Smokestack perceptions: exploring opportunities for intensification and light-industrial mixed use on Geary Avenue

The high value of land, strain from rising property taxes, and pressure to redevelop impacts low-rise industrial users in Toronto and is leading to a dwindling supply of industrial employment land. The push for ‘highest and best use’ often leads to mixed-use development, common in most urban areas. Currently, most mixed-use projects deliver Commercial Residential (CR), meaning industrial users, which provide

competitive wages and have linkages to other industries that benefit the overall economy, have been largely left out of the conversation. This research explores how light industrial uses could be integrated into new mixed-use development to meet the demands of intensification, while adopting measures to incentivize its protection and vitality. Case study exploration from Vancouver and San Francisco, and in-depth subject area analysis prompt recommendations for a more diverse mix including compatible industrial use on Geary Avenue, one of Toronto’s remaining urban industrial corridors.

Key words: production, distribution, repair (PDR); light industrial; mixed-use; intensification