City Centre Vision

Pickering has long envisioned a vibrant, walkable City Centre – a hub for municipal services, community amenities, and residential growth – creating a desirable place to live, work, shop, and gather. In fall 2025, significant site and infrastructure preparation will begin to help bring this vision to life.

This urban transformation will be phased over multiple years and include:

A new City Centre park – winter skating, summer water features, and year-round programming.
Sleek, thoughtfully designed condos with lifestyle-driven amenities.
A vibrant mix of premium retail, dining, and entertainment experiences.

Downtowns play a vital role in economic and social development in cities around the world. Such an investment requires a multi-year process of significant site and infrastructure preparation that may result in delays or inconvenience for residents, businesses, and visitors of the City Centre.

While revitalization efforts can bring temporary disruption, the construction project team has indicated that every effort will be made to minimize impacts and ensure safety throughout the project. Site preparation is expected to begin in September 2025, with construction and related detour activity anticipated to start in October 2025.

See below for updates related to the upcoming construction on the existing mall and surrounding lands, by CentreCourt Developments (CentreCourt).

Construction Updates
Area	Start Date	End Date	Details
Block 1 construction (two condo towers) – Glenanna Road, north of Pickering Parkway, mall lands	September 2025	For project duration	Activities include shoring, excavation, crane installation, vertical construction, and other above-ground building activities. Impacts are generally related to noise, dust, and construction staging at the tower site itself.
Public Road Closures – Pickering Parkway (west of Glenanna)	October 2025	February 2026	Vehicle detours – Westbound traffic on Pickering Parkway detours north on Glenanna Rd to Kingston Rd. Bus detours – Bus detour through the mall parking area.

Source: CentreCourt plans to provide biweekly to monthly updates on the following websites.

Block 1 Construction
Focuses on the first development block with two condo towers. Updates include shoring, excavation, crane installation, vertical construction, and other above-ground building activities. Impacts are generally related to noise, dust, and construction staging at the tower site itself.

Civil Servicing Upgrades
Dedicated to the infrastructure and servicing work that supports the broader redevelopment. Updates cover underground utilities, sewer and water connections, and roadwork. Impacts are more likely to involve traffic detours, road closures, and utility tie-ins.

What is happening to The Shops at Pickering City Centre lands?

CentreCourt Developments (CentreCourt), a private developer, is building a 55-acre mixed use community on the existing mall and surrounding lands.

In collaboration with Cowie Capital Partners Inc and Salthill Capital as retail and office leads, CentreCourt’s vision encompasses more than ten mixed-use towers, aiming to house approximately 6,000 residential units. The overall masterplan is set to introduce a density of around 3,600,000 ft², encompassing residential, retail, and commercial spaces.

This redevelopment will introduce substantial residential, retail, commercial, and public spaces, alongside a reinvigorated shopping mall, now branded ‘The Shops at Pickering City Centre.’

Thousands of new residents are expected to call City Centre home in the coming years, and the project will unlock a vibrancy and energy that Pickering’s downtown has never seen before. Lululemon and Sephora are among the latest premium retailers to invest in the shopping destination, further signaling the transformation already underway.

About CentreCourt

CentreCourt is leading the redevelopment of the privately owned lands at The Shops at Pickering City Centre. This transformative development will include residential towers, commercial spaces, and renewed public spaces - anchored by a revitalized shopping destination.

View CentreCourt media release for project details.

New urban park coming to Pickering (‘City Centre Park’)

Through the development application process, the City successfully negotiated a 10% land conveyance for parkland - double the minimum required under the Planning Act (5%).

As part of the broader mall redevelopment, CentreCourt has conveyed 1.42 acres of parkland to the City to support the construction of City Centre Park. The park will be built on the existing parking lot adjacent to Glenanna Road and across from Pickering City Hall and Central Library.

Community engagement, along with input from Council and staff, has helped shape a foundational vision for this space.

Proposed features include:

outdoor skating rink (winter use)
public event space (summer use)
public washroom and maintenance facilities
water features
public art installations
shade structure and stage area
trees and soft landscaping
public seating and gathering areas

Visit LetsTalkPickering.ca/CityCentre for details on the community engagement.

Project Background and Timeline

View the Project Background and Timeline

City Centre Planning (2017-Present)

The City began planning the revitalization of the City Centre in 2017. Initial concepts were based on a joint development model, which is no longer feasible. The City is now focused on building out the vision using lands it already owns, while reusing as much previously completed work as possible to avoid starting from scratch. View a timeline of the project here.

Phase One - City Centre Park

At the Special Council Meeting on January 18, 2024 (Report FIN 01-24), Council confirmed Pickering City Centre Project Phase One (which is the City Centre Park) as the second capital budget priority. Furthermore, Council recommended that the Mayor be requested to include this project in the 2024 Capital Budget ($1.5 million for design) and 2025-2033 Capital forecast ($13.5 million dollars for construction and related costs).

Phase Two - Future Facilities

At the Special Council Meeting on January 18, 2024 (Report FIN 01- 24), Council deferred Pickering City Centre Phase Two (Scenario 6) to 2028, pending completion of the Seaton Recreation Complex & Library.

The City’s most recent vision introduces the concept of relocating Esplanade South slightly southward to allow new facilities to front onto the Esplanade Park green space, creating a scenic, connected downtown campus.

The proposed facilities and amenities for City Centre include:

new Central Library
new Community Centre with dedicated seniors & youth spaces
new Performing Arts Centre
expanded City Hall administration space
new Public Square
new connected green spaces to create a ‘campus’ concept – one on the west side of Glenanna Road (description below) to offer year-round activities and one south of the current Central Library which will offer gathering opportunities and possible event space
residential development – to be located above the Library and Community Centre

This vision reflects Pickering’s ambition to build an inclusive, forward-thinking downtown - where civic life, culture, and community flourish.

Location

One The Esplanade
Pickering, Ontario
Ward 3

Timeline

June and July 2025 - Review and Feedback on City Centre Park Concept Designs. The City is working with MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects Ltd. on the design of a new urban park. This phase will be open for public feedback.
January 18, 2024 - Council confirmed Pickering City Centre Project Phase One (which is the City Centre Park) as the second capital budget priority. Council recommended that the Mayor be requested to include this project in the 2024 Capital Budget ($1.5 million for design) and 2025-2033 Capital forecast ($13.5 million dollars for construction and related costs).
January 18, 2024 - Council deferred Pickering City Centre Phase Two (Scenario 6) to 2028, upon the completion of the Seaton Recreation Complex & Library.
September and October 2023 - KPMG, informed by input from the community, will develop a business case with updated designs, financial model, and recommendations on preferred partnership and governance structures for the City Centre concept.
July and August, 2023 - Community engagement. Members of the public are invited to review Council’s preferred concept and provide input on the proposed features and amenities.
March 2023 - Pickering Council is presented with three different options for a new project design and transaction structure, and selects its preferred concept.
September 2022 - The City retains KPMG and Hariri Pontarini Architects to complete a review of the project and present new options for consideration based on cost estimates and financial implications.
March 2022 - Pickering Council receives a significant update related to the long-term financial and economic impacts of the project and decides to defer all work pending further review. Factors include high-inflation environment – costs for routine service delivery and construction/building activity has increased significantly.
June 2020 - The project is paused due to COVID-19 restrictions and economic uncertainty.
January 2017 - The City of Pickering starts planning for a new City Centre.