Category: Vaughan

SmartCentres plans transit-oriented community at Caledonia Station

SmartCentres’ ArtWalk breaks ground in growing SmartVMC community

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March 1, 2021

SmartVMC Community Continues Expansion With New Mixed-Use Development

Source: UrbanToronto

SmartCentres REIT is at the forefront of the wave of new developments shaping the new Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (VMC) area, one that shows no signs of abating as new phases are announced in the developer’s master-planned 100-acre SmartVMC site. SmartCentres is continuing to seize the opportunity to create a complete community on an almost blank canvas around the VMC TTC Subway station and SmartVMC regional bus terminal. The REIT has recently announced new phases that will bring even more vitality to Vaughan’s burgeoning Downtown.

Looking northwest over SmartVMC showing site of 101 Edgeley Boulevard, image courtesy of SmartCentres REIT

SmartCentres’ adage of moving “From Shopping Centres to City Centres” is perfectly epitomized in one of the latest phases to be proposed. The company’s shift from large retail centres to mixed-use, high-density developments can be seen clearly in the redevelopment of a section of the block that formerly housed the Walmart at 101 Edgeley Boulevard into a new four-building complex being developed by SmartLiving, SmartCentres’ residential sub-brand.

Looking northwest to 101 Edgeley Boulevard, image courtesy of SmartCentres REIT

On the northwest corner of Apple Mill Road and Buttermill Avenue, a short walk from the SmartVMC bus terminal and Vaughan Metropolitan Centre TTC Subway Station, the plan calls for towers of 18 and 38 storeys, along with lower-scaled buildings of four and six storeys that will foster a pedestrian-friendly atmosphere at street-level. The four buildings have been designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects with sleek curves that interplay with strong lines that emphasize the towers’ verticality, while making use of softer, natural materials framing the mid-rise building and central courtyard space to create a community feel.

Looking south toward KPMG Building to 101 Edgeley Boulevard, image courtesy of SmartCentres REIT

A total Gross Floor Area (GFA) of 59,191 m²/637,130 ft² is proposed, most of it as residential space, 50,530 m²/543,943 ft² in area, with 624 condominium units spread out across three of the buildings: 368 units in the 38-storey building, 184 units in the 18-storey building, and 72 units in the six-storey building. Anchoring it all, 590 m²/6,350 ft² of retail space is planned within the base of the six-storey building, which will overlook the nine-acre park to begin construction this year, providing human scale and a connection to open spaces. A landscape plan by MHBC Planning comfortably ties the buildings in with the surrounding community. Developing the full 100-acre master-planned site gives SmartCentres REIT complete oversight to ensure that all phases are holistically woven together.

Looking south to 101 Edgeley Boulevard, image courtesy of SmartCentres REIT

The four-storey jewel box is the only non-residential building in the block. SmartCentres is in the process of determining the best use of this space to serve the site in a rare but welcome case of “architecture-first, details later” planning, but the aim is to further contribute to the pedestrian-friendly environment, creating a landmark presence at the intersection of Apple Mill Road and Buttermill Avenue. Defined by sculptural Y-shaped columns and a marble-clad elevator core, and surrounded by a public plaza, the corner building’s human scale would play a prominent role in welcoming pedestrians into the heart of the block. With its distinct look, the jewel box building would also create a transitional dialogue between the institutional uses across the street to the east. Adding even more interest to this corner, a public art feature is anticipated, with a final plan to be determined as planning continues.

Looking northwest to 101 Edgeley Boulevard, image courtesy of SmartCentres REIT

The corner building and surrounding plaza will draw pedestrian activity towards a large central courtyard, which will function as a POPS (a Privately-Owned Publicly accessible Space). The central POPS is to feature a mix of trees, decorative paving, and ornamental plantings alongside other landscape features and outdoor furniture. The POPS and the site-wide public realm plan have been designed with similar thoughtfulness to the rest of the master-planned SmartVMC community: to create connections with existing and future public realm improvements while encouraging pedestrian access and interaction through the block. This attention to detail in creating a public realm that interacts with its surroundings has become a defining feature in SmartLiving’s planned developments.

