The former Ritson School site presented a clear public land opportunity: plan a former school property near Oshawa GO Station as a pedestrian-first complete community.
Smart Density worked with the Region of Durham and the City of Oshawa to prepare a community needs assessment, development principles, and a demonstration plan showing how this 5.3-acre site could support mixed-income housing, open space, community uses, and heritage reuse together.
CLIENT:
STATUS:
Approved
LOCATION:
Oshawa, ON
YEAR:
2023-2024
AWARDS:
The key challenge was turning these opportunities and needs into a plan that could move from vision to implementation. The framework needed to support housing, community services, open space, and heritage reuse, while also considering phasing, financial feasibility, and future partnerships.
We developed a flexible planning and urban design approach that gave the site clear direction without locking in only one development path.
The project was recognized with the 2025 Ontario Professional Planners Institute Vision Award of Merit as The Ritson School Project: A Model for Housing Delivery on Public Land.
Before starting the design work, Smart Density, LURA Consulting, and Parcel Economics conducted a Community Needs Assessment to understand housing gaps, service needs, and local priorities.
The findings helped guide what the site should deliver and provided a basis for the development principles and demonstration plan, ensuring the design approach was grounded in needs before moving into built form, phasing, and implementation.
Supported by community engagement, the assessment identified a range of housing, service, and amenity needs. These findings helped shape a partnership approach involving private-sector and non-profit partners to support the development and operation of affordable housing and community-serving uses.
Build flexibility into the plan
We worked with Regional staff to establish development principles that could guide future partnerships while allowing room for implementation details to evolve. The goal was to make the project feasible and appealing to future partners, while still maintaining a clear foundation for the community vision.
Make phasing easier to deliver
The site was divided into three parcels to support a more flexible phasing strategy. This approach allows different parts of the site to move forward over time and creates opportunities for developers of different types and sizes to participate at different stages of the project.
Use heritage as a community anchor
The former Ritson School building was positioned at the heart of the site’s future. The plan integrates the heritage building with new housing, community uses, open spaces, and pedestrian connections, helping it serve as a recognizable community anchor for future residents and the surrounding neighbourhood.
Communicate the vision clearly
The engagement materials used illustrative visuals instead of highly detailed, fixed-looking renderings. This helped community members understand the key design ideas, including how the site could support housing, services, open space, and everyday pedestrian activity, while leaving room for discussion as the plan evolves.