Six new towers have been proposed for Scarborough’s Guildwood GO station

Since it opened in 1977, the Guildwood GO station in Scarborough has functioned more as a liminal space than a destination, but that may soon change. The city and the province just proposed a new transit-oriented community (TOC) at 4105 Kingston Road, comprising six huge towers ranging from 30 to 60 storeys and a total of 2,500 units. They plan to build atop the ocean of parking lots surrounding the station.

“TOCs like this one can help re-invigorate neighbourhoods,” said Michael Norton, chief development officer at CreateTO, in a statement. "[They can help] deliver on municipal housing goals, grow transit ridership and support employment and local businesses.” While CreateTO isn’t in charge of the project at 4105 Kingston Road, it is working on similar TOC developments, including ones under construction at Victoria Park station and the Kipling GO.

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The complex would also come with retail, office space, a new underground commuter parking garage and community amenities including a public park. It’s part of a larger plan by Infrastructure Ontario to transform underused public land into neighbourhoods not dependent on cars. This project follows a similar proposal for the Clarkson GO station in Mississauga.

Still, despite surging demand for housing in Toronto, questions remain about the project’s viability. The city’s current condo market crash has already paused another TOC in Etobicoke’s Park Lawn GO station.

Roughly a third of CreateTO’s current developments will feature affordable rental units, but it’s unclear whether the Guildwood complex will follow suit.

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