York University received its charter in 1959, as an affiliate of the University of Toronto. In 1962, the province gave York 474 acres of land in North York. In 1965, Keele Campus opened and the newly independent York welcomed its first students. Students flocked to the new university—by 1970, 15,000 attended classes at York. Students, faculty, and staff squeezed into classrooms, make-shift office space, recreational facilities, and residences. By 1985, York was short a million square feet of space for its 33,000 students.

YUDC was created by York University to deal with this space crisis, after a thorough evaluation of the situation. In 1985, York’s Board of Governors set up the wholly owned subsidiary to be its real estate development arm. York University Development Corporation helps the university manage its real estate holdings, develop property on the Keele campus in keeping with the university’s objectives, and nurture partnerships between the university, the community, and government.

Who We Are
YUDC’s Advisory Council reflects the many interests and the diversity of York University: its 35 members are drawn from the Board of Governors, York’s senior administration, the YUDC Board of Directors campus staff, the Council of Masters, faculty, deans, and students.

Our president, Bud Purves, leads YUDC’s dedicated team of real estate development professionals. Key consultants also share their expertise with us, and bring unique skills to every project we undertake.

YUDC holds regular public meetings, open houses, and consultations. We keep the York community up-to-date on our projects, and actively seek input. 

What We Do
The York University Development Corporation provides the university with the very best in real estate advisory, development, and management expertise. Since the late 1980s, YUDC and York have developed many key sites at the Keele Campus.

We helped the university create the York University Master Plan back in 1988. This Plan guided the development of academic facilities and the creation of a community on the new campus. Together with an environmental-impact study and a municipal Secondary Plan, the Master Plan became the framework for on-campus development over the next two decades.

Today, YUDC is working hard to bring some exciting initiatives to fruition, including completing the York Research Tower, the Spadina Subway Extension, the Pond and Sentinel Mixed-Use Centre, and the York University Secondary Plan Update, and the York University Master Plan update.

YUDC is a proud sponsor of Toronto Homecoming, a series of events spread over four days and coinciding with the opening of the 2010 Luminato Festival, that is designed to connect Canadians living abroad with professional opportunities in Toronto. In its first year, Toronto Homecoming is bringing back 40 talented global professionals. Toronto Homecoming is a volunteer initiative spun out of the Toronto City Summit Alliance, a well-respected coalition of leaders working to meet the region's challenges.