Almost all dwellings in the Richmond Hill study area were built between 1996 and 2001. The housing stock is mixed -- 40% detached, 12% semi-detached, 36% rowhouses, and 12% high-rise apartments. Despite having a housing mix similar to that of Riverdale or Meadowvale, Richmond Hill has a developable area combined population and employment density of only 29 residents and jobs combined per hectare. This may be because employment land accounts for a quarter of the developable land area, or because of the presence of undeveloped vacant land.
A rail corridor also runs through the site from north to south. German Mills Creek also runs through the site, separating the two residential zones. The southern portion of the study area contains Highway 7 and borders on Highway 407. This area is flanked by the Bayview Business Park, a multi-theatre cinema complex, and the Langstaff GO passenger rail station.
The street grid reflects a compromise between prewar grid and postwar curvilinear models. While the grid is interrupted by the creek, the highway, the rail corridor, and the employment lands, the rest of it is connected and contiguous. The vast majority of trips are by automobile, including to school. This is perhaps not surprising, as there are no schools located in the study area.
