'Billion-dollar facility' in the works for Woodbine Avenue in East Gwillimbury

Rice Commerical Group has a signed lease with a multinational company

Yorkregion.com
Jan. 18, 2022
Simon Martin

Who is the big multinational company coming to Woodbine Avenue in East Gwillimbury? That’s the hottest secret in town. Nobody can say yet, but East Gwillimbury council couldn’t hide their excitement at an imminent deal that could jumpstart economic development in the town.

Late last month, Rice Commerical Group told the town they have a signed lease for a million-square-foot facility on 18574 and 18818 Woodbine Ave. in between Green Lane and Mount Albert Road along the 404. Mike Rice from RCG said the facility is going to have a big impact on the town. “Having this company land here and build this size of facility, it's basically a billion-dollar project,” he said.

So who is this company planning to build a large-scale advanced logistics and distribution centre?

“When do you think we will be able to unveil this?” Ward 3 Coun. Scott Crone asked.

Rice said the tenant is going to be coming into the municipality sometime between January and March. “It’s coming, we don’t have the time,” Rice said. “But it will happen.” 

The suspense is tough, but Mayor Virginia Hackson said to have a facility like this come to the town’s long talked-about employment lands along Woodbine will be a game-changer. “

“We now will have the ability to give people jobs in their own community,” Hackson said.

“We are very excited about the this organization coming to our community. If we have to stay mum on who it is for a while, that is fine.”

The proposal includes a 110,000-square-metre (1,184,030 square feet) facility and will provide approximately 1,000 new local jobs, including a mix of highly skilled, skilled and unskilled positions.

According to a staff report, the proposal will be the largest employment development in town history. It will provide approximately $6 million in development charge revenue, approximately $2 million in building permit fees and will start the development of the Highway 404 Employment Corridor.

A public meeting about the proposal was scheduled for Jan. 18. 

The Rice Group site along Woodbine is approximately 156 acres, with 2 million square feet  of commercial. The first building is planned to begin at the end of 2022, with completion in the summer of 2025. “It is an ambitious four-year development,” Rice Group spokesperson John McGovern said.

Rice group acquired the land in 2007.  “We are at a stage where we have a tremendous opportunity. All these employment lands are really going to change the area,” Mike Rice from Rice Commercial Group said. “I really think it’s a great opportunity for East Gwillimbury. I really think it’s going to spawn another few million square feet of industrial in short order.”

Council could hardly say bad about the prospect of adding a major employer to the area.

“I  agree with you wholeheartedly that this is a tremendous opportunity for our community,” Ward 2 Coun. Tara Roy-DiClemente said.

Ward. 3 Coun. Cathy Morton said the new development will help businesses already along the road. “It’s an amazing opportunity for people to get jobs the in town,” she said. Ward 2 Coun. Joe Persechini was most effusive in his praise. “This is an opportunity of a lifetime,” he said.

Rice said the development of Highway 404 where is company owns a lot of land has been held back that last 10 years. Now he thinks things are accelerating. When asked if the Bradford Bypass played any role in the project, Rice responded clearly.

“The Bradford Bypass has nothing to do with the development. There is a signed lease. They have moved forward with everything,” he said.

Please visit yorkregion.com for further updates following the Jan. 18 public meeting.