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CentreCourt has announced its ambitious plans for a sprawling 55-acre masterplan community called Pickering City Centre on parts of the redeveloped Pickering Town Centre mall site. The developer, in partnership with Cowie Capital Partners Inc and Salthill Capital as retail and office leads, aims to redefine the core of Pickering and enhance its connection with the Greater Toronto Area. Located at 1355 Kingston Road near the Brock Road interchange on Highway 401, and just north of Pickering GO station, the development will weave together a mix of residential, retail, and public spaces, with CentreCourt intending to cement the location as an actual downtown for Pickering.
The unveiling of the project took place at an event held at Pickering Town Centre earlier today, featuring key speakers including the Mayor of Pickering, Kevin Ashe, CentreCourt’s President, Gavin Cheung, and the CEO and President of Cleveland Clinics Canada, Michael Kessel.
CentreCourt is seeking to redefine the mall site over the long term. The development will introduce substantial residential, retail, and public spaces, aiming to create a vibrant downtown destination on space that is mostly surface parking now. Over the next decade an urban centre will remake the suburban setting of the mall, featuring over 6,000 residences across more than ten mixed-use towers, most ranging from 40 to 55 storeys, while revitalizing Pickering Town Centre mall.
Kicking off the event, Gavin Cheung highlighted the prime location of the Pickering City Centre development, sharing that "this is the centre ice location, the most connected and most central place in all of Pickering and the Durham region." Mayor Kevin Ashe echoed these sentiments, stating, "Pickering is a leader for growth and on pace to become one of Ontario’s top cities, with its population set to double over the next 20 years.”
Speaking with UrbanToronto, Cheung said “the thing that will surprise people about this project is the fact there is so much existing infrastructure here that the city already has.” What sets the Pickering City Centre apart from other mall redevelopment projects, according to Cheung, is “the existing assets will not be removed. They will be renewed.” He emphasized the symbiotic relationship between the new residential density and the existing mall.
Michael Kessel spoke next, highlighting one of the unique features of the site — a "Virtual Clinic" provided by the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic. This marks the first amenity of its kind in Canada to be offered in a condominium masterplan community. Kessel explained that residents at Pickering City Centre will be able to connect with a Cleveland Clinic Canada clinician and receive a diagnosis or referral without needing to leave their building.
The event also featured insights from Mitch Gascoyne, partner and Senior Vice-President of development at CentreCourt, who highlighted the years of planning that went into the city centre vision. Donald Schmitt, Principal at Diamond Schmitt Architects, the designer of the masterplan, further elaborated on the vision for the community, noting that “with that density comes healthier more sustainable communities."
Jason Lam, Senior Vice-President of Sales and Marketing at CentreCourt, wrapped up the presentation by highlighting the unique foundation of the Pickering City Centre. He emphasized that the development is not just for Pickering, but for all of Durham Region and the rest of the GTA.
The first phase of this development, Block 1, will include four residential towers, offering approximately 2,200 residential units and approximately 111,483 m² of residential and commercial density. The towers will include about 1,672m² of retail area at ground level.
Residents of Block 1 will have access to approximately 4,552m² and 7,246m² of indoor and outdoor amenities respectively. These plans include a fitness centre, rooftop pool, outdoor lounge areas and grilling stations, co-working and social areas, a golf simulator lounge, and interior courtyards that connect to the network of green spaces.
To learn more about the development, visit pickeringcitycentre.com.
UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file, linked below. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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