Ontario Construction News staff level
Mississauga City council has endorsed the final recommendations report of the Reimagining the Mall project, a multi-year study that examined land use policies at six local mall sites and the areas surrounding them.
An Official Plan Amendment, one of the reportโs recommendations, also received council support.
โTimes are changing, and so is the nature of the traditional retail market,โ said Mayor Bonnie Crombie. โAs our city grows, evolves and intensifies, we need to have the right policies in place to guide us as we work to build complete communities.:
Crombie also thanked residents, businesses, developers and mall owners that participated in this consultation process.
โYou are helping us make progress on our middle income housing strategy, and our goal of ensuring Mississauga remains within reach for all,โ she said.
Theย Reimagining the Mallย study, which began in September 2017, looked at:
- Meadowvale Town Centreย โ 6677 Meadowvale Town Centre Circ.
- Erin Mills Town Centreย โย 5100 Erin Mills Pkwy.
- South Common Centreย โ 2150 Burnhamthorpe Rd. W.
- Sheridan Centreย โย 2225 Erin Mills Pkwy.
- Rockwood Mallย โย 4141 Dixie Rd.
- Westwood Squareย โ 7205 Goreway Dr.
The project included substantialย community engagement, analysis of existing conditions, review of best practices, creation of development concepts and testing those concepts with the community.
โOur goal was to develop a new policy framework to enable the successful redevelopment of the cityโs mall-based nodes into vibrant, mixed-use communities,โ said Andrew Whittemore, commissioner of planning and building.
โThe potential for future redevelopment presents significant opportunities for city-building and managing growth. The Official Plan Amendment is the implementation step that was needed to put the new planning policies into place.โ
All six malls anchor either a major node or community node identified in theย Mississauga Official Plan. They are identified as areas that are appropriate for intensification, including new residents and jobs.
New policies address:
- Maintenance of retail function
- Intensification targetsMaximum building height and Floor Space Index
- Affordable housing
- Maximum block sizes and streets
- Development Master Plans
- Environmental Sustainability
Reimagining the Mall was led by the City of Mississauga in partnership with theย Region of Peel and included a consultant team led byย Gladki Planning Associates and supported byย DTAHย ย andย urbanMetrics, provided specialized expertise in land use planning, policy development, urban design, and finance.