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canarob said:
Good call! Looks like Aviva Canada is moving from Birchmount and Eglinton to Birchmount and 407 and that they've leased the entire 350,000 square feet (see the end of the document):

http://www.avisonyoung.com/sites/de...Research/2014/GTAOfficeMarketReportQ42013.pdf
Click to expand...

I'm good aren't I ; - ) But so are you, great find ! I always take a peek at the office market reports from the big 3 every quarter or so (i.e. crbe / avison / colliers).

That's a shame for Toronto / Scarborough, the move isn't too bad though distance wise for anyone who lived in the area.


You here about stories like this quite often but never the other way around (i.e. a company leaving the 905 for the outer 416) .. you wonder why !
 
 
Dandy Horse said:
Creating a walkable, happy environment is not their goal. their goal is making money. nothing has changed in the building of suburbia except for a few catch phrases and the epiphany that if you show pictures of woman eating salad in Italy you can charge MUCH more per sq/ft.
Click to expand...

So true! I hope the 905'ers enjoy their morning commute once they're sharing the road with all these new condo dwellers.
 
Thanks for the great pics, MafaldaBoy!

Once the theatre is open and the Marriott/Signature and Aviva buildings are complete, this will feel much more like a real place.
 
wait so the office tenant is Aviva? does anyone know if the office space in the Ciniplex has been leased?
 
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innsertnamehere said:
wait so the office tenant is Aviva? does anyone know if the office space in the Ciniplex has been leased?
Click to expand...

Yep sounds like it.

Ciniplex ? There's not much space there, only 90,000 I think, I think they plan was tobreak that apart into smaller pieces ... big tenants don't usually like being in multi use buildings like that.
 
taal said:
Yep sounds like it.
Click to expand...

Yes it is

Aviva Canada Selects Downtown Markham for New Head Office
TORONTO, Feb. 26, 2014 /CNW/ - Superior amenities and the unique benefits provided by a mixed-use development are among the many reasons why Aviva Canada Inc. (Aviva Canada) today announced plans to relocate their head office to The Remington Group's Downtown Markham development. Occupying the majority of a new 350,000 square feet building standing 12 storeys and housing more than 1,500 people, Aviva's new offices are scheduled to open in 2017.

When Aviva Canada started to review Head Office options they realized that Downtown Markham was the ideal environment. "The incredible amenities offered by this new urban centre provide our employees a place to work that is conveniently located to major highways and excellent transit," said Greg Somerville, President and CEO, Aviva Canada. "Additionally, the retail offerings, restaurants, art installations and green spaces will all contribute to a terrific environment and an engaged work force."

"Aviva Canada reviewed several options for their new national campus and we are pleased that they chose to build a state-of-the-art office in Downtown Markham," said Christopher Bratty, President, Land Development and Investments, The Remington Group. "Aviva Canada joins other industry leaders including Worley Parsons, and Motorola in selecting the LEED certified commercial space offered by Downtown Markham."

Downtown Markham will also be home to 2 million square feet of retail, 72 acres of natural and landscaped green spaces and a world class art program including the world's first power-producing, fine-art carousel.
more.....http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1313467/aviva-canada-selects-downtown-markham-for-new-head-office
 
The new rendering from Aviva:

SKjjxA3.jpg
 
With any luck they will only have to wait a year or two until all day GO comes around so that it is easy (and very, very comfortable) to commute up from Toronto, even with the rather crappy hourly frequencies. The trains these people will be taking will be essentially empty, especially considering they will terminate at Unionville.

made a crappy little map:

y2y9Yeu.jpg
 
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canarob said:
A more recent plan below with even more retail. I wonder what the larger format retail will include? I would guess a grocery store, a Target or maybe an Ikea.

dm2.jpg
Click to expand...

It looks like this newer, more refined plan has gone back to having more office space in the western part of the plan. The retail west of the Aviva building seems to be gone.

urbantoronto-9594-33715.jpg
 
That shorter section is supposed to be a large parking garage I think.

thats long term anyway, I think you are going to see more slow development westward in terms of major retail construction with large surface parking areas, until you get a rough build out with a lot of temporary parking. Only then do I think you will see the parking start to disappear.

Also it seems that they are finally extending Birchmount to Highway 7? there seems to be a crane where the bridge over the river would be. My guess is that they are trying to time it's opening with the new condos going up along Highway 7 and the Ciniplex. You can't get anywhere close to it as it is deep in the construction site though so IDK how far along it is.
 
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Thanks for all the updates lately, MafaldaBoy! I love the green glazing on the theatre building.
 
Hi all,

New forum member here. Have to say really enjoyed reading through this whole thread even for the back and forth conversation and the photos overtime its good to see it all come to life. I have sent some PMs to those who seemed the most active on this topic but was going to make my own thread in the general discussion across the boards as im looking to get as much info as possible but as im new i dont have enough new posts so here I am. I appreciate if this isnt the best thread / place to ask but if others could share their thoughts / opinions that would be great.

I am an Irish native who is looking to move to Canada this year on a long term move. Im hopefully going to be moving over to a job with my current employer who is based in Gordon Baker Road, North York, ON, Canada. Markham seems like a good spot from what i have researched as a good place to live and get settled.

Ideally what myself and the wife will be looking for is the below. I would welcome any points on this and whether people think it might be the best area for us to look at.

1) Within a reasonable driving distance to work. (Circa 15km to the address above)

2) Has nice properties available at reasonable rates. If i compare say for example a 3 bed town house in Markham for say $1700 a month in comparison to a 1/2 bed apartment in downtown Toronto you get much more bang for your buck.

3) Has a reasonable amount of amenities around (Bars, Restaurants, Cinemas, Shopping & Sports Clubs) Not necessarily looking for a bustling bar scene or nightclub scene but a selection of bars and sports bars to go for a drink or to catch a game is what we would be looking for.

We are in the 26-30 age group so initial feedback iv had from people is that its too quiet, but from the outlines above i think it is the more suitable place for us and what we are looking for at this time. From my initial investigations i was under the impression that "Downtown Markham" was already complete but looking over the thread it would appear that is still on going and likely wont be complete for a few more years. Either way we will likely look to come to Markham if i am successful with the move and stay in low cost accom for 2 weeks to get a feel for the area before committing to anything long term.

Thanks

Mark
 
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