Renowned Architect Set to Work on Massive Redevelopment Project in Mississauga

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Published April 1, 2019 at 9:12 pm

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While the entire province of Ontario is likely to see more development over the coming years, Mississauga has been a hotspot for exciting new developments, welcoming an LRT (which is proceeding with some alterations, but still proceeding) and moving forward on huge placemaking projects that will change its Port Credit and Lakeview neighbourhoods forever.

Recently, Lakeview Community Partners (LCP) announced the selection of globally-renowned, Boston-based design firm Sasaki as lead master plan architect for the development of Lakeview Village in Mississauga.

LCP says Sasaki was chosen to help refine and improve the initial master plan, concluding an international search that included interest from more than 30 local and global firms.

“We’re excited to have Sasaki join the Lakeview team,” said Fabio Mazzocco, president, Lakeview Community Partners Limited.

“We have a unique opportunity to transform Mississauga’s waterfront, and Sasaki’s international experience will help us to not only create a destination in the Greater Toronto Area, but a model for future mixed-use waterfront development around the world.”

So, what is this project, exactly?

Over the past couple of years, the city—and late city councillor Jim Tovey—has made significant progress on the massive and ambitious Inspiration Lakeview redevelopment project involving the substantial Lakeview Generating Station lands.

In fact,  the massive 177-acre site which will transform Mississauga’s waterfront was recently sold for roughly $275 million

For those who are unaware, the Inspiration Lakeview Master Plan calls for the aforementioned 177-acre brownfield site to transform to a mixed-use community with a variety of residential building types, parkland, cultural and employment uses, with buildings featuring environmentally sustainable designs.

The soon-to-be-developed Lakeview Village will be interesting in the sense that will essentially go from being an abandoned coal-fired power plant to a “vibrant, sustainable and more connected community.”

According to (LCP), Lakeview Village will offer a mix of residential units alongside a number of institutional, cultural, over 825,000 of employment space and over 100,000 square feet of retail space.

According to a recent Bloomberg News article, the site could be worth about $6 billion.

If you can’t place the area, Lakeview Village is located in southeast Mississauga on Lake Ontario, approximately 3.8 kilometres east of Port Credit, near the western limits of the City of Toronto. 

LCP says it intends to build unique spaces that will create a dynamic, walkable and connected place in the heart of Mississauga’s waterfront. To do this, it will have to transform Mississauga’s coastline by remediating 67 acres of waterfront land. The remediated land will be transferred back to the city, effectively giving Mississauga the prime waterfront real estate that’s taken quite some time to materialize.The mixed-use community will house between 15,000 and 17,000 people and create up to 4,500 new jobs.

It will also offer up to 8,000 new housing units and boast a mix of townhouse, mid-rise and high-rise buildings.

The brand new neighbourhood will also offer a ton of commercial space, boasting up to 130,000 sq. ft. of available retail space.

The new area will feature a number of districts and neighbourhoods, including Lakeview Square, Waterway Common, Inspiration Point, Serson Innovation Corridor, the Marina, Ogden Green and Lakeshore Gateway.

You can read more about the neighbourhoods here.

One of the lasting legacy projects of the beloved councillor, who represented the Lakeview area in Ward 1 from 2010 until his sudden passing in 2018, was a conservation area called the Lakeview Waterfront Connection.

According to the Credit Valley Conservation Authority, the project will transform the currently degraded section of the shore into a beautiful naturalized conservation area, which is expected to become a hub for waterfront recreation and a hotspot for wildlife migration.

The area will boast 12 hectares of meadow, 5 hectares of forest, 8 hectares of wetland and a hectare of cobble beach. Together, these connected habitats make up a complete coastal ecosystem, capable of supporting a wide variety of local fish and wildlife, as well as migrating birds.

“The vision that has been outlined for Lakeview Village is remarkable, and we’re thrilled to be a part of the planning and design process,” said Dennis Pieprz, Principal, Sasaki. “It’s rare to find a project of this size and scope anywhere in the world, and Lakeview Community Partners’ commitment to excellence will make Mississauga’s waterfront a world leader in architecture and urban design.”

Sasaki is based in Boston and has worked on globally-recognized projects including Chicago’s Riverwalk, the 798 Arts District in Beijing, and the brownfield redevelopment of Las Salinas in Viña del Mar, Chile.

Sasaki was named to ARCHITECT Magazine’s 2018 Architect 50 list.

“Lakeview Village will be waterfront revitalization done right. We’re honoured to bring the lake back to the people of Mississauga and we’re committed to creating a development that will rival the world’s most acclaimed projects,” continued Mr. Mazzocco.

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