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News first broke in 2008 when it was announced the Peel District School Board had approved a 99-year lease with an asset management firm that wanted to construct up to eight new high-rise developments within the Britannia farm lands site in Mississauga. This would have taken up 12-acres of the site, and would have included new office towers. That deal, however, ultimately fell through. Over the course of the next eight years, there was little evidence to suggest what would happen for the future of the Britannia Farm Lands, until June of 2016 when serious discussion recommenced.
Britannia Farm itself is 200-acres in size, and was bequeathed to the school board in 1833 on behalf of King William IV with the understanding that the land would solely be used for educational purposes. As such, the old Britannia Schoolhouse was constructed in 1852, directly west off of the long country road that is known today as Hurontario Street. Over the course of the years, other notable buildings such as the Britannia Farmhouse, Conover Barn, and Gardner-Dunton House were constructed as part of the Britannia Farm Field Centre, to provide students the opportunity to get experimental outdoor education.
Bounded by Hurontario to the east, McLaughlin Road to the west, Bristol Road West to the south, and south of Matheson Boulevard to the north, this site is the largest undeveloped parcel of land within Mississauga's central core. Along the west end is a sugar bush producing maple syrup, and wetlands located just west of the Cooksville Creek that runs through the middle of the site. Everything around this 200-acre property has seen significant suburban growth in the form of big box retail, strip plazas with ample surface parking, capped off with single-detached houses surrounding all but the north boundary.
On December 12, it was announced that the Peel School Board trustees had approved the Master Plan for this site to become a brand-new outdoor educational facility. The new features would include wetland restoration through the middle of the site, a trail network, a new field centre, as well as an outdoor gathering area which would be called Britannia Common. While the schoolhouse and farmhouse will remain in their current location, Gardner-Dunton House will be relocated south of the schoolhouse, and Conover Barn will be relocated behind the farmhouse.
The pressing issue at hand comes down to financing the plan; and it was determined that the 32-acre parcel along the southeast corner would be ideal for new mixed-use development. It was estimated that one acre could sell for up to $5 million, factoring in that the Hurontario LRT will run alongside this site.
The parcel will be subdivided into smaller blocks in a more urban grid for better circulation of pedestrians and residents. In order to proceed with the development, the Board will file an Official Plan Amendment (OPA) to the City of Mississauga, an approvals process which could take a year and a half to complete. Nonetheless, 32 acres of added urban development to central Mississauga is another big step forward in the ongoing transformation of densifying the Hurontario Street corridor.
We will keep you updated as this project moves forward through the City of Mississauga's OPA process, to be followed by development proposals at the site. Want to share your thoughts on this plan? Feel free to comment in the space provided below, or join in the ongoing conversation in our associated Forum thread.
