehensive Review, an exercise to consider the removal of certain lands from their Employment Areas designation. This resulted in Official Plan Amendment 653 (OPA 653).
Through the Ontario-Toronto New Deal Agreement, the City and Province agreed to advance a mixed-use Transit Oriented development at the future Woodbine GO Station located in the southeast portion of the Woodbine lands. The City and the province also agreed to cooperation, collaboration and the prioritization and expeditious treatment of planning approvals (CC13.2).
Following the New Deal Agreement, in 2024, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing approved OPA 653 with modifications to convert the southeast quadrant of the Woodbine lands from Core Employment Areas to Mixed Use Areas and Regeneration Areas and added Site and Area Specific Policy 896 (SASP 896).
The boundaries of the land use designations will be determined through the consideration and adoption of a Secondary Plan. Residential uses are not permitted on lands designated Regeneration Areas prior to adoption of the Secondary Plan.
The City Planning Division is undertaking a Secondary Plan Study for the southeast quadrant of the Woodbine lands to facilitate and support appropriate residential and non-residential growth in the study area.
In November 2025, Woodbine Entertainment Group, through their consultants, submitted background studies and materials in support of the Secondary Plan study.
City Planning staff will endeavour to complete the Secondary Plan study within 18 months, commencing November 2025.
Public consultation is fundamental to the Woodbine Secondary Plan study. To have a successful outcome to the study process, it is important to integrate the ideas and feedback received from the community stakeholders during the study. Feedback from the community will help inform the study process, guide City staff and assist with the outcomes to be included in the final Secondary Plan for the southeast quadrant of the Woodbine lands.
Information regarding upcoming community consultation events will be available shortly.