Fairview Mall Master Plan
As a transportation hub packed full of shops and services, Fairview Mall is never short of people. And yet, despite these ideal conditions, this bustling North York shopping mall has been largely lacking in one type of person: the kind that calls it home.
Well, no more. This well-established transit-oriented retail centre is set to fulfill its destiny and become a major Toronto community through residential intensification. And, as this will effectively place people near the services they need most while providing these same services with the clients they require, this symbiotic relationship will continue to provide dividends to both sides for a long time to come.
Recently announced plans by developer Cadillac Fairview Corporation show the major shopping mall owner and operator will invest $80 million to transform 230,000 square feet of existing department store and other retail space at CF Fairview Mall into new stores and restaurants as well as improve pedestrian access to the mall.
Having targeted 2023 as the year these objectives are to be completed, this builder has also said other investment plans to come may include the building of residential, hotel, and office developments along the eastern periphery of the property; and, with new condominium residences all but certainly coming to Fairview Mall, this major development brings far-reaching ramifications.
Currently in pre-construction, these plans amount to Cadillac Fairview creating their very own master-planned community, the tentatively-named CF Fairview Mall Revitalization. Located at 1800 Sheppard Avenue East at the corner of Don Mills Road, this popular meeting place looks to only get more popular.
As much as this signifies a massive rejuvenation effort for this venerable shopping mall, in truth its fully-developed services and infrastructure have already made into an ideal residential community; as it is ready to welcome new residents at any time, the only thing missing are homes for people to live in. And, with the land already purchased and the builder’s intentions made public, the only thing left to do is to wait for details on what kind of condominiums we can expect at this development.
And yet, what we do know for the time being is that this kind of redevelopment project will have an immediate, positive impact towards rejuvenating the surrounding community. The future residential development will more than likely serve as a catalyst for the creation of new parks, community spaces, buildings and amenities that will, in turn, inspire the rise of different housing options throughout the vicinity. Not only that, the surrounding neighbourhood will likely see improvements to sidewalks and changes to landscaping that will lead to an improved overall pedestrian experience.
But even without considering future improvements, pedestrians already have their choice of excellent local businesses and services from which to choose, demonstrating the inherent vibrancy that can be found throughout Don Valley Village, the community in which Fairview Mall is located.