Vaughan ArtWalk District Phase 1 | 131m | 38s | SmartCentres | Hariri Pontarini

narduch said:
Well it could have been a 10 story office tower with walmart at the bottom. That would be considered employment use
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Why would someone want an office building here compared to SmartCentres offerings directly atop the subway?? Especially considering that having a freakin Walmart downstairs isn’t exactly prestigious.. there’s enough land available in VMC for 30-40 years of intensification, no need to get creative bending planning regulations quite yet to squeeze out some extra marginal GFA.
 
innsertnamehere said:
Why would someone want an office building here compared to SmartCentres offerings directly atop the subway?? Especially considering that having a freakin Walmart downstairs isn’t exactly prestigious.. there’s enough land available in VMC for 30-40 years of intensification, no need to get creative bending planning regulations quite yet to squeeze out some extra marginal GFA.
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If VMC is a success there will be pressure to build up in this area as well in the near future.

The Wal-Mart would have made more sense near the Costco
 
narduch said:
If VMC is a success there will be pressure to build up in this area as well in the near future.

The Wal-Mart would have made more sense near the Costco
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As always with these types of holistic discussions, it comes down to reality. Smartcentes owns this land, it doesn’t own it near Costco.

Moving Walmart here opens up its current site for development, moves the existing employment use here closer to the subway, and gets a tenant stuck in its suburban ways outside of the main VMC area. Don’t pass over the good for the perfect.
 
innsertnamehere said:
As always with these types of holistic discussions, it comes down to reality. Smartcentes owns this land, it doesn’t own it near Costco.

Moving Walmart here opens up its current site for development, moves the existing employment use here closer to the subway, and gets a tenant stuck in its suburban ways outside of the main VMC area. Don’t pass over the good for the perfect.
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This only really good for Smart Centres and Walmart. It's not good planning.
 
innsertnamehere said:
Why would someone want an office building here compared to SmartCentres offerings directly atop the subway?? Especially considering that having a freakin Walmart downstairs isn’t exactly prestigious.. there’s enough land available in VMC for 30-40 years of intensification, no need to get creative bending planning regulations quite yet to squeeze out some extra marginal GFA.
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I agree 100%. The Walmart's new location will still be walkable for people who actually live in VMC, but proximity to the subway station means nothing since people aren't going to be commuting from Toronto to Walmart. If land shortage does become a problem, it would be much more rational to look at the big box plazas at Weston or the low-density development at Keele - both of which would be much more desirable places to develop than a lot abutting the 400.
 
The Kumon building is now completely down.

The old Smart Centres head office is still standing, for now
 
I don't really know where to post this, but decided ultimately on this thread as it suggests an eventual redevelopment of the Walmart site.

SmartCentres Q1 2020 Investor Presentation depicts a conceptual massing for the entire Vaughan City Centre:
  • A NEW CITY CENTRE
  • Potential for 20 million sf of mixed-use density
  • SmartCentres owned lands (25 acres) represent 5 million sf. of potential
  • Over 2 million sf currently under construction

1598449579418.png


And the recent related UT article:

urbantoronto.ca

Lunchbox Challenge Recognizes Crews of SmartVMC's Brand New Walmart | UrbanToronto

SmartCentres REIT participates in the #LunchboxChallenge to show appreciation for the front-line workers constructing the new Walmart in Vaughan's SmartVMC development.
urbantoronto.ca urbantoronto.ca
 
I'm reminded of all the comments on the Spadina Subway Extension thread deriding the extension being built to a Wal-mart parking lot. Well, that parking lot will be no more and the area around the VMC station is booming!
 
Based from this recent report, this will be a multi-phase development and that SPA is for just the first phase.

Altogether, the former Walmart site is to have 40,000 sqft of retail GFA, 3,960,000 of residential GFA, and 4,640 residential units.

We get a sneak preview of the master plan at the corner of Edgeley Blvd and Portage Pkwey.

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