Ajax gets its Downtown!
By Lucas on Dec 03, 2012
One of the most important things that a community can have is a rich and vibrant downtown. A substantial downtown neighbourhood adds a nice mix of retail, office, and condominium space, making for a healthy community.
A great example is Mississauga’s downtown, which has been booming over the past 10 years. The area featured an abundance of office space, but modern condos and restaurants were nowhere to be found. Now, downtown Mississauga is a hip, cool place to live with an identifiable core.
One town that hasn’t seen this kind of growth (yet) is Ajax. Sitting in the shadow of Scarborough, Ajax continues to see development, but no real downtown core has been established. Well, that is about to change, as the City of Ajax has approved the Bayly Harwood Redevelopment.
"This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities you get. To have this opportunity is a really special situation," said Brian Skinner, the Ajax Chief Administrative Officer.
We talked a little about this project in the past when it was in the initial design/approval phase, and we were excited about its potential. The $300 million project calls for six new buildings, ranging from nine to 27 storeys. The project will include a variety of commercial, office, and of course, some much needed residential space.
"The need as the population ages is for a greater variety of housing ... (which) is very much-needed and this project very much fills that niche," said Mayor Parish to DurhamRegion.com
Another cool aspect of the project is “Pat Bayly Square,” a tribute to the first mayor of Ajax. The Square will serve as a public gathering area for concerts and other live events. Features include a large video screen and reflecting pool.
Construction of the first phase is now underway, with construction of phase two to commence in 2015, and phase three in 2020.
