It's been a while since we've turned our attention towards that other, formerly-highly anticipated subway project: the extension of the Yonge-University-Spadina line towards Vaughan. While politicians, developers and community activists continue to focus all the attention on the Sheppard/Scarborough issue (devolved into more of a shameful circuis show than legitimate, constructive debate), we can already see how development is spurred and what type of development may arise through the extension of transportation systems. Expo City in Vaughan is capitalizing on the TTC's extension, part of the Cortel Group's Vaughan Metropolitan Centre which will eventually include five residential towers, transforming 300 hectares of commercial and industrial land in the centre of "downtown Vaughan."

Expo and Expo 2 at Expo City, image courtesy of Cortel Group

The first tower was featured on UrbanToronto last fall  and sold out surprisingly well, attracting a variety of purchasers from the direct area as well as those looking for large units without paying downtown prices. The Cortel Group affirms that they've seen strong interest from young professionals who work downtown but are continuing the established trend of suburban living, as opposed to what we're used to seeing downtown with young professionals desiring to live and work in relatively proximity.

Expo City Phase One, image courtesy of the Cortel Group

The benefits of building in what was formerly a "bedroom community" such as Vaughan are made evident in Expo; expansive lots are easy to come by and encourage the development of residential "communities" (Expo will contain 20,000 square feet of amenity space, as well as a retail loggia), while proximity to transportation arteries allows for ease of travel. Vaughan is clearly attempting to establish itself as distinct and unique from Toronto much in the same way that Mississauga is with current projects underway to add local transit infrastructure, rejuvenate and transform former highways to local roads and design community hubs,  all in an attempt attract a variety of residential and commercial developers.

Expo City's Phase 2, designed by YYZed Project Management, will launch April 14th, ahead of schedule. You can see renderings of Phase 1 on the dataBase listing below; we'll add updated Phase 2 renderings as soon as they come in. In the meantime, check out the associated forum pages to see what's being said, and to share your comments.