A strip mall in Vaughan may soon be replaced with nine towers

There was a time when Vaughan’s major claims to fame were Canada’s Wonderland and the delightfully kooky Vaughan Mills mall. Oh how things change.

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Real estate partners Morguard and Dev-West Properties recently submitted a project application that, if approved, will completely transform Woodbridge Square, the low-rise strip mall at Highway 7 and Weston Road.

Their proposal: nine new towers (some reaching 57 storeys), a whopping 4,388 condo units and 2,907 underground parking spots. Such a development would be among the tallest in Vaughan, drastically altering the suburban skyline.

Part of the five-phase plan—designed by North York’s Turner Fleischer Architects—includes a central park and square to anchor all those buildings, plus revitalized retail, cycling infrastructure, plazas and new roads.

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Since Line 1 expanded into Vaughan in 2017, the once-sleepy city has been preparing itself for a population explosion and mass development. And with the introduction of frequent all-day GO train service, the suburb is primed to become its own urban destination north of Toronto.