A proposed seven-storey data centre would replace a building at 154 Wicksteed Ave. in Toronto’s Leaside neighbourhood, bringing server capacity closer to businesses in the city.
The Globe and Mail reported that Beeches Development Inc. is planning an 87,000-square-foot facility that could lease server space to multiple corporate clients or accommodate a single tenant renting the whole building.
Charles Goldsmith, president of Beeches Development, said Toronto companies wanting nearby access to their servers are expected to be the main prospective customers. The existing building, described in the report as leased to a dance studio, would be demolished.
The proposal has changed uses more than once. The development team initially envisioned a mass-timber office building, then a life-sciences facility, before shifting to a data centre in response to demand for urban server capacity.
According to Goldsmith, zoning approvals obtained for the life-sciences proposal, including its density, height and overall building size, still apply to the revised project.
Power supply shapes plans
Electricity availability is a significant consideration. Goldsmith said the facility would need about 15 megawatts for traditional cloud operations, while roughly 25 megawatts would better support servers used for artificial intelligence.
He said the lower amount was available at the time of the report, but projected that Toronto Hydro would need five to seven years to provide the full 25 megawatts. He was working with a consultant on securing that supply.
The schedule outlined in the report allowed about a year for final permits and site preparation, followed by another two-and-a-half years of construction. Goldsmith’s projected occupancy date was mid to late 2029.
A design suited to Leaside
The building’s design also changed as the intended occupants shifted from workers to servers. Windows became solid walls, with brick detailing intended to evoke digital information while connecting the structure to the neighbourhood’s industrial and residential character.
Ian Huff, a senior architect at mcCallumSather and one of the architects leading the project, said fitting the building into its surroundings was a priority.
Goldsmith described security measures based on the compact, vertical layout, including limited access points, high-resolution cameras and lighting around floors and entrances. That arrangement would allow security staff to concentrate on entrances and exits rather than a large perimeter.
The proposal comes amid growth in Toronto’s data-centre market. Figures from real-estate firm CBRE cited in the report put the city’s total inventory at 315 megawatts in the first half of 2025, with another 153 megawatts under construction.
