Toronto Railway Lands

The Toronto Railway Lands occupy approximately 80 hectares (approximately 200 acres) of land between the financial core of Toronto and its waterfront.

IBI Group has been instrumental in the redevelopment of the Toronto Railway Lands through extensive project management, visioning and market research exercises, stakeholder consultation, planning, financial feasibility, architectural services, civil engineering (water and sewer servicing), transport planning, the delivery/funding of community facilities and infrastructure.

Originally the prime consultant to CN Real Estate from 1981, we continue to work with subsequent landowners in the planning and development of this key area of the city. Our longstanding working relationship with successive landowners of the railway lands is a testament to our ability to meet client requirements in a timely and cost-effective manner.

Our projects in the Toronto Railway Lands cover various sectors and create a vibrant mixed-use community in the heart of downtown. Some of these projects include John Street Roundhouse, Copeland Transformer Station, CityPlace, the CN Tower Plaza, the Union Station Revitalization, the Delta Toronto Hotel, and Maple Leaf Square, featuring the IBI-designed Scotiabank Arena entrance, including the Jumbotron which is the centrepiece of Jurassic Park, home of the Toronto Raptors.

The Toronto Railway Lands is a showcase sustainable community. Comprised of different precincts and neighbourhoods, the community is walkable, public transport-oriented, and a predominantly mixed-use development, encouraging good live/work functionality. It has a well-connected parks and open space system inclusive of linear parks which function as active transport corridors, i.e. bicycles. It has district heating and cooling, (utilizing nearby Lake Ontario for cooling in the very hot summer months), green roofs and some recycled gray water initiatives. At the outset, development proceeded on the basis of a plan of subdivision and included a comprehensive and logical progression of soil remediation. Further, in the vicinity of the rail corridor, the challenge of the vertical grade change was addressed through the provision of structure parking, which allowed for reduced at grade setbacks and efficient utilization of the land.