Etobicoke Guardian

Etobicoke’s Sherway Gardens is set to get a $350-million facelift starting in January – an expansion and renovation project aimed at revitalizing the popular, 41-year-old shopping centre.

The 45-month revitalization project at the Cadillac Fairview-owned mall will see the construction of a two-level, 210,000-square-foot retail addition on the north side of the building in an existing parking lot, a new three-level parkade with an extra 1,200 parking spots on the west side of the addition, and the introduction of several new retail clients, including the Toronto area’s first Nordstrom department store.

Clive Baxter, senior vice-president of Cadillac Fairview, said that while Sherway Gardens is already one of their best-performing shopping centres, this revitalization will “amplify” everything that has made it a favourite destination for the “increasingly affluent, discerning shopper” Sherway attracts.

“It’s fabulous. This is a great property that has a great position in the west end of the GTA. I think between the expansion and our new clients – especially with this Nordstrom’s being the only one in Toronto – I think this is fantastic news for Sherway Gardens,” he said.

“One of the reasons we do these things is because we listen to our shoppers and listen to our retail clients – and both of them were saying that they’d like to see even more selection at Sherway Gardens and that’s exactly what we’re doing.

“Sherway is a great property today, but it’s going to be even better in three years’ time.”

The full renovation of Sherway Gardens will also include new flooring, new ceilings throughout common areas, new lighting and a new set of public washrooms.

And as food is set to play an increasingly important role in helping establish and extend the Sherway Gardens experience as an attractive dining destination, General Manager Andy Traynor said new restaurants are also on the way.

“We are making room for four new full-service restaurants, while literally elevating the prominence of our food court,” he said in a statement, referring to the food court’s relocation to the upper level of the new addition.

Disruption to customers during the course of the 45-month project, Baxter assured, will be kept to a minimum – especially with the busy Christmas season fast approaching.

“Most of the work starts after Christmas in January,” he said. “We’ll be working really hard on the parking to minimize disruption, but when you’re building into a parking lot there is a possibility of some disruption...For the rest of the mall, though, there’s really very limited disruption expected. We’re not changing the existing mall, we’re adding onto it.”