Huge mississauga development will create shops, offices, housing for 35,000
An Area beside square One Mall will soon be home to 35,000 people in 37 new towers — the largest urban redevelopment underway in north America
Twenty years ago, when the daniels Corporation started developing its first highrise condominium near the Square One Shopping Centre, the notion of a downtown Mississauga was somewhat oxymoronic. Mississauga’s Civic Centre was across the street, but the area was replete with parking lots and vacant land, and the suburb, filled with single-family homes, was considered a bedroom community to Toronto.
Since then, Mississauga’s population has grown by more than 100,000 people, and many of the vacant lots have filled in with restaurants and bars, grocery stores and office parks. “Things have really intensified,” says dominic Tompa, daniels’ vice president of sales, noting the company has now built an additional dozen towers, or about 4,000 condos, in central Mississauga.
That intensity is only going to accelerate. In early 2020, Square One’s owner, Oxford Properties, along with pension fund AIMCO., announced the largest urban redevelopment currently underway in North America. Called Square One district, it is turning a 130-acre plot adjacent to the mall into offices, shops and housing for 35,000 people, including 37 new apartments towers, about half of which will be rentals, half condos. The first two towers, to be constructed by the daniels Corporation, are slated for completion in 2024.
True to the mix of the overall development, one tower will be a 575-unit condo, the other a 425-suite rental project. “Not a lot of rental towers have been built over the last 25, 30 years,” says Tompa.
“We’re seeing a big shift now because there’s so much demand. Specifically, purpose-built are appealing because residents want to know they are secure where they are, and that their landlord isn’t going to sell the condo they are living in down the line.”
According to Tompa, the condo tower will be responsive to market-based demands. His team regularly interviews prospective buyers, condo managers and occupants of other daniels properties to get a sense of what amenities are popular, and what’s most desirable. A key feature of the Condominiums at Square One district – or CASOD, as it’s being called for short – is co-working space with bookable meeting rooms and hot desks.
“Everyone needs a home office these days,” says Tompa. That can be tricky to do in many condo units, where every square inch is already filling a need. (units at CASOD range from 434 to 1,238 square feet.) This is especially true if there are kids at home — another growing trend Tompa sees.
“More families are living in condos than ever before,” he says. While Square One is surrounded by activities for kids — movie theatres, the Playdium arcade, arts classes at the Living Arts Centre — CASOD will also have multiple amenities for children. There will be an indoor-outdoor play area, a craft studio and an activity zone for toddlers,” says Tompa.
“Previously, many condo buildings were primarily geared towards adults. We are trying to be more inclusive.”
For slightly older kids, and kids at heart, CASOD will also contain a fullcourt gymnasium, the kind of place to play volleyball, dodge ball or basketball. “We put one into another building and it’s in constant use,” says Tompa.
“It’s also a great amenity because it’s not expensive to maintain. Not like pools, for example, that people tend to use once or twice yet continually pay high fees to keep in use.”
In generations past, part of the appeal of living in Mississauga or any other suburb was the promise of a big back yard, a place for a garden. Ostensibly, condo living quashes that dream. And Mississauga in general is becoming more urban. By the time CASOD is complete, a new LRT line will run through the city, connecting Square One to Brampton in the north, and south down to Lake Ontario — a link that will likely inspire even more densification, even fewer sprawling yards.
However, CASOD is attempting to preserve a sense of bucolic escape. “We are planning to have a series of community garden plots,” says Tompa. “It’s something we first tried 10 years ago in regent Park. It’s been so popular. It brings a community of residents together to plant flowers and vegetables. It’s also nice because a lot of people are afraid they won’t be able to garden if they live in a condo. We’re trying to show that people can still find the lifestyle they are looking for — it just takes a little forethought on our part.”
Prices to be announced. For more information, visit livesquareonedistrict.com.
people can still find the lifestyle they Are looking for.