Mississauga City Centre Update - June 2006

[vistaway]

Although very windy, today was a decent day for a walk around the new developments at the MCC. The Farmers' Market is in full swing, and there is live entertainment on the Library square each week. Here are a few of the more-recent changes:

Sales office for Parkside Village, slowly progressing (very slowly):

The new Confederation Pkwy extension:

Daniels and Amica from Confederation:

One Park Tower now above grade, from Confederation (these large planters seem like gifts to skateboarders):

More One Park Tower:

Streetscape along Princess Royal:

Nice laneway between the Capital and Amica:

- Andy

 

[Ed007Toronto]

That laneway is the best thing I've seen yet in MCC.

 

[jeicow]

Daniels really hit the nail with that one in my opinion. My only major problems are:
1. The fence by the Amica parking lot is annoying as hell. I was up there today taking pictures with my friend for her project and due to the landscaping happening (as seen somewhat in your pics) the laneway was blocked off from the south and while we wanted to get through and around the little machine thingy, the damn fence made the walk long as hell.

2. The grates on the north sidewalk at the intersection where City Hall/Library/YMCA/South Tower meet are way too big. They pretty much compose the entire sidewalk. While I don't really mind them, I just find that the fact they're right at the bottom of the stairs that lead to the retail doesn't work.

3. The fact that the retail units aren't completed. I'm surprised at how long it's taking for the GLR unit to be completed. I would have thought they'd want them done for summer but as long as they get filled I'm happy.

Besides these little tweaks I'm actually really happy with how Daniels is progressing with their projects. I think that if they manage to still to their plan that area could actually be something one day.

vistaway- btw, is it okay if I give some of your pics to my friend to use on her project. It's just this little (ya right) report on how to improve MCC in her eyes. I'll make sure she gives credit in the photo section if it's okay with you.

 

[Observer Walt]

Good pictures vistaway. This area is really starting to look good. It will only look better as One Park comes along, and as some street-level retail starts to generate more pedestrian traffic.

 

[Tuscani01]

That laneway looks cool. And the sidewalk along confederation looks good, its just too bad theres no reason to walk it.

 

[paulbali]

Nice pictures. But I don't know, the whole area looks pretty architecturally vacuous to me.

 

[vistaway]

Thanks Jeicow...of course your friend can use the pics - no problem.

The grates you speak of I found odd as well - there are more on the north side. It feels like you're walking over a subway vent (wouldn't that be nice!).

I did notice that the retail units along the south end of the Capital are getting interior finishes (drywall), but I have never seen any leasing signage at all, so hard to say if there are even tennants signed. I know Starbucks is not signed, according to Daniels, but my fingers are crossed (true, there are already two in the MCC, and three Tim Hortons, but it would be nice to have a true street-front one).

By the way, I didn't take any pics, but that horrid Universal condo on the NW corner of Confederation and Rathburn is now UC with at least one crane on site. Looks like they have dug for at least three floors of parking. Oddly-enough, they built downtown-style sidewalk hoarding the length of the site. Seems quite out of place.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

The laneway does look good - as Ed and Tuscani already mentioned, but the rest of it seems rather overscaled, oppressive and yet strangely agoraphobic to me. Certainly, I think Confederation could have been made far more intimately .

An improvement over the rest of MCC, but it ain't no Port Credit.

AoD

 

[jeicow]

I know what you mean about the downtown style hoarding. A lot of projects have been putting that up recently. Eden has/had it up and there's this little dinky 4 floor project in Port Credit that has it up, even though it really doesn't/shouldn't have it. It's interesting though to see that the non-stellar projects have been putting those up though because I guess the companies are trying to give the impression that they're companies that know what they're doing even though they don't seem to know how to call an architect.

 

[doady]

The laneway does look good - as Ed and Tuscani already mentioned, but the rest of it seems rather overscaled, oppressive and yet strangely agoraphobic to me. Certainly, I think Confederation could have been made far more intimately .

Well, there is are only two buildings on Confederation right now (Amica and YMCA) so that is hardly surprising.

 

[Ed007Toronto]

^ I meant all of MCC. More of this please.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

doady:

Well, there is are only two buildings on Confederation right now (Amica and YMCA) so that is hardly surprising.

Actually, I did a mental image of putting buildings on the other side, and Confederation still seems overly wide to me.

AoD

 

[AlchemisTO]

Why is that sidewalk so enormous? Why couldn't they cede about a meter and a half for a bike lane on either side? Or, maybe, build a bus ROW in the center for the future.

 

[FutureMayor]

Funny, I didn't think there would be a day when someone complained that the sidewalk was too big in Mississauga!

This will be a major street in "downtown" Mississauga one day. Remember over 20,000 people will line both sides of the road in over 40 towers. Those sidewalks will be well used in the future.

I was also on site yesterday with staff and I got reconfirmation that there will dedicated bike lanes on both sides of the road. Hell, we even have bike posts on sidewalks in the City Centre and they are actually being used!

Louroz

 

[doady]

The sidewalk seems very wide at certain parts (esp the intersections) because there is space for parallel parking elsewhere. In the sections of the road which has parallel parking, the road is wider and the sidewalks are much less wide. You can see what I mean in the second photo where there is a bay cut into the curb for parking space.