Pickering City Centre launches first phase of high-rise development

Sales for condominium units in Pickering’s City Centre development kicked off this week, with the first phase bringing 2,100 apartments in four high-rise buildings that will soar between 40 and 55 storeys above the city’s newly created downtown.

Pickering Mayor Kevin Ashe, who was at the launch, called the development, which will eventually grow to ten buildings and more than 6,000 units, the “heartbeat of Pickering.”

The residential development, being built by CentreCourt (which has 19 high-rise projects built or in development), will take place on a 55-acre plot of land to the east of the Pickering Town Centre mall, which will remain intact. The residential, retail and office components will comprise approximately 3.6 million square feet and there will also be a 1.5-acre public park at the north end of the first development block and direct access to the Pickering GO Station on the south.

The lands are owned by the Ontario Pension Board, with the deal set to officially close by the end of the year. CentreCourt has already been given the go-ahead to begin selling units.

The project has been on-again, off-again, for nearly a decade, with plans put on hold early in the pandemic and again a year ago when sky-rocketing supply chain costs put the price tag out of reach.

“Pickering City Centre is an unparalleled opportunity to transform a cherished community hub into a modern downtown destination,” said CentreCourt President and managing partner Gavin Cheung, who gushed that Pickering is “on the cusp of an exciting moment.”

“We are proud to be a part of this natural evolution, and to ensure Pickering City Centre becomes a true, complete community that showcases some of the finest residential, retail, commercial and public spaces in the GTA for residents and visitors to enjoy.”

The development will be designed to take advantage of existing commercial, retail and institutional uses, including the PTC and adjacent City Hall. New at-grade retail will complement these existing uses and connect the community via tree-lined streets, enhanced sidewalks, and active pedestrian walkways.

Toronto architecture firm Diamond Schmitt designed the project to include an intricate network of large open green spaces and urban plazas, helping build its identity as a place that “brings people together,” noted company principal Donald Schmitt.

Amenities for future residents include a 20,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art fitness centre (featuring yoga rooms, spin rooms and saunas), a rooftop pool, outdoor lounge areas and grilling stations, co-working and social areas and a golf simulator lounge. Residents of Pickering City Centre will also enjoy interior courtyards that connect to a network of green spaces, accessed at the doorstep of many of the at-grade amenities.

Each tower will also have a Cleveland Clinic virtual medical clinic, the first of its kind in Canada to be offered in a condo master-plan community.

Suites in the development will start at $515,000.