A stunning new community recreation/childcare centre is coming to the area near the Allen Expressway and Lawrence Avenue.
The centre will be located at a new location near Varna Drive and Ranee Avenue, north of Flemington Public School. This location was chosen during the Lawrence Heights Secondary Plan process in 2011 to become a well-connected future hub in the community. The site will connect to a new road extension and other infrastructure.
The complex is part of the Toronto Community Housing (TCH) Lawrence Heights Revitalization project. Through the revitalization, the 100-acre site (40.5 hectares) south of Yorkdale Shopping Centre will be transformed into a vibrant, mixed-income community space.
The facility received $25 million in federal and City funding for its construction back in March. It is set to be one of the City’s largest new centres, replacing the existing Lawrence Heights Community Centre (which will remain open until the new facility is built).
The proposed recreation centre’s features include a six-lane, 25-metre lane pool, a leisure/tot pool, a double gymnasium with a raised track, fitness/dance/aerobic studios, multi-purpose rooms, a community kitchen, an enhanced space for youth, a weight and conditioning room, a social services office, an active rooftop, active outdoor space, and Indigenous placekeeping elements.
The childcare centre is an 88-space facility that includes spaces for infants (10 spots), toddlers (30 spots), and preschool children (48 spots) up to four years old. The number of childcare spaces available has been maximized based on City Council’s approved budget, provincial design requirements, and provincial staffing ratio requirements. The building will include a parent/staff resource room, a laundry room/toy washing station, a kitchen, universal washrooms, a stroller storage space, gross motor space, a lobby area, an infant playroom/sleep room, toddler playrooms, preschool playrooms, and an administrative/technical space.
The revitalization at Lawrence Heights includes replacing 1,208 Toronto Community Housing units and building over 4,000 new market units, along with new parks, retail space, and roads connecting Lawrence Heights to the surrounding community.
Construction is expected to begin in 2026 and end in 2028.
