We have submitted an application to the City of Toronto to permit the development of four residential towers on the site that is currently the Flemingdon Park Golf Club.

The proposed development will unlock approximately 40 acres of new parkland by repurposing 95 per cent of the golf course into public open space—roughly the size of Trinity Bellwoods Park. This represents one of the largest private land contributions to new public open space in Toronto’s history.

The design of the proposed development and parkland will be informed by extensive community consultations and collaboration with City staff.

Too many of Toronto’s neighborhoods are underserved by natural green spaces, parks, and community amenities. Our city’s population growth has simply outpaced the creation of new public spaces and community amenities for people to enjoy with their families and friends.

Contributing this parkland was an obvious choice. We saw the once in a lifetime opportunity to pair our business objectives with helping the city we love.

The proposed development consists of four residential buildings, providing approximately 2,000 residential units, with 5% of the residential space proposed as affordable housing, all within 300 metres of the Wynford LRT stop along the Eglinton Crosstown corridor. A cultural programming space is proposed in the base building.

Through extensive technical studies, including hydrogeological and geotechnical analyses, it has been demonstrated that the lands where the proposed residential buildings are situated (‘the development site’) are safe to build on without presenting risk to life or property from flooding, erosion, or unstable slopes. The development site is located on a distinct and stable landform known as a paleo terrace, which can safely accommodate the proposed residential development. The development site is also located entirely outside of the floodplain.

The current golf course has blocked the completion of pedestrian and cycling networks along the Don River.  By making 40 acres of this land available for public use, the missing links in the Don Valley Trail and The Meadoway can be completed to give the public easy access to an uninterrupted trail from Lake Ontario to the north end of Toronto.

Other benefits include:

• the creation of a new and much-needed riverfront parkland for the city and the communities of Flemingdon Park, Wynford Drive, Bermondsey, and Thorncliffe Park;
• the ecological restoration of the golf course lands to enhance environmental health and resiliency;
• the opportunity to advance reconciliation locally by enabling Indigenous place-keeping and expression of living culture; and
• the opportunity for new outdoor education programming for residents to build skills and knowledge to help steward the local ecosystem.
• the reduction of harmful pesticide use in the valley and substantial reduction in water use on the site.

The site is currently a highly manicured landscape as a result of the Flemingdon Park Golf Club, which has operated on-site for the past six decades. A preliminary environmental restoration plan has been developed for the parkland, with the purpose of:

• Promoting the restoration of a significant link within an established natural heritage system;
• Connecting the Don River Valley to communities and returning the site to public use;
• Ensuring no negative impacts to natural features or their ecological functions
• Demonstrating positive benefits to natural features or their ecological functions.

The parkland can be designed to offer a variety of opportunities for community enjoyment and stewardship of the natural environment, such as new trails, open spaces for community gathering and families, more trees and native plants, new wetlands, and new and improved wildlife habitat. Engagement with the public, local organizations, and Indigenous communities will help to inform the environmental restoration approach and design of the parkland.

The project partners are proposing that the parkland would be owned by a public and/or government organization and it would be accessible and useable by the public, similar to other parks throughout the city. The lands would no longer function as a golf course or be privately-owned.

Discussions are being undertaken with the City of Toronto, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), and Traditional Territory and Rights-Holders, amongst other organizations, to understand possible land ownership and stewardship approaches.

The status of this real estate transaction will be confirmed following the completion of the due diligence period.

The community consultations will play a critical role in guiding the transformation of the site, including the parkland’s name.

The development application was submitted to the City of Toronto in early February 2023 and is currently under review by City staff.

Engaging the local community to meet their needs is a priority for us. Since launching in the fall of 2022, we have hosted three engagement events, with more events and opportunities for feedback. To learn more about these upcoming consultations and how to participate, please visit https://dvreconnects.com/events/.

We look forward to integrating community feedback into our design plans to ensure that the proposal delivers meaningful benefit to the local community and broader city.