Ontario Construction News staff writer
Oxford Properties Group and Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo),
unveiled their plan to transform a 130-acre site around the Square One Shopping
Centre in Mississauga.
The plan creates an 18 million square foot mixed-use neighbourhood of the future.
Square One District – the largest mixed-use downtown development in Canadian
history.
What is today swaths of parking lots will be transformed into a vibrant community
including more than 18,000 residential units, a transit mobility hub connected to the
Hurontario LRT, community buildings, parks, green spaces and forward-thinking office
space.
The development will be anchored by Square One Shopping Centre, one of the
strongest performing malls in Canada. It’s bounded by Burnhamthorpe, Confederation
Parkway, Highway 403 and City Centre, Square One District is anticipated to be a multi-
phase, multi-decade project that allows the community to grow in lockstep with the
needs of the City of Mississauga and its residents.
To deliver the first phase of housing, Oxford and AIMCo are partnering with The Daniels
Corporation, to build two residential towers with 402 rental apartments and 575
condominium suites.
Located at the southeast corner of Rathburn Road and Confederation Parkway, The
Rental Residences and The Condominiums of Square One District are 36 and 48
storeys respectively with construction to start in summer 2020.
“Square One District is a bold vision to repurpose underutilized land in the heart of
downtown Mississauga to create an entirely new mixed-use urban community,” Eric
Plesman, executive vice president and head of North America for Oxford Properties,
said in a press release.
“Our ambition is to build a community more than 35,000 people will be proud to call
home. This new community will support employment with world-class office space to
help businesses grow while maximizing the positive impact of new transit being
developed in Mississauga. It will be a place where business, life and leisure can come
together as one.”
With the backdrop of a rental housing shortage in the GTA, over 9,000 residential units
will be rental apartments.
The heart of Square One District is The Strand, a pedestrian-friendly, connected civic
space anchored by a transit hub and a community park. The new district will be
connected to both the Hurontario LRT and Rapid Bus Transit.
With its residential, retail and office uses alongside public amenities, Square One District aligns with the City’s vision to create a vibrant downtown core for Mississauga.
“This is a real opportunity to deliver a walkable, downtown district in Mississauga that
gives residents and workers an exceptional array of destination retail, food and
entertainment options,” Mark Cote, Oxford Properties Head of Development, Canada
said in the press release.
“Square One District is about creating a true mixed-use community. We will work
collaboratively to build a vibrant downtown that meets the evolving needs and
aspirations of Mississauga for generations to come.”
Oxford is recognized as a global leader in sustainability and is building the first two zero
carbon office towers in Canada.
Square One Shopping Centre attracts 25 million shopping visits annually and has
seen more than $500 million in improvements over the past five years. The most recent
redevelopment includes a 34,000 square foot Food District, a food market
featuring an array of speciality products, restaurants, tastings and cooking events.
The new office towers will be the first commercial development in downtown
Mississauga in a generation and will be combined with the tens of thousands of
residences, transit accessibility and existing large-scale retail and entertainment
venues.
Oxford will market the first office tower to prospective tenants in the second quarter of
2020.
Construction of its first phase of housing starts this year, with condo sales starting in
spring 2020.