Development Profile - Woodbine Live!

North East aerial view of proposed expansion

Woodbine Live! is on track to be the largest private-sector tourism development in the Greater Toronto Area. During the development phase, the project will employ 10,000 employees, creating 5,000 construction jobs and engaging 3,000 suppliers.

It will be located on the largest piece of undeveloped private property in Toronto, where the Woodbine Race Track and gaming activities now occupy part of the 680 acres in northeast Toronto. Canada’s largest race track now draws about six million patrons a year to the facility, which includes 2,000 slot machines and generates more revenue than any of Ontario’s casinos. The entertainment complex employs 2,700 directly and provides indirect employment for another 3,000, including track staff.

“This is the largest piece of undeveloped privately owned property in Toronto, so that it provides a blank canvas to develop the type of project that we’re doing,” said Jane Holmes, Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Woodbine Entertainment Group. “We’re designing a place to work, live and play, one that addresses the variance of the four seasons, which is critical in Ontario. Our focus has been building public settings that are in keeping with the existing horse racing and gaming facilities that we have on-site.”

The Woodbine Live project, an estimated investment of some $750 million to $1 billion, will occupy 120 acres in northwest Toronto. It will include offices, residences, shops, restaurants, a 16-cinema complex, a 6,000-seat concert hall, a four-star hotel with 450 rooms, a 100,000 sq. foot conference centre, clubs, pubs, canals and a skating rink.

Construction will begin in the spring of 2008, with the completion of Phase 1 in 18 months. A second phase of development for 2,500 residential housing units is planned

Woodbine Live! is a partnership between the non-profit corporation Woodbine Entertainment Group, the largest operator of horse racing in Canada, and The Cordish Company, a private, family-owned development firm based in Baltimore, Maryland.


Ground level view across existing walking ring of proposed expansion.

Cordish has been owned and managed by four generations of the Cordish family, and is a multi-billion dollar corporation engaged in real estate development and entertainment management. Cordish specializes in entertainment retail centres and has won an unprecedented six Urban Land Institute Awards for Excellence, the highest possible national award for excellence in development. Cordish has built urban entertainment districts in Baltimore, Atlantic City, Louisville, St. Louis, Houston, Tampa and Hollywood. Woodbine Live is Cordish’s first international development.

For more information on Woodbine’s projects, please visit http://www.woodbineentertainment.com/corporate/index.html .

For more information on tourism investment opportunities throughout Ontario, please visit: www.investinontario.com/tourism/regionalinvest.asp.