Courtyard at 101 Edgeley Boulevard, image courtesy of SmartCentres REIT

Like the other buildings that will combine to realize the SmartVMC community, whether already existing, under-construction, or planned, the plan for 101 Edgeley proposes transit-supportive density made possible by recent infrastructure investments in the area: residents will benefit from close proximity to the SmartVMC Bus Terminal 100 metres to the east, and the TTC’s VMC subway station just 200 metres away. On top of that, the SmartVMC community’s mix of residential and commercial along with a thoroughly-planned out public realm will combine to foster connectivity a healthy pedestrian and cyclist presence in an area quickly shedding its suburban identity.

The proposed rezoning, Official Plan amendment, and Site Plan applications are all under review by the City of Vaughan.

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February 8, 2021

SmartCentres’ SmartVMC Continues with New Phase Announced

Source: UrbanToronto

Of the development nodes emerging around the Greater Toronto Area in recent years, few seem as sudden and exciting as SmartVMC, developer SmartCentres REIT’s 100-acre new city centre development, in the Vaughan Metroplitan Centre (VMC). Developed from a nearly blank slate around the 2017-opened subway terminal of the same name, the SmartVMC community has sprung up quickly, as the market has shown that there is great demand for residential, SmartCentres is adapting to needs and adjusting its master plan, which anticipates flexibility and changing market needs.

The first three SmartVMC residential towers are the Transit City condos, through a partnership with CentreCourt, with three more towers under construction including the area’s first purpose-built rental building. Most recently, SmartCentres submitted plans to redevelop an adjacent plot of land bordering the three residential towers that are under construction. SmartCentres has engaged world-renowned Gensler Architects to design this block, which will add architectural variety alongside the existing striking SmartVMC buildings which are designed by Diamond Schmitt.

Looking northeast to 175 Millway, image courtesy of SmartCentres

Submitted to the City of Vaughan late last year, the plan seeks to build out the site at 175 Millway Avenue with a 64-storey residential tower rising 206.1 metres, a 21-storey Class-A office tower rising 97.1 metres, and a seven-storey hotel rising 31.5 metres. A total gross floor area (GFA) of 128,080 m² would include significant infusions of residential space at 63,899 m², office space at 48,543 m², hotel uses of 10,913 m², and 4,723 m² of retail space. Paula Bustard, SmartCentres’ EVP of Development, describes the mixed uses on the block as “a microcosm of what we’re trying to achieve across our entire 100-acre SmartVMC community.”

Site of 175 Millway, image courtesy of SmartCentres

The block’s defining landmark is the planned east building with frontage along Jane Street. This 64-storey mixed-use building with a tulip-inspired massing includes a range of varying floor plates, with almost 800 residential units. Below the tower, a multi-level podium, inclusive of retail, grocery and residential uses activates the public realm at-grade.

The plan for 175 Millway was thought out to have a mix of built forms, designed in an effort to create visual interest and emphasize each building’s unique attributes, a recurring pattern in SmartVMC. Like the block’s interaction between the buildings and open space, the taller tower’s skyline presence is the result of a commitment to bringing high-quality architecture to the area, with SmartCentres explaining to us that the move to include a tall tower is based on factors like meaningful use of space, aesthetics and placemaking, and “not simply to maximize FSI.”

Looking east to 175 Millway, image courtesy of SmartCentres

To the west, the seven-storey, 179-room hotel is planned with ground-floor retail anchoring it to its surroundings, and rooftop amenity space with a view. As the SmartVMC area becomes a destination, the sizeable hotel represents growing demand in the burgeoning community.

South of the hotel, a curvilinear 21-storey commercial tower is planned with over 48,000 m² of Class-A office space. Its podium would boast retail at ground level and a fifth-floor rooftop terrace. Bringing Class-A office space to the block was integral in designing a complete community, where residential, employment, public, and transit uses are all necessary cogs in a well-functioning, master-planned urban system.

To weave these new buildings into the area’s nascent public realm, the landscape design for 175 Millway Avenue is placed high on SmartCentres’ multiple blocks within the 100-acre property, with a resulting landscape program centred around a large treed courtyard. Designed by Claude Cormier + Associés, the same firm who created the well-received public spaces around existing SmartVMC properties, the site edges are perforated by a pedestrian portals that invite the public into the site interior. While each of the SmartVMC properties has been designed with unique public spaces, this and previous projects in the community aim to create a holistically-interconnected web of public realm contributions.

