<img class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual" src="https://display.blogto.com/articles/20250421-75-billy-bishop-way-toronto.jpg?w=1200&amp;cmd=resize_then_crop&amp;height=630&amp;quality=70&amp;format=jpeg" width="100%" /><p>A Toronto shopping plaza built not even ten years ago is already on the chopping block and could soon be torn down for a massive five-tower development.</p><p>What was once a surface parking lot serving the TTC's Wilson Station was redeveloped into a series of retail buildings back in 2017, acting as an extension of the large big-box retail centre that exists to the south and west.</p><p>The former lot at 75 Billy Bishop Way was developed by <a href="https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/accountability-operations-customer-service/city-administration/city-managers-office/agencies-corporations/corporations/build-toronto/">Build Toronto</a> and opened as the "Shops at Wilson Station" following a brief construction period. However,&nbsp;just steps from a subway station and in close proximity to Highway 401, the retail development's days were always numbered.</p><p>With <a href="https://www.blogto.com/city/2021/08/abandoned-section-runway-toronto-airport/">Downsview Airport</a> now closed and former height caps&nbsp;developments constructed on surrounding blocks eliminated, the site immediately south of the former airport's runway has been unlocked for much higher densities than what exist today.</p><p><img alt="75 billy bishop way toronto" id="content-image-116375" src="https://display.blogto.com/uploads/2025/04/21/1745237045-20250421-75-billy-bishop-way-toronto-3.jpg?w=1400&amp;cmd=resize&amp;quality=70&amp;format=jpeg" /></p><p>A recent application tabled with the City of Toronto outlines plans to redevelop the site with a futuristic five-tower development.&nbsp;</p><p>Insurance giant Manulife is the proponent behind the ambitious proposal, signing on architects BDP Quadrangle to design a group of towers ranging in height from 21 to 49 storeys.</p><p>The tallest of the bunch would reach a height of 164 metres, far taller than anything that exists in the surrounding community.</p><p><img alt="75 billy bishop way toronto" id="content-image-116377" src="https://display.blogto.com/uploads/2025/04/21/1745237046-20250421-75-billy-bishop-way-toronto-1.jpg?w=1400&amp;cmd=resize&amp;quality=70&amp;format=jpeg" /></p><p>The project can be viewed as another contributor to the '<a href="https://www.blogto.com/real-estate-toronto/2025/04/125-queensway-toronto/">death by a thousand cut</a>s' of brick-and-mortar retail in Toronto, although the complex aims to preserve a sizable commercial presence on-site.</p><p>Over 1,992 square metres of new retail space would be constructed, compared to the approximately 4,500 square metres housed in the current retail complex.</p><p><img alt="75 billy bishop way toronto" id="content-image-116376" src="https://display.blogto.com/uploads/2025/04/21/1745237046-20250421-75-billy-bishop-way-toronto-2.jpg?w=1400&amp;cmd=resize&amp;quality=70&amp;format=jpeg" /></p><p>However, the bulk of the complex would be dedicated to packing in those ultra-lucrative residential units.</p><p>A whopping 2,055 residential units are proposed across the site. The majority of these would be one-bedroom suites (accounting for 60 per cent of the total), along with 90 studios, 510 two-bedrooms, and 226 three-bedroom units. Only 36 per cent of these units would be sufficiently sized for families.</p><p>The tenure of the homes has not been determined at this early stage of the application, with the choice between rental apartments and condos to be dictated by market conditions later in the planning and approvals process.</p><p>The towers would be oriented around a privately-owned public space spanning 1,774.5 square metres, or 10 per cent of the total site area. This space would feature just one of many access points for a vast underground parking component.</p><p>While the developer remains uncertain about the tenure of units, they are sure that a large share of the complex's population would rely on the nearby Highway 401 as their primary mode of transportation.</p><p>A significant parking component of 911 spaces is planned to serve this new community, with 804 spaces reserved for residents, 25 for visitors, and 82 spaces allocated to the building's retail and daycare components.</p><p>While driving would be an option for residents of over 800 units in the development, many more would have access to bicycle parking through a combined 1,622 spaces spread across the complex.</p><p>In addition to driving or cycling, complex residents would be situated just steps from Wilson Station on the TTC's Line 1. The current plaza's eastern pathway linking to the station would be integrated into the new community, putting residents a quick walk from the closest station entrance.</p>