In its ongoing effort to develop a downtown core, the Toronto suburb of Mississauga, Ont., recently announced the launch of M City, a 10-tower, 15-acre, 4.3 million sf master-planned community that, when completed, will cost C$1.5 billion (US$1.118 billion).
Construction is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2018.
This project represents the first residential condominium project undertaken by the private holding company Rogers Real Estate Development Ltd. The Rogers family controls Rogers Communications, Canada’s second-largest communications and media conglomerate.
Urban Capital Property Group, a leading condo developer, will manage the development of M City’s first phase for Rogers. New York-based Cooper Robertson designed the master plan for M City. “The opportunity with M City was to define the western edge of downtown. That was our goal as we planned a walkable, sustainable mixed-use community that emphasizes the public realm,” says Donald Clinton, a Partner with Cooper Robertson. Other Building team members include Reed Jones Christoffersen (SE), Smith + Anderson (ME and EE), and The Planning Partnership (landscape architect). Rogers had not disclosed the GC on this project at presstime.
The first phase of M City will feature a 51-story residential tower, whose undulating design by CORE Architects rotates seven floor plates in repetition as it ascends. Cecconi Simone will be that building’s interior designer.
The first phase will comprise between 500 and 700 of the 6,000 condo units that M City will ultimately make available at prices ranging from C$200,000 to C$750,000, according to M City’s website. When completed, M City will also offer retail space at grade, and more than two acres of new public parks with European-style outdoor patio spaces.
“It is our hope that M City acts as a catalyst for the continued evolution of Mississauga’s downtown,” says Edward Rogers, deputy chairman of Rogers Communications. “It’s why we have taken on the challenge of developing this property.
The M City development will include 2 million sf of open and park spaces. Image: Norm Li
The land on which M City will sit is part of 43 hectares (106 acres) of farmland that Rogers’ founder Ted Rogers purchased in the 1960s for around C$170,000 to position transmitters for his radio station CHFI. Those transmitters were relocated in the 1990s, and the land that hadn’t been sold off was rezoned in 2002 to allow for mixed-use development.
M City residents will be within walking distances of Square One Shopping Centre, Sheridan College, Mississauga Celebration Square, and the Mississauga Central Public Library. The area is also accessible to MiWay Transit, GO Transit, Highway 403 and the QEW. M City’s signature tower will be next to the downtown loop of a future C$1.3 billion, 20-kilometer (12.4-mile) light-rail system, for which permits were issued in 2015.
Toronto in general, and Mississsauga in particular, are going through transitions. Bloomberg reports that home prices in Toronto have doubled in the last decade, spurring record land transactions and development. Low-rise home prices of about C$700,000 ($530,000) are pushing residents to nearby cities and suburbs and into condominiums offering more affordable options.
[Editor's note: Certain members of this project's Building Team were added to the story after its initial posting.]
Related Stories
| Jan 21, 2011
Harlem facility combines social services with retail, office space
Harlem is one of the first neighborhoods in New York City to combine retail with assisted living. The six-story, 50,000-sf building provides assisted living for residents with disabilities and a nonprofit group offering services to minority groups, plus retail and office space.
| Jan 21, 2011
Nothing dinky about these residences for Golden Gophers
The Sydney Hall Student Apartments combines 125 student residences with 15,000 sf of retail space in the University of Minnesota’s historic Dinkytown neighborhood, in Minneapolis.
| Jan 21, 2011
Revamped hotel-turned-condominium building holds on to historic style
The historic 89,000-sf Hotel Stowell in Los Angeles was reincarnated as the El Dorado, a 65-unit loft condominium building with retail and restaurant space. Rockefeller Partners Architects, El Segundo, Calif., aimed to preserve the building’s Gothic-Art Nouveau combination style while updating it for modern living.
| Jan 21, 2011
Upscale apartments offer residents a twist on modern history
The Goodwynn at Town: Brookhaven, a 433,300-sf residential and retail building in DeKalb County, Ga., combines a historic look with modern amenities. Atlanta-based project architect Niles Bolton Associates used contemporary materials in historic patterns and colors on the exterior, while concealing a six-level parking structure on the interior.
| Jan 20, 2011
Worship center design offers warm and welcoming atmosphere
The Worship Place Studio of local firm Ziegler Cooper Architects designed a new 46,000-sf church complex for the Pare de Sufrir parish in Houston.
| Jan 19, 2011
Baltimore mixed-use development combines working, living, and shopping
The Shoppes at McHenry Row, a $117 million mixed-use complex developed by 28 Walker Associates for downtown Baltimore, will include 65,000 sf of office space, 250 apartments, and two parking garages. The 48,000 sf of main street retail space currently is 65% occupied, with space for small shops and a restaurant remaining.
| Jan 7, 2011
Mixed-Use on Steroids
Mixed-use development has been one of the few bright spots in real estate in the last few years. Successful mixed-use projects are almost always located in dense urban or suburban areas, usually close to public transportation. It’s a sign of the times that the residential component tends to be rental rather than for-sale.
| Jan 4, 2011
An official bargain, White House loses $79 million in property value
One of the most famous office buildings in the world—and the official the residence of the President of the United States—is now worth only $251.6 million. At the top of the housing boom, the 132-room complex was valued at $331.5 million (still sounds like a bargain), according to Zillow, the online real estate marketplace. That reflects a decline in property value of about 24%.
| Jan 4, 2011
Grubb & Ellis predicts commercial real estate recovery
Grubb & Ellis Company, a leading real estate services and investment firm, released its 2011 Real Estate Forecast, which foresees the start of a slow recovery in the leasing market for all property types in the coming year.
