I'm not a fan of the shallow NIMBY-ism that produced this decision but now that the decision appears to be final I wonder what the future of the Island Airport will be.
Porter, which for the moment I'm crudely eliding with the Airport for convenience, couldn't be worth more than a few hundred million dollars in its current form. That seems like a glaring under-utilization of space so close to the downtown core with so much potential. Harbour City imagined 60,000 people living in the area.
Of course, the NIMBYs who objected to jets would probably immolate themselves in protest f they found out 60,000 people were moving in instead.
Relatedly, the City should consider buying Downsview Airport. The value of whatever minimal production will be left there would be negligible as against the option of building a massive new community located next to 3 subway stations and a GO station.
From my perspective, the number one challenge in this city is the lack of affordable urban housing. Unexpectedly, Bombardier and Porter's vulnerability could give us an opportunity to open up two of the largest development sites in the 416.