Looking east to 175 Millway, image courtesy of SmartCentres

Paula Bustard, SmartCentres’ EVP of Development describes the mix of uses as a “key evolution to the transit corridor,” placing future residents, tenants, employees and guests in a growing community on a site positioned “immediately adjacent to the bus terminal, kitty-corner from the new civic square and subway station. On the other side of Millway we’re just completing the PwC and YMCA development and Transit City phases 1 through 5 are all under construction or in occupancy.”

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November 11, 2020

Unprecedented Growth Reshaping Vaughan Metropolitan Centre’s Guiding Principles

Source: UrbanToronto

Residents of the former Village of Edgeley—established in the early 1800s at the intersection of Jane Street and Highway 7 in present-day Vaughan—would be awestruck at what their quaint village has become. Vaughan officially transitioned from Town to City status almost 30 years ago, and a tidal wave of change has followed.

Archival photo of Edgeley, image courtesy of City of Vaughan

Vaughan has lived up to its upgrade in status with booming population growth and the nascent urbanization of its core. The Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (VMC) area has become the centrepiece of Vaughan’s metamorphosis, with the 2017-opened VMC subway station and a glittering new skyline being the jewels in this crown. The planning groundwork for VMC was laid in 2006 when the provincial government committed to extending the Spadina subway line to Vaughan, and the area around the new terminus was designated as an Urban Growth Centre. The VMC Sub-Committee would be formed by Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua four years later, its goal to create the framework for a new urban centre for the traditionally suburban municipality. A decade later, the emphasis on urban feel has begun to bear fruit.

Created from an almost blank slate, VMC is now home to active projects from multiple landowners and developers, with the first major investment coming back in 2012, when the Cortel Group broke ground on their Expo City community. Expo City has since grown to four towers, with a fifth—CG Tower—now under construction, at 189 metres to be the new tallest building on Vaughan’s skyline. Its title may be short-lived though as an even taller tower has been proposed as of early November, 2020, Vaughan’s first to break the 200-metre mark. There are several developers active in bringing the VMC master plan to realization, with the biggest current players being SmartCentres REIT and QuadReal, each working off their own sub-community master plans for sites of 100 and 80 acres respectively.

A number of other active projects within and beyond these community master plans are bringing much more urban density to VMC, including under-construction buildings such as phases 1 through 5 of Transit City, Mobilio, and a much longer list of upcoming projects either working their way through planning and approvals, or currently in pre-construction sales. Complementing all of this residential growth, the VMC Centre of Community including a YMCA, daycare, library branch, and community recreation space is set to open its doors next year, and three new public art installations are underway.

Transit City Condos, image by Forum contributor DarkSideDenizen

Another jewel in the crown is the planned Edgeley Pond and Park, a signature community amenity that will double as a stormwater management facility

Edgeley Pond + Park, image via vaughan.ca

All of this investment and demand has far outpaced Vaughan’s initial expectations for height, density, and speed of city building, exceeding projections even during the most turbulent months of the COVID-19 pandemic. The VMC Secondary Plan established a population target of approximately 25,000 residents and 6,500 jobs by 2031, though due to the unexpectedly high volume in development activity, this projection has swelled considerably. Current development potential measured through approved and proposed developments represent more than 63,352 residents across 31,996 residential units moving into the VMC, a staggering 267% of the units and 253% of the population target identified for the 2031 planning horizon.

Construction in the VMC area, image by Jack Landau

Vaughan is responding to this unprecedented growth in VMC with a plan to update and expand documents guiding the area’s development, outlined in a VMC Sub-Committee report recommending sweeping changes to reassess and refocus efforts for the new downtown’s build-out moving forward based on development trends. This November 10th report identified and explained a range of issues and goals stemming from this outpacing of targets, noting that:

Proposed densities are rising exponentially each year
Greater diversity of building types and tenures is desired for a complete community
The downtown’s Neighbourhood Precincts need to be protected
Development must be balanced with delivery of supporting social infrastructure to achieve a complete community
The VMC needs a critical review of parkland provisions based on development trends
The right moment to reassess and refocus efforts
Proposed new office uses have increased significantly over the last year
Proposed retail uses have been lagging behind other uses, though there has been a significant increase since 2019

Factoring in all of the growth, an update to the VMC Secondary Plan has been initiated with an aim to address new provincial and regional policies, while staying true to the initial framework that has guided existing, approved, and proposed development in the VMC zone. This Secondary Plan revision is set to be adopted under the Vaughan Official Plan Update, which would functionally guarantee that planning goals are realized as envisioned.

