Northcrest Developments’ massive YZD mixed-use redevelopment project in Toronto is no longer just an intriguing concept.

The launch of initial enabling construction is setting the stage for the installation of of underground infrastructure and, ultimately, the buildout of the long-term redevelopment project on the former Downsview Airport lands. In other words, YZD is starting to become a reality.

“It’s seven years in the planning, and we’re literally transitioning now from planning to construction,” said Beau Brooker, Northcrest’s vice-president of construction. “It’s a huge milestone, not just for the Northcrest team, but for the City of Toronto as well.”

Montreal-base Pomerleau has been appointed as general contractor for the first phase, Toronto-based Northcrest announced previously.

Spanning 370 acres, the YZD redevelopment is billed as the largest urban redevelopment project in North America. The project will transform the former airport lands into a mixed-use community designed around transit-oriented neighbourhoods, housing, employment and public space in the geographical centre of the Greater Toronto Area.

“And, we’re just putting the key in the door and starting to unlock it now,” said Brooker. “It’s great. [These are] exciting times for us.”

According to Brooker such city-building opportunities do not occur very often. Northcrest is now laying the groundwork for a project that will impact future generations.

“The initial enabling works will be finished towards the end of the summer this year, in its totality,” said Brooker.

“So the enabling works is a smaller scope. We’re enabling the large infrastructure project. So, the large infrastructure project comes next.

That’s a multi-year phase of building the veins and the arteries for the new district we’re creating here. Right now, it’s obviously very much infrastructure to support an airport. And, we’re taking all that out and redefining all the infrastructure, be it below grade or city streets and parks, to support our new [first] future district, the Hangar District.”

The initial enabling-works phase will prepare the site for future vertical construction and includes building a road dedicated to construction traffic that will connect the site to a nearby major roadway, helping reduce impacts on surrounding neighbourhoods.

“We’re constructing a road that all construction traffic is going to use that takes it away from the local community,” said Brooker. “We’re located in a great position around the 400 series in the GTA, and there is a major city street called the Allen, where our trucks would be entering and exiting to keep away from the local neighbourhood.”

The early enabling works will also include the construction of stormwater ponds to manage runoff and mitigate flooding risks, along with general site preparation and clean-up.

“We’re building some stormwater ponds, which are going to manage some of, obviously, the stormwater on the site and just some general site clear-up and getting rid of some airport specific infrastructure that’s obviously not relative to what we’re trying to achieve in the future,” said Brooker.

After the early-enabling works are completed in the summer, YZD will begin work on the Hangar District’s main infrastructure near the end of 2026.

“That in itself is going to take a couple of years,” said Brooker. “But before we get to that completion, we can start going vertical and building some of our buildings in the next couple of years.”

The contract for the early-enabling works is separate from the deal package covering the Hangar District’s main infrastructure.

“We will be putting the main infrastructure package out to the street later on in the year,” said Brooker.

Northcrest has been holding public events at existing YZD buildings in the Hangar District area to help keep property-maintenance costs revenue-neutral. But with the early works under way and main infrastructure construction slated to start later in the year, no public events will be held this year in former airplane hangars in the Hangar District, said Brooker.

But events at the temporary Rogers Stadium and others at sites outside of the Hangar District will still occur.

Prior to joining YZD in 2025, he oversaw construction of the ICE District, a major mixed-use redevelopment in Edmonton’s downtown area that included a new arena for the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers.

Once complete, YZD is expected to deliver approximately 35,000 homes and 23,000 permanent jobs, along with more than 70 acres of parks and public spaces across connected neighbourhoods. The development is intended to strengthen housing supply while creating a major new employment hub within Toronto.

The site benefits from regional connectivity, with proximity to downtown Toronto, and North York, Ont., Vaughan, Ont., Brampton, Ont and Markham, Ont., as well as Toronto’s nearby Yorkdale Shopping Centre, Toronto Pearson International Airport, three TTC subway stations and a GO station. The plan also includes a redesigned two-kilometre runway that will serve as the central spine of the community, transforming the site’s aviation heritage into a major public space.

Pomerleau leads the enabling-works construction in the Hangar District, the company will work alongside Northcrest and development manager Hines to prepare the site for future phases.

The YZD project is expected to unfold in phases over the next three decades and is positioned by Northcrest as a major long-term investment in housing, infrastructure and employment. YZD will ultimately comprise a series of walkable neighbourhoods designed around transit, climate readiness and public space, with the goal of creating a new model for large-scale city building in Canada.

Pictured: Former Downsview Airport lands on which YZD will be developed.

Photo: Courtesy of Northcrest Developments