Porsche Experience on track to open in Pickering this fall; rest of Durham Live project not finalized

Two years after groundbreaking the Porsche Experience Centre is on schedule to open this fall at the Durham Live development in Pickering.

Porsche Canada and the City of Pickering held the ceremonial shovel-in-the-ground moment in 2022 for the brand park and tourist destination, where visitors can experience vehicle dynamics, technology and a two-kilometre driving circuit on lands adjacent to the Pickering Casino Resort.

There haven’t been many other announcements on the ambitious project other than the opening of the casino and the attached hotel, however.

The Durham Live property, owned by the Apostoloupolos family, has gone radio silent on project updates since the Porsche Experience groundbreaking almost exactly two years ago, with the website declaring there will be two more hotels, a convention centre, amphitheatre, additional restaurants, cinemas, an indoor golf centre and high-rise residential towers.

The family’s vision for the Durham Live complex has changed quite a bit since the casino opened in the middle of the pandemic in July 2021, with an indoor water park in the original plans, as well as a film studio, which was moved to nearby Sandy Beach Road.

Councillor Maurice Brenner is hoping for some clarity so he and Pickering residents have a better idea of what’s coming to the lands.

“It would be nice to see an update conceptually on the Durham Live site as much has changed since 2022,” he said. “I’d like to see what’s coming there and so would the public. It may be beautiful but we just don’t know.”

A six-month-old request from Pickering Mayor Kevin Ashe to the Housing ministry to fast-track a zoning amendment to allow a 60-plus storey apartment tower – maybe more than one – is also still up in the air, with Brenner saying the City has not yet heard back from the Province.

Current zoning for the area, which is outside the city’s city centre intensification area, caps building height at 35 storeys. Ashe wants the MZO to establish a “new landmark height” for Durham Live in excess of 60 stories – “to strengthen its status as one of Ontario’s premier entertainment and tourism destinations” – and a “significant increase” to the maximum number of residential units allowed.

Brenner said earlier this year he has no idea what Ashe or the Apostolopoulos family wants on the site and would prefer Council and staff to have a look at any proposal – especially something of this size – first.

“The magnitude of housing being considered far exceeds what the infrastructure can handle and will do little to address the lack of affordable housing,” he said.

“Durham Live was envisioned as a tourist and destination point which was why the MZO was supported in the first place, but in my opinion the changes now being referenced are substantive.”

Ashe, in his letter to former Housing Minister Paul Callandra, cited the decision in 2022 by Durham Live to move their film studio project to Sandy Beach Road, where the 180,000 three-stage Tri Bros Studios opened, as a reason to “re-imagine” the MZO for another use that could be “more aligned” with the tourism and entertainment vision.

The landmark Durham Live project, located at the northwest corner of Church and Bayly Streets, is expected to boast a dynamic mix of excitement, culture, nightlife, cuisine, and adventure that will cater to “every whim and indulgence” no matter what the final design looks like.

Progress on the Porsche Experience Centre in Pickering. Photo Future Durham

The only piece of the puzzle actually under construction is the Porsche Experience, which will be the tenth in the world, the third in North America (after Los Angeles and Atlanta) and the first “urban” experience.

The site will also include a concert venue and more than 400,000 square feet of retail space.

“The kick-off to this construction project represents the culmination of years of dedication and planning by teams on both sides of the Atlantic,” said Porsche Cars Canada CEO Marc Ouayoun at the 2022 groundbreaking. “More than a circuit, the future Porsche Experience Centre Toronto will represent a unique, exhilarating, and memorable place where visitors can fully immerse themselves in the brand and its products.”

Porsche instructors will be on hand through various driving modules all year long and the driving circuit will allow customers and fans to immerse themselves in the world of Porsche regardless of whether they own one or not.

Visitors will also be able to admire current and historic exhibition vehicles, stop by the café, and browse the Porsche shop.

“Durham Live is an entertainment playground built for diverse demographics, thrill seekers, sports car aficionados, or the culinary connoisseurs; we look forward to having it as a fundamental component of our experience,” Pickering Developments managing partner Steve Apostolopoulos – the owner of the Durham Live project – said at the ceremony.

The City and Pickering Developments are currently undertaking an Environmental Assessment for a new Highway 401 road crossing to connect Notion Road to Squires Beach Road to provide easier access to the site.

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