There may be no more quintessentially American suburban form in the Greater Toronto Area than the Vaughan Mills outlet mall and its surrounding area at Rutherford Road and Highway 400 in York Region. With a big-box style shopping center at its core and a constellation of other large retail outlets surrounding it, the regional center is linked by access roads and large car parks with quick motorway access. In recent years, development of high-rise buildings on vacant land near the mall has begun, but now a proposal has been submitted to the City of Vaughan to redevelop one of the existing commercial blocks immediately surrounding the mall with a high-density mix of uses.
An aerial view looking north at 255 Bass Pro Mills Drive, designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects for BentallGreenOak and Sun Life Financial
The comprehensive proposal from BentallGreenOak and Sun Life Financial is for 255 Bass Pro Mills Drive. Designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects, this master project includes a mix of residential, office, retail and communal spaces. It is located east of the Bass Pro Mills Drive interchange with Highway 400 and just over 0.6 miles (1 km) southwest of the Jane Street and Rutherford Road intersection, designated as a future Major Transit Station Area (MTSA) by the City of Vaughan.
Looking north at the current location. The image was retrieved from Google Street View
The project is currently progressing through the phases of Official Plan Amendment, Zoning Ordinance Amendment and Draft Subdivision Plan through concurrent applications. The 5.48-acre site is currently home to the Village at Vaughan Mills shopping center. The planned renovation envisages a total of 10 architecturally diverse buildings with 2 to 39 floors and a Floor Space Index (FSI) of 7.0. It would include a total of 2,966 residential units, 4,659 m² of retail space and 3,072 m² of office space, maintaining a busy commercial environment. In addition, the plan includes 7,502 m² of public parkland and POPS (Privately Owned Publicly Accessible Space), which will become green oases in the heart of the new community.
Blocks 1 and 2, image from submission to City of Vaughan
A planned construction of 30 elevators in all blocks will average about one elevator for every 99 units. The total amenities of the residential buildings would include 11,942 m² of outdoor space and 3,368 m² of indoor space. Outside the buildings, the plan, which focuses on enhancing public space, calls for a grid-like street network with pedestrian-friendly paths and active street frontages.
Site plan, image from submission to the City of Vaughan
Across the 10 blocks, the project would have up to eight levels of underground parking, providing 2,464 residential parking spaces, 593 visitor parking spaces and dedicated parking spaces for offices (61 spaces) and retail spaces (105 spaces). In response to Vaughan's requirements for infrastructure to support sustainable transportation, the plan includes comprehensive bicycle parking with 2,375 long-term and 595 short-term private bicycle parking spaces, as well as an additional 45 for retail and office use.
Blocks 3 and 6, image from submission to City of Vaughan
The proposal aims to align with the City of Vaughan's vision for growth and intensification in the area through its Vaughan Mills Center Secondary Plan. The project's proximity to major attractions such as Canada's Wonderland and the Vaughan Mills Shopping Centre, coupled with its location along the Highway 400 corridor, positions it in a central part of Vaughan's multi-node fabric.
Blocks 5 and 8, image from submission to the City of Vaughan
As the area continues to develop, there are plans to improve its connectivity. The site is currently served by York Region Transit bus routes along Edgeley Boulevard and Bass Pro Mills Drive and is expected to benefit from significant future transit investment through Bus Rapid Transit along Jane Street, according to the 2022 York Region Transportation Master Plan. The site is also a 12-minute drive west of the Rutherford GO station, which, along with the future MTSA project at Jane Street and Rutherford Road, highlights potential access to improved public transportation in the future.
As mentioned earlier in the article, neighboring locations are undergoing their own changes. To the east, the completed Phase 1 and under-construction Phase 2 of Charisma Condos at 8940-8946 Jane Street include towers ranging from 24 to 29 stories. The Abeja District and 9075 Jane Street, northeast of the site, both have towers of up to 30 stories. To the north, 3300 Rutherford Road wants to build a series of buildings ranging from 6 to 35 stories in an existing commercial center across from the Vaughan Mills shopping center. These developments represent a gradual transformation of the suburban environment of Vaughan Mills.
An aerial view of the site and surrounding area, image from Google Maps
The plan will span multiple phases, with the first phase at 255 Bass Pro Mills Drive encompassing the east end of the site. A public meeting is scheduled for January 23, 2024. It will be a platform for advocates, the public and city staff to share their thoughts and shape the future of this development.
UrbanToronto will continue to monitor the progress of this development, but in the meantime you can learn more in our database file linked below. If you'd like, you can join the discussion in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the designated area on this page.
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