Billy Bishop expansion could affect 94,000 waterfront housing units
New analysis shows airport growth would impact existing and planned homes. Buildings near flight paths may lose balconies, windows.
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An expansion of Billy Bishop Airport at the scale Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling for could affect roughly 94,000 housing units on Toronto's waterfront, according to the city's chief planner.
About 86,000 units currently sit under the airport's flight paths. If the expansion proceeds as proposed, that number would grow by about 8,000 units, according to the city's analysis. Existing units in the flight path could increase by approximately 25,000 if expansion goes ahead.
Jason Thorne, Toronto's chief planner, said that without a detailed expansion proposal, the city cannot estimate how many planned units might be cut from development altogether. An airport expansion to accommodate jets and 10 million passengers annually could force design changes for buildings near flight paths — including buildings without opening windows, no balconies, and restrictions on rooftop amenities. Those changes could undermine the viability of some planned developments, Thorne said.
The analysis follows Ford's recent move to have Ontario take over the city's seat in the tripartite agreement governing the airport. That agreement now involves the province, the federal government, and the Toronto Port Authority. Ford aims to grow annual passenger traffic from about 2 million to 10 million by adding jets to the airport.
Toronto staff flagged congestion as a key concern. Thorne noted that a fivefold increase in vehicles heading to the airport would travel down a two-lane road, creating severe gridlock in the downtown core and south Etobicoke.