Markham Shoppes on Steeles Redevelopment | 198.35m | 59s | Minett Capital | Arcadis

They didn't really redevelop Thornhill Square so much as simply knock half of it down and throw up some townhouses on the new empty land.
 
The Thornhill Square movie theatre was great! I can't have been more than 5 when it closed, but I still remember seeing movies there. I grew up in that area, but literally haven't been back since the mall was torn down. I'd love to see what it looks like now.

For the Shoppes on Steeles, I'd like to see a site plan. Right now, I can't imagine how a bunch of 30 floor condos could possibly fit in with the area. Great place to redevelop though, it's got great transit and highway access, and is close to the subway. The only thing missing is a nearby high school.
 
For total/near-total mall redevelopments, there's also the 70s town squares for Erin Mills and Meadowvale.

Back to this part of the woods, I'm almost anticipating Hillcrest Mall will be redeveloped before long...
 
Chuck said:
For the Shoppes on Steeles, I'd like to see a site plan. Right now, I can't imagine how a bunch of 30 floor condos could possibly fit in with the area. Great place to redevelop though, it's got great transit and highway access, and is close to the subway. The only thing missing is a nearby high school.
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http://www.markhamgatesummit.com/Documents/SOS Urban Design Brief.pdf

I agree, there's really no downside to redeveloping sites at major intersections this way...adding similar nodes/clusters also makes perfect opportunities for transit lines.
 
Chuck said:
The Thornhill Square movie theatre was great! I can't have been more than 5 when it closed, but I still remember seeing movies there. I grew up in that area, but literally haven't been back since the mall was torn down. I'd love to see what it looks like now.
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The office tower and the shops right around there are still there. The east part of the building is now a decent but relatively unremarkable nice townhome development.

I saw ET at those theatres. They flooded - I think around 1984 - and the mall never restored them and never really recovered.

Chuck said:
For the Shoppes on Steeles, I'd like to see a site plan. Right now, I can't imagine how a bunch of 30 floor condos could possibly fit in with the area. Great place to redevelop though, it's got great transit and highway access, and is close to the subway.
Click to expand...

You can see the site plan here:
http://tinyurl.com/23vhhj

The site is bigger than it seems and while I'm not sure about the heights, the basic plan looks pretty sound.
 
They won't be dramatically higher than the office buildings along Steeles east of the 404...they'll be very similar to the ones at Don Mills & Finch.
 
Well at least the developer has good taste when it comes to the urban model they are attempting to recreate. The bottom left pic on the last page of their report:

http://tinyurl.com/23vhhj

was taken on Yonge St. looking north at Shaftsbury, ie the street that you enter Summerhill subway station from. Same neighbourhood as me.
 
They could dramatically reduce the height of the towers and improve the the main shopping street by adding residential above the retail. They could probably shift hundreds of units from the towers to the main street by adding 2-3 storeys above all the retail. And the main shopping street isn't going to feel genuinely urban when much of it is one storey of retail with nothing above it.
 
Price in the area

I have a condo across the street at 4005 Don Mills. Now it is worth ~200-210000. What do you think it is going to happen with these aparatments? There are 30 years old, but there are huge (1200 sq feet for a 2 bedroom). You think price will jump or depreciate?
 
I think it will depend on whether the Olde English spelling of Shoppes is maintained once the project is redeveloped and rebranded. Up in North York/Markhamia you'd better hope for the olde timey spelling to remain.

42
 
dragalexis said:
I have a condo across the street at 4005 Don Mills. Now it is worth ~200-210000. What do you think it is going to happen with these aparatments? There are 30 years old, but there are huge (1200 sq feet for a 2 bedroom). You think price will jump or depreciate?
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It will go up. The real estate market is healthy.
 
Chuck, you mentioned there's no schools in the area, but there are. Just South of the Shops on Steeles you have a Public School (Arbor Glenn) and then a High School (Cliffwood). North of the mall you have a few schools as well and then you have AY Jackson in the area, which is a very popular and recognized school.

I am sure with this development, the surrounding area will definitely appreciate. It's been appreciating for 10+ yrs really. I purchased a townhome condo in that area back in 1996 at around the $160K range, now I would be able to sell the unit for $300K+. But then again, that comes with the current market as well, times have changed for the better as far as real estate goes.

I welcome this development. Like many of you have stated, the Shops on Steeles, in it's current state, is a joke. The mall right now is a big waste of space, especially the Sears Outlet. It makes you wonder why some of these businesses (Congee Queen, Wimpy's, TD Bank) are putting so much or have put so effort into renovations/development in a mall/area that will be demolished in 2 yrs time.
 
I said that there are no high schools in the area - public schools are plentiful. The nearest public high school is Thornlea, which is 6 km away. St. Roberts catholic high school is closer, but still about 4 km away. High schools in Toronto don't count because this is north of Steeles.

Here's a rendering:

index.jpg
 
yonge north of the 401 is a very wierd but interesting place.

a mix-mash of the very urban, suburban and the between.

You have tall massive condos and offices, and urban style shopping malls mixed in with gas stations and parking lots.
 
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