Ontario Construction News staff writer
The Ontario government is proposing to build new communities at Bridge and High Tech stations along the Yonge North Subway Extension to create more housing.
“By working with our municipal and regional partners, our government is unlocking a once-in-a-generation opportunity to integrate critical subway and community planning along the Yonge North Subway Extension that will transform the area for decades to come,” said Stan Cho, associate minister of transportation.
“We are moving beyond the ‘park and ride’ model and creating communities built around transit: this will bring jobs and housing closer to stations, lower commutes for workers, increase ridership and build critical infrastructure at a lower cost to taxpayers.”
Consultations with the City of Richmond Hill, the City of Markham, the City of Vaughan and York Region are currently underway, with public consultations beginning later this Fall.
The transit-oriented communities at Bridge and High Tech Stations would include commercial, office and retail space to support approximately 14,000 new jobs in the region. The proposed communities would be served by the future Yonge North Subway Extension, GO regional service, VIVA Rapid Transit and the encompassing major highways.
“I am pleased at the province’s continued commitment to Bridge and High Tech subway stations and at plans to integrate the subway into the planned growth in Richmond Hill Centre,” said Richmond Hill’s acting Mayor Joe DiPaola.
“We have an exciting vision for Richmond Hill Centre and are committed to working with the province to advance the vision of the Richmond Hill Centre Secondary Plan as a world-leading urban community and employment hub that is a key destination in the GTA.”
The Bridge and High Tech station sites are within the Richmond Hill Langstaff Gateway Urban Growth Centre – an area identified and planned for strategic population and employment growth.
On July 21, 2020, Ontario passed the Transit-Oriented Communities Act, to enable the construction of vibrant communities centred around transit stations along the routes of the province’s four priority subway projects.
