Mississauga, Ontario

The City of Mississauga commissioned the Mississauga Downtown 2021 study in the fall of 2008 to establish a long range vision for the City Centre and to explore ways to attract Office employment back to Downtown as a critical component of a thriving and sustainable Downtown. Ken Greenberg was retained as part of a team led by Glatting Jackson Kercher Anglin. The plan addresses - both the larger Downtown area and the creation of a new area called the Main Street District. One of the critical issues that plan identifies is the lack of downtown employment. The consulting team concluded that the best strategy to encourage office employers to locate in the Downtown is to create a true urban environment with the advantages of competitive suburban rental rates. The new Main Street District is seen as critical first stage in the development of the larger Downtown area. It is seen as a vital new mixed-use precinct, close to office development sites, which will incubate the transformation of the massive parking lots surrounding one of North America's pre-eminent shopping centres into the nucleus of a walkable, attractive Downtown community. When successfully developed through a partnership that includes strategic public investment, Main Street will create an environment that enables Downtown workers to enjoy a higher quality of office life before, during and after working hours and all without being dependent on their cars. It will relocate the currently popular Farmer's Market giving it higher visibility in an active retail setting. With the additional future advantage of a Light Rail Line circling the Downtown and travelling from Port Credit to Brampton, employers will be able to provide their employees with a realistic and practical alternative to driving to work every day.