Vaughan Mills is one of a dwindling number of Toronto-area malls with no active redevelopment plans in the works, and while the busy suburban shopping centre's immediate future seems safe, the surrounding suburban character is changing in a big way.

A recent development application seeks to transform a suburban retail plaza right on the mall's doorstep, just the latest in a growing collection of high-rise proposals forming a gradual ring of density around the sprawling Vaughan Mills shopping centre.

The late 2023 proposal from BentallGreenOak seeks to demolish The Village at Vaughan Mills, a commercial plaza home to eight buildings with a collection of big-box stores directly across Bass Pro Mills Drive to the south of the mall.

The plaza is currently home to a La-Z-Boy Home Furnishings and Decor, Canada Computers & Electronics, The Brick Mattress Store and Interiors Furniture Galleries, as well as Italian restaurant 255 By Alta Rossa Ristorante. Not included in the subject site is a Leon's Furniture store at the southwest edge of the block.

In place of the current car-oriented retail plaza, the land owners have proposed a high-density complex comprising of ten buildings with heights ranging from 12 to 39 storeys, to be constructed across eight blocks

The proposed community, designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects, would introduce 2,966 new homes to the doorstep of the mall, planned in a mix of rental and condominium units.

All of this residential density would be anchored to a new network of streets via a planned 3,072 square metres of office space, 4,659 square metres of retail space, and 7,502 square metres of open space and private/public parkland — forming a sort of self-contained oasis of urbanity amid a sea of suburban parking lots and stroads.

This public space will serve as a highlight of the new complex, to be divided between 5,762 square metres of public parkland forming a spine through the community, to be dedicated to the City of Vaughan, as well as an additional 1,740 square metres of outdoor space split between two privately-owned publicly-accessible spaces.

However, a look underground suggests that this development could be more a mirage of urbanity than an oasis.

The master plan for the site calls for every square inch of below-ground space, including the parks, but excluding the area below new roads, to be utilized for underground parking.

A staggering 3,231 parking spaces are proposed across the entire development, including an almost 1:1 unit-to-parking ratio that would seem laughable just a few kilometres to the south in Toronto.

While the car is still king in the suburbs, new developments such as these are indeed embracing the growing non-driver demographic. Over 3,000 bicycle parking spaces are proposed within the complex's parking catacombs, while the planned office building component features a bicycle shower facility.

It's all pretty impressive for an area that currently lacks even sidewalks.