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After first announcing their plans in January 2013, the Vaughan Mills shopping centre officially opened their 50 store expansion to the public on Thursday, October 23, 2014—unveiling 200,000 square feet on the east side of the property—featuring new stores, new mall spaces including a Digital Lounge, a Sport Neighbourhood, and an Event Court, and even new parking spots dubbed 'green parking'. The new retailers include the launches of the first Below the Belt in Ontario, the only Charming Charlie in Canada, and the only Dr. Martens Outlet in North America along with the concepts for the Nike Factory Store and the Jack & Jones Outlet.
Before the expansion, Vaughan Mills had 200 tenants and 16 anchor stores in a leasing area of 1.124 million square feet. At 1.27 million square feet (118,000 m2), Vaughan Mills is now home to 250 stores, a new 'Neighbourhood', two new event courts, a Digital Lounge and three new anchor stores. The shopping centre also added 450 more parking spaces to accommodate the additional retailers, including 'green' parking spots, now totalling 6,500 parking spaces.
The expansion shows on the outside too: a distinctive new entrance (Entrance 4A) leads to the new Sport Neighbourhood with bold colours and an eye-catching numerical icon, as shown below:
The Smart Parking spaces at Vaughan Mills are reserved for carpool zone members, hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, and Zipcars. The spots are equipped with a charging station for electric vehicles.
Smart Parking is a sustainable transportation initiative launched by Vaughan Mills and Smart Commute, as part of the shopping centre's Lean & Green program which also includes a diversion program, an enershift demand response (EDR) program, and a Bullfrog Power partnership to use greener electricity for 50% of its usage in the common areas.
Going in straight through door 4A, one will find the Event Court, which features custom lighting and lounge seating, has 37-foot ceilings and a seating capacity for about 50 people. As shown below, the space can accommodate special events, such as the opening event for this expansion, and live entertainment programs such as fashion shows, celebrity appearances, and small performances.
Vaughan Mills' architectural design is themed on Discover Ontario, which celebrates the beauty and diversity of the province; and this shows in how they have structured their six distinct retail 'Neighbourhoods', which have their own look and feel, along with transition courts and entry points. While the new Sports Neighbourhood (Neighbourhood 4A) shares some elements with its neighbours such as town square sculptures (from the Small Towns Neighbourhood 4) and wooden floors (from the Rural Neighbourhood 3), it still has its own distinct look and feel, particularly as it has its own transitional areas through the Digital Lounge and through the Events and Sports Courts respectively. The Sports Neighbourhood was made for enthusiasts with its selection of athletic stores, including this Sports Court where shoppers can catch sporting events on 12 large format television screens as shown below:
A design feature in the floors is the tribute to sports teams, like this one for the Toronto Rock NLL team.
The expansion included the unveiling of the Digital Lounge, which provides shoppers with phone-charging outlets, gaming stations, experience stations, and a live feed of Vaughan Mills’ social media. This was designed in partnership with Cineplex Digital Solutions, Cineplex Inc.'s digital signage and experiential media agency, and this shows in the design as well, as shown below:
The shopping centre, which is approaching its 10 year anniversary, is part of Ivanhoé Cambridge’s portfolio. This renovation and expansion project cost $87 million. With the success of Vaughan Mills, the real estate company continued expanding on the Mills model in Calgary, Alberta with CrossIron Mills and Tsawwassen, British Columbia with Tsawwassen Mills.
There is still more to come as the project’s final phase will be completed in 2015. The upcoming expansion will include a redesigned food court with new dining options, increasing service capacity in the 1,000-seat floor plan and improving traffic flow with a new central Speed-Lane feature. This Vaughan Mills expansion is but one of a series of major mall expansions around the Greater Toronto Area for 2014-2015 which will include changes to some of the GTA's major shopping centres including the Erin Mills Town Centre, Sherway Gardens, Square One, and Yorkdale among others.
