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York University Heights, also known as Northwood Park, is one of the northernmost neighbourhoods in the city of Toronto, Ontario. The name of the neighbourhood is because it contains the main campus of York University. This area is most popular with immigrants of Italian and Chinese descent who have established communities in the area. It is also home to many Jamaican, South East Asian and East Indian residents. It is located between Sheppard Avenue and Steeles Avenue east of Black Creek.

The majority of people in this neighbourhood live in high-rise buildings; however, it also contains a significant number of detached and semi-detached residences, as well as a recent new urbanism development, the Village at York. The southwestern part of the neighbourhood is part of the Jane and Finch area.

Village at York

The Village at York is one of the last major new-home developments within the City of Toronto including condominium townhouses, semi-detached and detached homes. First residents moved into the first phase of approximately 550 homes in the summer of 2005 A second phase, which started construction in 2007, adds about 300 more homes but includes no new townhouses. It is located just south of the York University campus, north of Finch Avenue.

Characteristics of the Village:

• It sits on land purchased from York University by the real estate developer Tribute Communities, within the boundaries of the city's secondary plan for York, and in some ways is still considered part of the university community. First-time buyers were given no-cost memberships to York's athletic facilities and privileges at its libraries. Many residents of the Village are York students and staff.
• The development's design is loosely based on what is called "new urbanism", the features of which include high density, garages opening to laneways in the back, and plenty of balconies and terraces.
• By being near the university it's very well served by public transit, including a Toronto Transit Commission express bus between the university and the Downsview subway station. The York University Commons, about 500 metres from the Village, serves as a large regional terminal served by GO Transit, York Region Transit, Viva, Brampton Transit and Greyhound. The Finch West Station of the Spadina subway extension will have an exit at the corner of Keele and Four Winds Drive, less than 500m from the east end of the Village, according to the station layout recommended by the subway expansion environmental assessment.
• As the subway extension is not scheduled to open until 2013 at the earliest [1], construction has started [2] on an express busway between the university and Downsview Station. According to verbal comments from local councillor Anthony Perruzza, the Village will continue to be served by the 196 York University Rocket once its route shifts to use the busway (scheduled to open August 2009). (This service is expected to end once the subway extension is complete.[3])
• The Village, though no longer on university-owned land, is considered part of the broader university area by city planners, and is a component of the York University Secondary Plan.
• A significant number of homes in the village offer -- or have been totally converted into -- student housing (the Toronto Star reported in the fall of 2007 that the Village had been "overrun" with students [4]).

The Village is served by a residents' group representing both renters and homeowners, which was incorporated in mid-2006. The Village at York Residents Association Inc. maintains its own website, containing news and local business listings.

External links

• York University Heights neighbourhood profile

Coordinates: 43°45′43″N 79°30′00″W / 43.762°N 79.500°W / 43.762; -79.500