Developers to reopen discussion on Rail Deck with plans for mixed-use district

Developers are proposing to build what they call "Rail Deck District" above the rail corridor between Bathurst Street and Blue Jays Way.

The mixed-used community would be on the site where the city had planned to build a signature public park known as Rail Deck Park.

Residents are invited to learn more about the "evolving" vision for a mixed-use community at a virtual open house on Wednesday, before developers submit a new rezoning application in the spring.

"Toronto is in the midst of a housing crisis, an affordability crisis, and suffers from a lack of public amenity space in the core," Drew Sinclair, principal at SvN, one of the firms on the project team, said in a news release.

"Rail Deck is a chance to address all three of these vital issues by decking over air space and unlocking a once in a generation opportunity."

Rail Deck Park, endorsed in 2016 as a billion-dollar legacy plan by Toronto Mayor John Tory, would have been a 20-acre park and tourist attraction.

But progress on the project was stopped short because of a decision by the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal in 2021.

The provincial tribunal ruled that the city should have approved a proposal by developers PITS Developments Inc. and Craft Acquisitions Corporation to build mixed-use towers in the open rail space near Union Station. The developers own the air rights to the space.

According to the tribunal, the city privately told developers in 2016 not to proceed with their development, formally rejected the developers' request for an official plan amendment in 2018, and was found to have wrongly denied them on their proposal, which featured a mixed-use community with several towers that totalled up to 3,500 dwelling units.

The decision was seen as controversial by many residents because the corridor was touted as one of the last places a park of this magnitude could be built.

According to the website, developers have hired previous rail deck consultants, including some of the original team behind Rail Deck Park, to find the best mix of open space and mixed-use communities. 

"We've been busy working through feedback we've gathered from the City and the public to date and weighing all possible scenarios for this transformative project," Sinclair said in the news release.

"It is time to bring this to the public and ignite an important discussion."

Councillor says project needs city's backing

Coun. Joe Cressy, who represents Spadina-Fort York, supported the idea of Rail Deck Park since it was first proposed. He says while the new proposal is appreciated, both the city and the developers need to be in agreement to move forward on the project.

"This is this is a multi-year long process, which unless the city is interested, it can't be done."

While he disagrees with the tribunal's decision, he hasn't backed down on his support for the original plan, which featured dedicated green space.

"For too long in our city's history, we've nickeled and dimed in an attempt to find compromises, as opposed to building what the residents of our city not just today, but 50 years from now, deserve," Cressy said.

For Smart Density architect and urban planner Naama Blonder, the city's original Rail Deck Park proposal didn't specifically address issues around affordability and housing. 

Now that discussion is being restarted again, she hopes for updates that show true collaboration between the public and private sector.

"It's really about design. It's about creating beautiful spaces and enjoying a public realm that the city currently doesn't have," said Blonder.

She said despite years of back and forth, the public is still keen to get answers on what's happening to the corridor and to be involved in the process.

"It's the best interest of the private sector to keep the public informed...and maybe, shift the dialogue from condos [and] height to: 'What is really going to make this place the best place in the city?' This is the type of dialogue I would like to hear and be involved in."

The "Rail Deck Reset" open house will be hosted on Zoom on Wednesday, Feb. 23 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. People can register to attend on the Rail Deck Reset website.