Are We Building Housing Around GTA Transit?

🏙️ Square Footage: Are We Actually Building Around Our Stations? — Aerial illustration of a GTA transit station surrounded by new high-rise condos and mixed-use buildings, with light rail lines and pedestrians in view.

Transit-Oriented Dreams: Are We Actually Building Around Our Stations?

If the Greater Toronto Area is ever going to solve its housing crisis—or its gridlock—the answer lies in one principle: build more housing, right next to transit. It’s the foundation of modern city-building. The slogan writes itself: Live by the train, ditch the car, walk to life.

And yet, across the region, from Eglinton Crosstown to the Ontario Line to GO Expansion, there’s a strange disconnect. Transit is finally arriving. Billions are being spent. But the development around these lines often lags far behind, both in density and ambition.

So what’s the holdup?

Billions in Tracks, But Not Enough Keys

Take a walk around most GO stations outside downtown Toronto—Bloor, Mimico, Mount Joy—and you’ll still see surface parking lots and low-rise buildings that haven’t changed in decades.

A 2024 report from Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario identified dozens of prime station areas with the potential for mid- and high-density housing. Many of them are now part of the government’s “Transit-Oriented Communities” (TOC) initiative. But progress has been slow and inconsistent.

In places like King-Liberty (Ontario Line) and Roncesvalles, we’re seeing solid plans emerge with integrated mixed-use towers. But other sites—like East Harbour or Finch East—are still tied up in red tape, local opposition, or uncoordinated planning.

Why the Disconnect?

Transit agencies build infrastructure. Developers build housing. Cities zone land. But rarely are they planning in sync.

Too often, transit stations open to fanfare… only to be surrounded by nothing new. Without as-of-right zoning, without pre-approved density targets, and without local support for intensification, the land around stations remains underused.

And then there’s the affordability factor. When housing does get built near transit, it’s often luxury condos. The result? Great location, inaccessible price point.

The Vision: Hubs, Not Just Stops

What if we treated each major transit station as a mini-city? That’s what real transit-oriented development looks like in cities like Tokyo, Seoul, and Barcelona.

Stations become the nucleus of daily life—surrounded by thousands of residents, corner stores, parks, daycares, clinics, and coworking spaces. In some models, schools and libraries are built directly into the complexes. In others, pedestrian-only zones replace car-dominated arterials.

We’ve started down this path. But we need to move faster, with more intention.

Five Hubs to Watch

Here are five GTA station zones where the promise of transit-oriented development is real—but still unfulfilled:

Kennedy Station (Scarborough Subway Extension) – A pivotal connection point, but surrounded by aging infrastructure and low-density zoning.
Clark Station (Yonge North Subway Extension) – Potential gateway for Vaughan, but nearby development still car-heavy and suburban in scale.
East Harbour (Ontario Line) – Planned as a major new hub, but project timelines have slipped and affordable housing remains a question mark.
Erin Mills (Mississauga BRT) – Bus rapid transit is in place, but major housing growth around the terminal is minimal.
Pickering GO – Huge surface parking lot and highway access, but very little vertical growth so far.

These are the kinds of locations that could anchor thousands of new homes—if we unlock their potential.

Final Word: Building Beside the Tracks Isn’t Enough

Transit without density is a missed opportunity. Housing without access is unsustainable. The GTA can’t afford to get this wrong.

To build a livable, affordable, and climate-ready future, we need every level of government to act in sync: zoning reform, infrastructure investment, and transit-integrated planning must go hand in hand.

Because the tracks are already here. It’s time the housing followed.

📐 Square Footage is GTA Weekly’s weekly real estate editorial—tracking how design, density and development are shaping our neighbourhoods.
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🏙️ Square Footage: Are We Actually Building Around Our Stations?

Billions have been invested into new GTA transit lines—but are we matching that with bold, dense, and inclusive housing near the stations?