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Pickering's retail scene is readying for a significant transformation as the popular Pickering Town Centre prepares to unveil its new identity: The Shops at Pickering City Centre. A community rebranding event will be held onsite on Saturday, May 25th. Led by Salthill Capital, this initiative is a major step towards amalgamating the Shopping Centre into the broader vision of the Pickering City Centre master-planned community by CentreCourt, with Cowie Capital Partners Inc. and Salthill Capital as office and retail partners. As this growing part of the eastern Greater Toronto Area evolves, this retail change aims to enhance community engagement.
Set to span about 3,600,000 ft² and featuring a design by Diamond Schmitt Architects, the masterplan community incorporates a variety of features, with 127,000 ft² of amenities being incorporated into the residential development in its first phase. Residents will enjoy a 20,000 ft² fitness centre, co-working spaces, golf simulator, interior courtyards, and a rooftop pool with outdoor lounge areas. With both the Lakeshore East GO line and Highway 401 located just to the south, the masterplan prioritizes connectivity and accessibility, and features improved links to the pedestrian bridge across the highway to Pickering GO station.
The transformative journey begins with the 'Say Hello to The Shops at Pickering City Centre' rebranding event on Saturday, May 25th. Starting at 11 AM, it will feature engaging activities and showcase the refreshed brand identity. Highlights include family-friendly activities, a grand prize giveaway, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony shortly after 1 PM, with live broadcasting by the local KX96 radio station.
Families can partake in crafts for kids, balloon handouts, and face painting. Special attractions include cotton candy handouts, a Paw Patrol meet & greet, and a selfie station. Community group information booths will provide insights into local services and initiatives, and tenant participation will involve exciting giveaways and sampling.
The rebranding includes updates to both exterior and interior signage, the introduction of new advertising screens to boost tenant and brand engagement, and an upcoming revitalization of the Food Court slated for late 2024. Other enhancements include updated carpeting and new Wayfinding Directories that will aid navigation within the centre. With a Gross Leasable Area (GLA) of 708,917 ft² the rebranded Shopping Centre is set to become a central fixture in the daily lives of its patrons.
The Shops at Pickering City Centre is a principal member of the Corporate Safety Advisory Council, created with Durham Regional Police Services and the City of Pickering. Their Community Safety Plan calls for increased police presence throughout the year. In addition, the Centre is strengthening ties with local organizations such as Durham Region Transit, Ontario Power Generation, and the Ajax Pickering Hospital Foundation.
"Pickering Town Centre has been a community hub for many loyal customers and exciting brands,” shares Eva Chapman, General Manager of Property Management at Salthill, “and we aim to build on this reputation as we develop Pickering City Centre. The development will offer residential, office, and of course retail, with the aim of better servicing the community and maintaining our position as the first choice for the Pickering community to live, dine, shop, and play.”
The rebranding is part of a larger vision that sees the creation of one of Canada's largest master-planned communities. Pickering City Centre is set to include over 6,000 new residences housed across over 10 new buildings, ranging from 9 to 55 storeys. This influx of what is anticipated to be over 10,000 future customers directly to the doorstep of The Shops at Pickering City Centre will significantly alter the city and inject new vitality into the local economy.
UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file, linked below. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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