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August 24, 2020

Lunchbox Challenge Recognizes Crews of SmartVMC’s Brand New Walmart

Source: UrbanToronto

SmartCentres is bringing the Lunchbox Challenge to the bustling SmartVMC lands at Highways 400 and 7 in Vaughan, continuing the cross-country effort to recognize frontline construction workers. The August 18 initiative saw SmartCentres REIT distributing wrapped lunches purchased from the family-owned and operated Via Panini restaurant in SmartVMC to crews who are building a first-of-its-kind-in-Canada Walmart Supercentre scheduled to open at the end of October.

Rendering of the SmartVMC masterplan, image courtesy of SmartCentres REIT

The SmartVMC masterplan has been unfolding around Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Station, the northern terminus of the TTC subway’s western leg and the beginning of the University line, a 43-minute ride to Union Station. The modern and mixed-use city centre, built from the ground-up following holistic design principles, is integrating its buildings with a plethora of open and public spaces, with a pedestrian-oriented approach implementing an urban-minded vision.

Aerial image showing the current and new Walmart locations, image courtesy of SmartCentres REIT

A central nine-acre park designA central nine-acre park designed by world-renowned landscape architect Claude Cormier + Associés will be the heart of the neighbourhood. Transit Square, adjacent to the KPMG Tower and equivalent in size to Yonge-Dundas Square, is a gathering place designed to host an array of special events and concerts. Additional public spaces are provided by informal areas situated between the buildings, enhanced by patios, benches, and ambient lighting.

SmartCentres participates in the Lunchbox Challenge, image courtesy of SmartCentres REIT

The comprehensive development has so far produced the 365,000 ft² KPMG Tower and a 225,000 ft² tower occupied by PwC offices, with a state-of-the-art YMCA facility, library and studio space forthcoming. Two soaring 55-storey condominium towers, Transit City 1 and 2, are nearly complete and have begun occupancy. Transit City 3 is under construction, and excavation is proceeding for Transit City 4 and 5 and SmartVMC‘s first purpose-built rental tower, developed by SmartLiving.

Central Park at SmartVMC rendering, image courtesy of SmartCentres REIT

The current Walmart location is adjacent to the Transit City complex, but had proved insufficient as plans to redevelop the area emerged. SmartCentres, who has forged a very strong relationship with Walmart as anchor tenants in their unenclosed shopping centres, worked collaboratively with the retailer to provide an optimal location for a new store.

Rendering of the new Walmart facility, image courtesy of SmartCentres REIT

SmartCentres played a key role in bringing Walmart to Canada, a relationship that has only been strengthened by time. As the street network within SmartVMC is expanded to support an urban public realm, the relocation of Walmart serves as an example of how the built form is being rearranged to maximize the potential of the community.

The new Walmart is expected to open in October 2020, image courtesy of SmartCentres REIT

The future 140,000 ft²Walmart features highway access and exposure and will include a 10,000 ft² eCommerce fulfillment centre, and drive-thru pickup facility—the first of its kind in Canada.

SmartVMC construction progress, image courtesy of SmartCentres REIT

Moving Walmart to its new location frees up the previous site for increased residential density, allowing SmartCentres to continue with its plans for SmartVMC, Vaughan’s 100-acre new city centre.

SmartCentres is continuing to grow and diversify its portfolio by introducing condominiums and rental properties, retirement homes, offices, and self-storage uses to its vast real estate assets. From shopping centres to city centres, intensification is proposed at major retail hubs in Pickering, Barrie, Thornhill, Alliston, and beyond.

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August 4, 2020

Two High-Rise Residential Towers Coming to SmartCentres Thornhill

Source: UrbanToronto

SmartCentres Thornhill, a 20-acre commercial shopping centre at the northwest corner of Centre Street and Bathurst Street, will be redeveloped by SmartLiving on behalf of owners Metrontario and the Penguin Group of Companies. SmartLiving, the residential brand of SmartCentres REIT, is working with the City of Vaughan to establish a long-term vision for the lands at at 700 Centre Street in Thornhill.

