Toronto's current development boom is not just about new condos and office towers: many of the GTA's malls are undergoing major upgrades currently, and this includes Oxford Properties' Square One in Mississauga. Long one of the largest malls in the country, and the catalyst for Mississauga's downtown, Oxford is both renovating the existing mall and expanding Square One.

Under way currently is an $84 million project to remake the malls' food court and hallways.

The new Food Central at Square One, set to open in August 2013, image courtesy of Oxford Properties

To be completed first this August is Food Central, the new name for the remade and rebranded food court. Along with an expanded seating area and eight new tenants, the food court is getting the scullery service. This means the implementation of real plates, cutlery and glasses for dine-in, all of which must be washed, but which cut down on a huge amount of waste thrown out in traditional food courts where food is served in plastic or paper containers. While there are new food courts with scullery service in GTA malls which have recently opened, this is the first time an existing food court has been converted in Canada, which presents many more challenges: existing facilities were 40 years-old, and current tenants needed to remain open for business throughout the entire renovation. Design Architects for Food Central are JPRA of Michigan, while production architect on the job is MMC Architecture of Toronto.

Work is underway in the hallways to update Square One's interior, image by Drum118

Along with the updates already mentioned, Food Central is also getting extensive new restroom and parenting facilities, vertical transportation between mall levels, and new common area finishes within Square One's Centre Court.

Interior renovations, set to be completed in November 2013, image courtesy of Oxford Properties

The planned completion of the revitalization project is this November, when interior renovations of existing common areas on Levels 1 and 2, including floors, ceilings, lighting fixtures, balconies, column treatments, escalators and elevators, seating areas, entrances, and guest service kiosks should all be finished. Meanwhile, retailers new to Square One this fall will include Ann Taylor, Loft, White House|Black Market and Top Shop/Top Man at the Hudson’s Bay Company.

Some of the northwest parking lot is now fenced off as construction begins on the expansion, image by Drum118

The next phase of work at Square One, already under construction, is the Northwest Expansion. Running between Target and Sears, the area will remake a lower level hall while adding a new upper level hall above it. Renderings indicate that Old Navy and Open Kitchens will be moving into this area, while Moxies and Forever 21 will be amongst the new retailers in the mall. MMC Architecture is responsible for hallway renovations and expansion, both design and production.

Northwest Expansion of Square One, slated to open in September 2014, image courtesy of Oxford Properties

Starting this fall work will begin in the southwest corner of Square One near the cinemas where a new 120,000 square foot Holt Renfrew will be built. The store will open in Spring of 2016 and will bring to a close this total $320 million expansion and revitalization plan.

Most recently Oxford has purchased back the Sears store's lease, and the store will close in March 2014. Negotiations are reportedly under way with a number of retailers who are interesting in taking the space. UrbanToronto will follow developments in the mall. In the meantime, you can see many more renderings showing the mall's makeover plans on our dataBase page, linked below. Want to get in on the conversation? Choose one of the associated forum threads, or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.