Eastbound train in the tunnel approaching the stationStation main entranceStation secondary entrance
Located at the intersection with Bayview Avenue, this underground station has two entrances on opposite corners: the main entrance at the southeast and a secondary entrance on the northwest (in the corner of a retail parking lot).[3] Nearby destinations include Howard Talbot Park, Leaside High School, Mount Hope Catholic Cemetery, and the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre complex.
Architecture
The station was designed by Arcadis, following an architectural concept designed by architects gh3* from Toronto and Daoust Lestage Lizotte Stecker from Montreal.[4][5] As with other stations on Line 5, architectural features include natural light from large windows and skylights, steel structures painted white, and orange accents (the colour of the line).[4]
Station name
During the planning stages for Line 5 Eglinton, the station was given the working name Bayview, which is identical to the pre-existing Bayview station on Line 4 Sheppard. In 2015, a report to the TTC Board recommended giving a unique name to each station in the subway system (including Line 5 Eglinton). Thus, the LRT station was renamed Leaside.[6]
Station site
In October 2013, local residents learned that Metrolinx negotiations with Countrywide Homes, the current owner, allowed the owner to propose to build a new condominium over the station.[7] Metrolinx was to acquire several adjacent properties, not necessary for constructing the station, because they fit within the plan to put the property to dual use.[8] A Countrywide Homes executive characterized the dual-use plan "a unique opportunity because it will potentially be one of the only stops where you'll have residential right above a subway stop".[citation needed] Councillor Jon Burnside voiced concern that the developer would use the association with new line to argue for an exemption to the current height restrictions for the area of nine storeys and instead build a high-rise.
On September 24, 2015, a McDonald's restaurant on the southeast corner of Bayview and Eglinton Avenues was closed to make way for the station. Its closure had been a contentious topic at town hall meetings, reflecting widespread concerns about the local impact of the new transit system.[9] The McDonald's had been a neighbourhood landmark due to its unique design, with the dining area elevated above a ground-level parking lot, and its proximity to Howard Talbot Park, which patrons could view while eating.[10]
↑Lestage, Daoust. "Eglinton Crosstown LRT – Design excellence – Daoust Lestage". Retrieved February 22, 2026. Daoust Lestage inc. (Fairbank Station) DIALOG and Arcadis (Forest Hill, Chaplin and Avenue Stations) Arcadis (Mount Dennis, Keelesdale, Oakwood, Eglinton, Leaside, Laird, Science Centre and Kennedy Stations and At-grade Stops) NORR (Caledonia, Cedarvale and Mount Pleasant Stations)
↑"Line 5 Eglinton Station Names"(PDF). Board Presentation. Toronto Transit Commission. November 23, 2015. Archived from the original(PDF) on November 26, 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2015. TTC staff evaluated the initial report and the proposed names and provided feedback and recommendations. A primary TTC concern was to avoid replication and redundancy with existing TTC station names. The proposed names are unique and are not likely to be confused with existing station names.
↑
Peska, Samantha (October 13, 2015). "Eglinton LRT station plus a condo at Bayview and Eglinton?". Post City. Instead of purchasing or expropriating the site, Metrolinx chose to negotiate a deal with the owner of the property, Countrywide Homes, that would allow them to build above the station.
↑"WILD & CRAZY 2: Is Ontario trying to pull a RioCan?". South Bayview Bulldog. October 16, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2015. Now Metrolinx has created a much larger footprint for this possible undertaking by purchasing the two four-plexes on the east side of Bayview to the immediate south of the station.