SmartCentres Thornhill, concept image courtesy of SmartCentres REIT

The property falls within an ‘Urban Area’ under the Region of York Official Plan. The site is also located within a ‘Primary Centre’ and along a ‘Regional Intensification Corridor’ as outlined in the City of Vaughan’s Official Plan. These three designations formally identify the property as an ideal location for mixed-use, high-rise development.

The project emerges in a booming development node supported by the recently-opened Disera-Promenade Station along Viva’s Highway 7 Rapidway, located directly in front of SmartCentres Thornhill.

Representing the first phase, Official Plan Amendment, Zoning Bylaw Amendment and Site Plan Control applications have been submitted to the City of Vaughan to permit two condominium towers of 27 and 29 storeys on a 1.3-acre area at the northwest corner of the site.

Context map, image via submission to the City of Vaughan

Meeting the ground with a three-storey podium containing ground-level retail space, a bridging element between the two towers rises from the rear of the podium, where indoor amenity spaces will be located. Renderings of the Sweeny &Co Architects-designed project depict outdoor amenity spaces on the rooftops of the three- and six-storey podium components.

A total of 510 parking stalls will be housed below-grade and within the podium, hiding all parking from the surrounding public realm. Vehicular access to the development will be through a private road animated with landscaping and street furniture.

Street-oriented retail spaces and the residential lobby will activate all sides of the project to promote a pedestrian-friendly atmosphere, further enhanced by glazed expanses and tall floor-to-ceiling heights.

SmartCentres Thornhill, concept image courtesy of SmartCentres REIT

Each of the two towers boast distinct facades that continue the architectural language established by the podium. Projecting balconies combine with horizontal and vertical elements and a mix of glazing, masonry, spandrel, concrete, and metal panels to form a diverse tower expression.

Partnering with Cityzen, Metrontario is developing the lot immediately to the west, where a pair of condominium towers are under construction. To the south, the 1986-built Promenade Shopping Centre is one of multiple suburban-style malls undergoing an urban transformation. The Promenade multi-phased, mixed-use redevelopment will produce over 1,000 residential units, office space, and a hotel across a number of high-rise towers.

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July 21, 2020

Crane Comes Down at Transit City Condos in Vaughan

Source: UrbanToronto

It’s been a few weeks since the topping off of the first of the three towers in phase one of the Transit City development at SmartVMC, a nascent master-planned community now growing around the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre subway terminal just north of Toronto. Being developed by SmartCentres in partnership with CentreCourt Developments, the trio of 55-storey condominium towers designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects has now surpassed another construction milestone.

Looking north to Transit City, image by Forum contributor Jasonzed

While the first crane was removed from the topped-off Tower 1 in May, the operation has now been repeated for Tower 2, with that crane’s disassembly having been carried out this month. The five-day process was undertaken by construction crews from Multiplex using a derrick with a lifting capacity of 35 tonnes.

Crane removal for T2 at Transit City, image courtesy of Multiplex

With the total weight of the tower crane roughly 90 tonnes—including its counterweights—it had to be disassembled and lowered in sections to keep the derrick’s loads under its limit.

Crane removal for T2 at Transit City, image courtesy of Multiplex

The derrick was chosen over methods such as bringing in a mobile hydraulic crane and extending it from street level, due to the tower’s sheer height and because of restrictions related to the project’s location less than seven kilometres from Downsview Airport. Air rights continued to play a factor in how the crane was demobilized, as the derrick encroached upon the Downsview flightpath. Multiplex managed the derrick’s logistics, working in close consultation and daily liaison with airport management to ensure the operation was carried out safely: once a day’s operations were completed, the derrick was brought down to the tower’s roofline, before being jacked back into its operational posture the following day.

Crane removal for T2 at Transit City, image courtesy of Multiplex

With two cranes down now, one remains active forming the final building in the first phase. Now just a few levels shy of its final height, the east tower will also have its crane removed in the near future.

As work continues inside the first three towers, construction has begun on the next phase of buildings at Transit City. Two cranes are now active on the underground levels of TC4 and TC5. In phase two, 45 and 50-storey CentreCourt and SmartCentres condominium towers are being constructed along with a 35-storey purpose-built SmartLiving rental building. The image below, captured in early July, shows the phase two site following the first crane’s installation, just prior to the second crane being raised.

