Urban Toronto

Vaughan Metropolitan Centre’s First Purpose-Built Rental Breaks Ground

Over the last several years—both while Vaughan Metropolitan Centre subway station was under construction and since its opening in late 2017—a flurry of construction has taken place surrounding this new transit hub.

One of the largest developments is Transit City at SmartCentres Place. Transit City Condos 4 and 5 began constriction in late 2019. In addition to those two most recent condo towers—to rise 50 and 45-stories respectively—the new phase also includes a 36-storey purpose-built rental building, which officially broke ground last week.

Urban Toronto

Transit City Towers Rise Tall as Construction of Next Phase Heats Up

The development of SmartCentres and CentreCourt’s 100-acre master-planned community, known as Transit City at SmartCentres Place, is one of the single largest elements in the long-term build-out of Vaughan’s new Downtown. The initial phase of the Diamond Schmitt Architects-designed community is bringing three 55-storey condominium towers to the blocks north of the new Line 1 subway terminus at Vaughan Metropolitan Centre.

BNN Bloomberg

Toronto builders try a new tactic to lure suburb-hating millennials

New projects in some of the city’s oldest suburbs are being pitched with walkable neighborhoods, condo towers, cafes, shops and a hip city feel. The phenomenon has been dubbed “hipsturbia.”

“It’s a huge trend in the U.S. and it’s exactly what we’ve been planning for the last few years up in Vaughan,” said Jared Menkes, executive vice president of high-rise residential for the family-owned firm. “We’re bringing what we know downtown and bringing it to the suburbs.”

RENX

ULI Spring Meeting in Toronto could set all-time record

“The suburban story, in many ways, is going to be one of the biggest surprise stories for people who aren’t realizing what’s happening with Vaughan Metropolitan Centre, Markham, Brampton and Mississauga. Those things aren’t happening in U.S. city regions the way they’re happening here.

“No one is coming expecting to see that, but I think they’re going to be very surprised when they do.”

Niagara University

Niagara University Launches Three New Master’s Programs

Niagara University has taken another step toward becoming the premier binational university within the Province of Ontario with the addition of three new programs. Starting now, students can enroll in Niagara’s Master of Business Administration program, while master’s degree programs in information security and digital forensics and in finance are slated to start in the fall.

Niagara University’s Ontario Campus is located in the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre’s Expo City complex.

Condo Life

Outlook 2020 – Jared Menkes, Executive Vice-President, Menkes High Rise

This year will continue to be a year of low supply and high demand, which will keep housing prices high, especially in prime locations. Overall, the 905 has experienced the largest growth, and will continue to grow, however the largest demand continues to be for housing along mass transit. Vaughan, in particular, will continue to be a very desirable location.

Real Estate News Exchange

SmartCentres, Penguin, JV for Vaughan Metro Centre expansion

SmartCentres is buying a 50 per cent interest in an almost 16-acre parcel of land owned by Penguin, abutting the VMC property, for $109.2 million. The land is currently the site of a WalMart store, but the store will be relocated on the site and redeveloped to create a new prototype Walmart including a large dedicated picking facility, enhanced customer pickup experience and parking area.

The remainder of the site will be redeveloped by the partners to create at least six new residential towers, as well as portions of the existing VMC development plan.

YorkRegion.com

Vaughan’s downtown core attracts up to $9B in investment

Vaughan’s downtown area attracted more than $9 billion in economic investment from 2015 to 2020, said Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua.

In the final Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (VMC) sub-committee meeting of 2019, Bevilacqua said the investment is “rooted in momentous construction projects that contribute to a growing skyline with new business and residential developments.”

“In fact, Vaughan Council has approved more than 10,817 new residential units,” he added.

Globe & Mail

New project in Vaughan joins resistance to urban sprawl

Steps from her office in Vaughan, Ont., just north of Toronto, Manisha Chen can travel any-where she needs to go, and by just about any mode of transit. With three public transit stations accessible through an underground passage, she could hop on the TTC subway to visit clients in downtown Toronto, catch the City of Vaughan’s VivaNext rapid way transit line or grab a York Regional Transit bus to visit clients further north.

Urban Toronto

Towering Mixed-Use Development Proposed for Vaughan’s Downtown

An application submitted to the City of Vaughan proposes a three-tower redevelopment of 3300 Highway 7 in the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre area, the suburban Toronto city’s downtown now forming around the 2017-opened subway station of the same name.

The proposal from Ripple Developments and designed by Quadrangle calls for two residential towers and an office building all rising from a shared podium, on the current site of a mid-rise office building and its associated surface parking lot.

Vaughan Economic Monitor

PwC Canada’s most tech-advanced office opens in VMC

PwC Canada opens its doors to a brand new office this November, equipped with state-of-the-art technology.

Specializing in financial crime and cybercrime, this location will feature a Digital Resilience Centre to serve clients out of Canada’s second-largest tech hub.

