A rendering of the multi-phased Pickering City Centre redevelopment site, in the city just east of Toronto. (Courtesy Centre Court) Centre Court has officially started construction on the first two residential towers at Pickering City Centre, marking the beginning of a long-term, mixed-use master-planned community located about 40 kilometres east of downtown Toronto. The initial two condominium towers will be 45 and 40 storeys tall, each on separate podiums, featuring a total of 974 units. There will be a variety of layouts including one-bedroom, one-bedroom-plus-den, two-bedroom and two-bedroom-plus-den units. “There are still units left that are available, and we have a sales centre set up in the mall to sell them, but we’re sold past the point of where it feels comfortable to start,” Centre Court partner and senior vice-president of development Mitch Gascoyne told RENX. “The reality is that the market is not what it was previously, but this project launched almost two years ago so it’s been a couple of years of selling and the value proposition here is a good one.”
Amenities, services and location
The buildings will also feature around 20,000 square feet dedicated to fitness and wellness facilities, along with a rooftop swimming pool and ground-level retail options. Each tower will include a Cleveland Clinic virtual medical clinic allowing residents to connect with a clinician for diagnosis, referrals or prescriptions without leaving their building. Figure3 is handling interior design while STUDIOtla serves as landscape architect for this initial development block. Site servicing work is ongoing too, involving new roads and essential utilities necessary for future phases of this community. Centre Court has also transferred land to the City of Pickering for developing City Centre Park, which will serve as a public amenity located west across Glenanna Road from Pickering City Hall. Pickering City Centre will directly connect with both Pickering City Hall and the Pickering GO Transit station alongside existing retail and office buildings.Salthill, Cowie partners at Pickering Town Centre
The groundbreaking was made possible through support from both the City of Pickering and Region of Durham’s development charge deferral policy. Instead of paying development charges upfront during permit issuance, Centre Court will pay them upon first occupancy to ease initial capital expenses. “The City of Pickering and Region of Durham are kind of ahead of the curve,” Gascoyne said. “It’s something that the province has since put out in their Bill 17 legislation. It’s not enforced yet, but the province is going to be doing it across the board whenever those regs come out.” Salthill Capital and Cowie Capital Partners Inc. are also investing in Pickering City Centre; they’ll manage maintenance and revitalization efforts for approximately 700,000 square feet within The Shops at Pickering City Centre mall as well as an about 130,000-square-foot office building. “Our plan has always been to keep the mall and put time and attention into improving it,” Gascoyne explained. “The mall will continue to operate throughout construction; our intention is that it remains part of our long-term project plans.” The Shops at Pickering City Centre included a Hudson’s Bay Company store prior to its bankruptcy earlier this year. Gascoyne mentioned that discussions are ongoing about how to address this now vacant space.Future development at Pickering City Centre
The website for Pickering City Centre indicates that this first development block will also see a third tower reaching 50 storeys with 550 units alongside another fourth tower standing 55 storeys tall with an additional 600 units. The latter will become the tallest building in town. “We always knew that it was going to take time to build out depending on market conditions,” Gascoyne said. “We’re going to own this long enough that I’m sure there’ll be fluctuations in market dynamics.” “Sales impact when you’re able to begin construction. If market conditions remain unchanged it’ll take longer; if they improve then we’ll adjust accordingly.” Centre Court might consider making those third and fourth towers purpose-built rental apartments according to Gascoyne’s comments; however no decision has been finalized yet. Once completed, Pickering City Centre aims to transform into a sprawling mixed-use community covering 55 acres with over 6,000 new homes spread across more than ten towers. The architectural vision laid out by Diamond Schmitt features an interconnected layout consisting of wide streets along with green spaces plus urban plazas linking all elements together seamlessly.Other Centre Court projects
Centre Court is actively moving forward on several other significant developments currently at different stages in their timelines. A notable project includes Kipling Station Condos-a substantial structure standing fifty stories tall comprising 552 units-situated at 5251 Dundas St. W., Toronto providing direct access onto Kipling public transit hub anticipated for completion by early twenty twenty-seven!Source link
