SmartCentres' Park Place Brings Architectural Elegance to SmartVMC

Urbantoronto.ca
Oct. 18, 2023
Anthony Teles

The SmartVMC community in Vaughan Metropolitan Area (VMC) is set to welcome Park Place, a development that will meld architectural finesse with sustainability and community-centric living. Steps away from the VMC subway station on University Line 1, offering easy access to Toronto, the project is another step in the meticulous unfolding of a vibrant, connected community within SmartCentres REIT's SmartVMC.

Park Place, located at the corner of Highway 7 and Commerce Street, showcases architectural ingenuity and community planning. The development includes 1,100 units across two buildings soaring 48 and 56 storeys with heights of 166m and 192m, respectively. Designed by globally recognized Hariri Pontarini Architects, the buildings are crafted to offer an immersive ground-floor experience around a shared courtyard that will foster a nucleus of activity and interaction among residents.

Hariri Pontarini Architects have infused the towers with an elegant, curvilinear design, characterized by horizontal fins enveloping the podium and ascending upwards through fritted glass, while also extending into the interiors, maintaining a contemporary, elevated aesthetic throughout. The suites, with painstaking attention to spatial organization, feature open-plan kitchens, dining, and living rooms, ensuring a flood of natural light and flexible living arrangements.

Suite interiors harmonize comfort and durability, featuring bathrooms with modern finishes, such as porcelain tile floors, floor-to-ceiling tiled walls in wet areas, and glass-enclosed showers and tubs equipped with a rain showerhead. Living areas and bedrooms showcase resilient LVP flooring, while kitchens are fitted with solid surface countertops, full-slab backsplashes, and integrated appliances, offering a clean, maintenance-friendly environment.

Strategically positioned adjacent to the subway, the YMCA, and Central Park, Park Place facilitates seamless connectivity to various city locales and essential community facilities. The nearby KPMG building provides direct access to University Line 1, while additional connectivity is offered through the nearby VIVA Station on Highway 7 and the SmartVMC Bus Terminal, ensuring integration into the city's transit network.

The development is a pivotal phase in the SmartVMC, a 100-acre master-planned city centre by SmartCentres in the VMC. Park Place, with its proximity to major employers, the YMCA, public library, and daycare facilities, is also adjacent to a 9-acre central park thoughtfully designed by CCxA. This park, slated to provide residents with expansive green spaces, will expand over time to offer a dog park, trails, a grand sunken lawn for community events, and a civic square for year-round events, gradually becoming an evermore significant green and social space for the community.

With over 2,787m2 of retail space completed and available for lease, the development is anticipated to attract a diverse range of tenants, contributing to the retail and social landscape of the area. SmartLiving, steering the helm of Park Place, brings over 30 years of development experience across Canada to the project. Their focus is on community-building, sustainability, and incorporating health-focused features, such as secure touch-free access to minimize health risks.

Park Place will integrate smart building features, including Wi-Fi connections in all common areas, smart thermostats, keyless door entry systems, and a dedicated building app, aiming to enhance the living experience for residents. The development is set to offer a range of amenities designed to encourage community interaction, from co-working spaces and outdoor terraces to children’s play areas and barbecue areas.

With the development of Park Place, the SmartVMC community progresses towards its vision of a connected, vibrant living space in Vaughan, weaving architectural elegance, sustainability, and community living into its fabric.

UrbanToronto will continue to follow progress on this development, but in the meantime, you can learn more about it from our Database file, linked below. If you'd like, you can join in on the conversation in the associated Project Forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.