City of Vaughan

Improving access to Vaughan’s emerging downtown core

Working effectively with York Region, SmartCentres and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, the City has constructed and opened three new roads in the VMC’s northwest area.

These streets will help to alleviate congestion on Highway 7, making it easier for commuters to get to the subway, for students and employees to head to class or their offices and for residents to arrive home. In addition to improving local traffic by creating bypass routes, the new roads will expedite future development and establish a central community park space in the area.

YorkRegion.com

Rogers Hometown Hockey stickhandles to Vaughan Jan. 12

Rogers Hometown Hockey hosts Ron MacLean and Tara Slone are bringing their team to Vaughan as part of the sixth season for the in-season weekly show that includes the Sunday night broadcast of a National Hockey League game.

The weekend-long celebration will set up Jan. 11 and 12 at the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre.

Urban Toronto

Cladding Enclosing Topped Out “The Met” in Vaughan

Two and a half years after construction started on Plaza and Berkeley’s The Met, the 35-storey, Quadrangle-designed condominium tower and townhome community is now on the home stretch in Vaughan’s new purpose-built Downtown.

The project has risen to its full height on Jane Street north of Highway 7—just steps from the new Vaughan Metropolitan Centre subway station—as exterior finishes continue to enclose the tower and townhomes.

Urban Toronto

Cortel Group Celebrates Topping Off for Nord Condos in Vaughan

The December 2017 opening of Vaughan Metropolitan Centre subway station is bringing significant new investment to the Toronto suburb of Vaughan.

Pre-dating the station’s opening, the Cortel Group was the first developer to bring new high-rise buildings to the area at Expo City, a high-density community taking shape just a few blocks east of the station. Following on the heels of the completed first two towers, construction is moving along for the AJ Tregebov Architect-designed third and fourth towers.

YorkRegion.com

Ministry approves Vaughan’s flood prevention initiative for downtown core

Vaughan announced Tuesday, Aug. 20, that the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks has approved its flood prevention initiative at the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre.

“We are taking an innovative approach to flood control and mitigation, while delivering on our commitment to position Vaughan as a leader in municipal sustainability,” he added.

SmartCentres

Scotiabank Takes Office and Retail Space in PwC-YMCA Tower

SmartCentres announced today that they have signed a 10-year lease transaction with Scotiabank in the PwC-YMCA Tower at SmartCentres Place in the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (“VMC”).

Scotiabank will occupy 26,500 square feet, with 23,000 square feet of office space on the 8th floor of the Tower, with the balance for a retail branch in the lobby of the Tower. Occupancy is targeted for Fall 2019.

National Post

Up-and-coming urban hub

It’s not often you get to see an entirely new urban community being built from the ground. But that is exactly what’s happening at the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (VMC) northwest of Toronto.

The former commercial and retail site, at Jane and Highway 7, is ranked as one of Canada’s largest master-planned communities to date. When finished, it will be transformed into 440 acres of residences, retail and scenic walkways and greenery.

The Project Podcast

A Vision And A Subway: Surprising Recipe Brings KPMG Regional HQ to Vaughan, Ontario

KPMG is one of the “big four” accounting firms and has over 200,000 employees across the globe. The firm’s practice in the Greater Toronto Area was growing and needed to find a new regional headquarters. At the same time KPMG was looking for a new headquarters, the city of Vaughan had a new Mayor who was focused on building a new and vibrant central business district.

Urban Toronto

Transit City Rising in Vaughan with New Phases Coming

A year and a half since the Toronto-York Spadina Subway extension brought the City’s rapid transit network north into Vaughan, a new downtown is rapidly taking shape around the new northwestern subway terminus at Vaughan Metropolitan Centre. The most significant project currently underway as part of the 100-acre master-planned community forming around the station is SmartCentres’ and CentreCourt’s Transit City at SmartCentres Place.

Toronto Sun

Vaughan shows how it is done

City of Vaughan proving that concept of high-density, transit-oriented, work-live-play development is viable

Touring the construction site for the five-tower Expo city project in Vaughan, it is difficult not to marvel at the progress.

Exchange Magazine

Toronto’s technology sector spans 416 and 905 regions

“York Region’s office markets contain a mix of urban- and suburban-style product, as well as a considerable amount of flex space – a wide range of assets that can accommodate companies at all stages of growth,” says Argeropoulos. “In addition, while Markham and Vaughan offer better-than-average transit connections for suburban markets, both still have vacant land available for future office development, giving larger tenants the opportunity to customize their office solutions.”

YorkRegion.com

Transit City Condo Towers in Vaughan ‘substantially sold out’

Two pre-built condo towers at Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (VMC) totalling 1,000 residential units, are “substantially” sold out.

Cortel Group

Cortel Group announces their latest residential condo tower to be Vaughan’s tallest

Cortel Group’s much-anticipated CG Tower is the fifth and final tower in the master-planned community of Cortel Group’s Expo City. CG Tower is announced as not only the tallest tower in the development, but also the tallest tower in the City of Vaughan.