A new GO Transit commuter train station at Toronto’s suburban Woodbine Racetrack is being touted as the anchor to kick off one of Canada’s largest urban developments by the facility owners, Woodbine Entertainment.

Construction on the new Metrolinx GO Station was officially started today on the track’s sprawling 684-acre property along Rexdale Boulevard, in Rexdale, near Toronto's border with the City of Mississauga.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create something truly special for Toronto,” said Michael Copeland, the CEO of Woodbine Entertainment, in Thursday’s announcement. “At the heart of this new urban centre will be Woodbine Racetrack, a cultural landmark that will now also serve as the centrepiece of a thriving, inclusive and connected city within a city.”

Woodbine is Canada's best-known horse racing facility, and is annually home to Canada's longest-running sporting event, the King's Plate.

Woodbine Entertainment is investing $170 million toward construction of the new GO station to create a new transit hub at the site. It also intends to lead the urban development, calling it “a vibrant, transit-connected urban centre in northwest Toronto that will deliver tens of thousands of new homes, jobs, and economic opportunities.”

Large tract of undeveloped land

The property represents one of the largest tracts in the city which is available for development.

The new urban centre is to take shape during the next 25 years, supporting an estimated 43,000 construction jobs over the life of the project. The development will be designed to help address housing affordability and employment needs in one of Toronto’s most underserved areas.

The race track and attendant stables, a training track, dormitories and other facilities for the racing operations, as well as a theatre, casino, hotel and entertainment-related businesses already occupy a significant portion of the property. However, there is a large tract of land along Rexdale Boulevard and Hwy. 427 west of the racetrack which is vacant, along with property along Hwy. 27 to the east of the facilities.

The property is also directly across the road from the Woodbine shopping centre, has access to local bus routes and from Hwy. 427, linkages to all of Toronto’s other major freeways.

The proposed development is to include affordable housing, including new accommodations to replace the existing dormitories for backstretch workers who care for the 1,700 horses stabled at Woodbine.

However, few updated details are immediately available about what would actually be built, nor are there any timelines proposed.

Woodbine Entertainment, which operates like a not-for-profit corporation, plans to develop and retain ownership of the land and “explore strategic joint ventures” to facilitate the new developments.

“This isn’t just about building housing. It’s about creating a complete community, a connected urban centre, with culture, entertainment, green space and horse racing at the heart of it all,” added Copeland.