Construction for next phases of Transit City, image by Forum contributor DarkSideDenizen

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July 6, 2020

SmartCentres’ Mixed-Use Diversification Expressed in New Vaughan Development

Source: UrbanToronto

The emerging Vaughan skyline is set to receive another major boost when a masterplanned, multi-tower community proposed by SmartCentres REIT comes to the northeast corner of Weston Road and Major Mackenzie Drive West. SmartCentres REIT has expanded its scope in recent years, maintaining specialization in retail real estate but increasingly diversifying and redeveloping its properties into mixed-use, urban communities.

View from Major Mackenzie, SmartCentres Vaughan Northwest, concept image courtesy of SmartCentres REIT

The 6.3-acre development site encompasses a vacant area within a larger 45-acre property currently featuring a Walmart-anchored shopping centre and a SmartStop Self Storage facility now under construction. The new community will fill in a spot located immediately south of a 12-acre parcel which is being developed into a 179-townhouse project by SmartCentres’ SmartLiving residential brand in partnership with Fieldgate.

Landscape plan, SmartCentres Vaughan Northwest, image courtesy of SmartCentres REIT

Official Plan Amendment and Zoning Bylaw Amendment applications have been submitted to the City of Vaughan to permit SmartCentres Vaughan Northwest, which would feature two seniors supportive living buildings and four residential towers. The residential towers and overall site plan are being designed by IBI Group, Kasian is designing the two supportive living buildings, and MEP Design Inc. is the landscape architect designing the master landscape plan.

Seniors' residences, SmartCentres Vaughan Northwest, concept image courtesy of SmartCentres REIT

A Site Plan application has also been submitted for phase one, situated at the north portion of the property, where the proposed 10 and 12-storey seniors’ buildings will rise.

Seniors' residences, SmartCentres Vaughan Northwest, concept image courtesy of SmartCentres REIT

The southwestern portion of the property, where Weston Road and Major Mackenzie intersect, is proposed to be redeveloped into 12 and 16-storey residential towers with at-grade retail. A large piazza graces the corner as a welcoming gesture, marking the entry point to an expansive network of green spaces, internal walkways, sidewalks, and landscaping features that animate the public realm.

The southeastern quadrant of the site at Vellore Park Avenue will host the tallest pair of towers, at 20 and 24 storeys. Achieving a diversity of housing tenures and meeting the demand for ownership and rental options, a mix of condominium and apartment units are proposed.

Internal park view, SmartCentres Vaughan Northwest, concept image courtesy of SmartCentres REIT

A two-level underground garage will service residents and visitors. On the ground, a new private road from Vellore Park Avenue will serve as the main entrance and exit point for vehicles, with connections to multiple pick-up and drop-off areas.

An abundance of landscaping and walkways are proposed between each of the buildings, including an elongated privately-owned public space (POPS) just south of the two seniors residences, where an active play space for children will be located.

Entry plaza, SmartCentres Vaughan Northwest, concept image courtesy of SmartCentres REIT

Outside the boundaries of the site, an amenity-laden, complete community is already blossoming. The townhouse development to the north will further amplify Vaughan’s housing stock and introduce ‘missing middle’ housing types to the neighbourhood.

Already well served by SmartCentres’ multi-tenant, open-air shopping centre on the adjacent lot, the development also benefits from a York Region Transit bus route with direct access to Maple GO Station. The route will feature a transfer just east of the site through the future VIVA Rapid Transit Station at Major Mackenzie Drive and Jane Street, providing a direct route down Jane to Vaughan Metropolitan Centre and Line 1 of the TTC subway system.

Master plan, SmartCentres Vaughan Northwest, concept image courtesy of SmartCentres REIT

The new Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital, the first “smart” hospital in the country, is also located approximately one kilometre east of this future mixed-use community. Preparing for the hundreds of homes that will soon transform the vacant property into a vibrant neighbourhood, the SmartStop Self Storage facility nearing completion is a harbinger of the promising community assets to come for the area.

