The Globe and Mail reports in its Monday edition that Leon's Furniture has been selling home furnishings for more than 100 years. The Globe's Rachelle Younglai writes that now the company has decided to also sell homes. Leon's plans on turning one of its large plots of land on the outskirts of Toronto into nearly 4,000 new homes, including rental apartment buildings, single-family houses, townhouses and condos. It will be Leon's first foray into residential building. Leon's owns 430 acres of land across the country and is figuring out how it can make money from its vast acreage. The residential project in Toronto is slated for a 40-acre parcel that lies between two major highways -- the 401 and the 400 -- north of the city. The site is mostly fields and currently holds the company's headquarters and a Leon's retail store. Leon's is in the early stages of planning. It will start with building a new head office and new Leon's retail store to replace the ones on the site. Then, it will move onto developing the residential real estate. Leon's is the latest to jump into the residential building business in Canada, as the federal government attempts to deal with the lack of affordable housing across the country.