Key Places in Pickering Town Centre
Pickering Town Centre will remain the focus for retail and employment in the downtown, expanding outward over time to infill sites along Kingston Road and Pickering Parkway. Over time, the Centre’s drive aisles will be designed and serve as publicly accessible streets fronted by buildings and structures. An internal pathway system will align with adjacent public and publicly accessible streets, serving as an “indoor”extension of the Downtown’s mobility network.
In addition to dedicated pathways and sidewalks, landscaping, greening, and pervious pavement treatments will transform the Pickering Town Centre’s periphery into an inviting and comfortable place for pedestrians. At mall entry-ways, landscaped squares and plazas with places to sit will contribute to the downtown’s public realm network. Pickering Parkway is transformed into the Pickering Transit Priority Street, with the potential to carry the future Durham LRT line through downtown, passing by the transit hub. Though primarily designed to carry LRTs, the transit-way is a complete street providing a generous right-of-way for pedestrians and limited lanes for vehicular transit.
When Pickering Parkway transitions into a transit-priority street, the southern portion of the Pickering Town Centre road system will become Pickering Town Centre Way, a complete street, similar in character to the portion of Pickering Parkway east of Glenanna Road, as illustrated in Figure 5.16. Overtime, the introduction of new landmark office & institutional uses will be located between Pickering Parkway Transit Way and Pickering Town Centre Road. Visible from Highway 401, these developments will create a striking sky-line for those travelling to or through the downtown. Given proximity to transit, civic amenities and a walkable environment to retail and restaurants, this is also a desirable location for a new downtown Hotel & Convention Centre. June 2013
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