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June 8, 2020

SmartCentres Development to Reshape Corner of Highways 400 and 7

Source: UrbanToronto

The mixed-use SmartVMC development is creating a new and true urban centre for Downtown Vaughan. As the masterplanned project by SmartCentres progresses, another multi-phase development from the REIT—which is evolving from shopping centres to city centres—will reshape the northwest corner of Highways 400 and 7 using the same tried-and-tested design principles.

Looking northwest at the multi-tower development, image courtesy of SmartCentres

The project will occupy a 8.2-hectare J-shaped property currently defined by three large commercial retail buildings. The site at 137 Chrislea Road and 57 through 101 Northview Boulevard is located within the Weston Road Secondary Plan area. The property is serviced by a VIVA Rapidway station, providing a direct transit connection to Vaughan Metropolitan Centre subway station, and from there, Downtown Toronto.

Overview of the property, image courtesy of SmartCentres

Featuring disparate architecture by Weston Williamson + Partners and Turner Fleischer Architects, a total of 14 buildings ranging from 8 to 45 storeys are proposed. Separated by green spaces, five high-rise towers would be positioned on the eastern edge of the site facing Highway 400. A more modest collection of mid-rises are proposed on the remaining lands to the west, with the development serviced by a new central spine road and several other minor roads.

Site plan, image courtesy of SmartCentres

SmartCentres Highway 400 & 7 is informed by the same core principles guiding the development of SmartVMC, with an acute focus on transit connectivity, quality open spaces and distinct architecture. Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw Amendment applications are currently being reviewed by the City of Vaughan. An application for Site Plan Approval to permit the first phase will be submitted shortly.

View from Portage Parkway, image courtesy of SmartCentres

SmartCentres REIT owns approximately 3,500 acres of land situated at major intersections across every province in Canada. The company has embarked on a strategic diversification of its real estate portfolio, with its SmartLiving sub-brand driving residential development on dozens of SmartCentres’ properties. A $12 billion development program was announced in 2019 and will transform 94 of the 165 SmartCentres properties.

View from proposed POPS, image courtesy of SmartCentres

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June 8, 2020

Two Towers Top Out at Transit City Complex in Vaughan

Source: UrbanToronto

The cluster of towers in the nascent Vaughan Metropolitan Centre skyline includes a new focal point, with milestones recently reached in construction of the Transit City complex in SmartCentres’ SmartVMC, a 100-acre master-planned community around the area’s eponymous subway terminal. The first phases of Transit City—being developed by SmartCentres in partnership with CentreCourt—include a trio of 55-storey condominium towers designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects, two of which have recently topped out.

Facing east to Transit City, image by Forum contributor DarkSideDenizen

The complex’s north and south towers have reached their final heights of 176.17 metres, with the former’s crane recently removed and the latter’s soon to follow. Cladding installation has reached the north tower’s pinnacle, with just six rows of the tower’s balcony dividers remaining before the aesthetic is complete. Four levels of exterior finishes remain to be installed on the south tower.

Facing northeast to Transit City, image by Forum contributor DarkSideDenizen

To the east, the third tower now stands roughly 45 storeys tall, set to match the 55-storey height of its siblings in the coming months. As forming progresses up top, cladding installation now encloses over 30 floors of the tower.

Facing north to Transit City, image by Forum contributor DarkSideDenizen

All three towers at Transit City have overtaken the nearby twin towers of the Expo City community’s Nord East and West and their shared heights of 140 metres which briefly held the crown as Vaughan’s tallest buildings, having themselves only taken the crown recently after overtaking the Expo City community’s first two towers as that city’s tallest. Transit City’s crown is also likely to be short lived, as CG Tower, an even taller building is in the works at Expo City—the two communities developing a back and forth race for Vaughan’s tallest. Another tallest for Vaughan could come at 7028 Yonge Street at Steeles, on Vaughan’s border with Toronto, if it’s approved.

As work moves into the later stages for the initial three towers, three more buildings are on the way as part of the community’s next phase. Early construction activity is priming the site of TC4 and TC5, a pair of 45- and 50-storey CentreCourt and SmartCentres condominium towers, which are being constructed along with a 35-storey purpose-built SmartLiving rental building. Views of the site captured at the end of April, below, show a hive of activity in the middle ground below, with the completed shoring phase paving way for excavation and tieback installation, and two of the initial towers in the background.

Late April view of excavation for next phases of Transit City, image by Forum contributor DarkSideDenizen

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