Toronto City Council has issued zoning and subdivision approvals for the first phase of Northcrest Developments’ 370-acre YZD community on the former Downsview Airport lands in the city.

The July 25 council vote clears the way for the launch of onsite servicing for the mixed-use project.

The 101-acre Hangar District, as the initial phase is called, will feature over three million square feet of new institutional, retail, entertainment and community uses with adaptive reuse of the former Bombardier aerospace manufacturing operations, creating some 7,400 jobs, Northcrest has estimated.

The 2.2-million-square-foot residential component adds 2,957 residences including 48 per cent two- and three-bedroom units. Ten per cent of the total is intended to be affordable rental.