NEW: Moving Day: January 2026 Industry Hires And Promotions

Mixed-Use Development

Learn about mixed-use development in Canadian real estate: how it blends housing and commercial space and supports urban density and walkability.

Mixed-Use Development

June 16, 2025


What is a Mixed-Use Development?

Mixed-use development refers to real estate projects that integrate multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, retail, and institutional, within a single building or site.

Why Mixed-Use Developments Matter in Real Estate

In Canadian urban real estate, mixed-use development supports compact, efficient land use and enhances walkability and transit access.

Common elements include:
  • Retail on the ground floor with condos above
  • Residential units integrated with office or hotel space
  • Civic amenities like libraries or daycare co-located with housing

Mixed-use developments often require detailed zoning approvals and site plans, and are guided by urban planning goals like intensification, sustainability, and livability.

Understanding mixed-use projects helps developers, investors, and municipalities meet evolving housing and commercial needs within growing cities.

Example of a Mixed-Use Development in Action

The developer’s mixed-use project includes two residential towers atop a retail podium with cafés, a grocery store, and a medical clinic.

Key Takeaways

  • Combines residential, retail, and/or office space
  • Promotes land efficiency and sustainability
  • Enhances urban vibrancy and walkability
  • Requires detailed zoning and planning approvals
  • Popular in high-density urban areas

Related Terms

Additional Terms

Public Realm Improvements

Public realm improvements are enhancements to public spaces such as sidewalks, parks, plazas, and streetscapes, often funded or contributed by. more

Mortgagee in Possession

A mortgagee in possession is a lender who takes control of a property after borrower default, but before foreclosure or power of sale. The lender. more

Lease Surrender Agreement

A lease surrender agreement is a negotiated contract between a landlord and tenant that ends a lease before its scheduled expiration. Terms may. more

Green Infrastructure

Green infrastructure refers to natural or engineered systems that manage stormwater, reduce heat, and improve sustainability in developments.. more

Escrow Holdback

An escrow holdback is a portion of funds withheld at closing and held in escrow until specific conditions are met, such as completion of repairs,. more

Underused Housing Tax

The Underused Housing Tax (UHT) is a federal annual 1% tax on the value of vacant or underused residential property owned by non-resident,. more

More For You

Rental Proving An Anchor In Canadian Real Estate For 2026

Rental Proving An Anchor In Canadian Real Estate For 2026

TELUS Living Nanaimo (Omicron)

Canada’s rental housing market may not always grab snappy headlines, but it’s quietly proving its staying power.

Across the country, large-scale organizations are putting capital into purpose-built rental housing, whether through acquisitions, repurposed properties, or REIT activity. The trend is less about flashy growth and more about steady, strategic investment — a trend that’s already shaping 2026.

Keep ReadingShow less

Terracap, Great Gulf Move On From Long-Dormant King-Spadina Project

Terracap, Great Gulf Move On From Long-Dormant King-Spadina Project

401-415 King Street West in Toronto. (JLL)

After being in the works for over 15 years, the developers of a high-rise project set for a prime corner in Toronto’s Entertainment District have decided to move on from the project, according to a recent commercial real estate listing.

The site is 401-415 King Street West, located at the southeast corner of the intersection with Spadina Avenue, a few blocks away from Rogers Centre. The site was assembled by Toronto-based real estate investment firm Terracap, which acquired 401-409 King Street West in 1994 for $850,000 and then 415 King Street West in 2007 for an undisclosed price, according to the company’s website.

Keep ReadingShow less

Eric Lombardi 'More Than Likely' To Cement Run For Ontario Liberal Party Leader: Q&A

Eric Lombardi 'More Than Likely' To Cement Run For Ontario Liberal Party Leader: Q&A

31-year-old Lombardi feels there is "an appetite for generational change" in politics, and that young people should be leading the charge.

Ontario entered 2026 with the weakest housing conditions in the country, and Eric Lombardi believes that we can do better.

The 31-one-year old civic advocate is in the process of exploring a run for Ontario Liberal Leader, a slot that opened up after Bonnie Crombie announced her resignation in mid-January. The Party has said an election will be held in November.

Keep ReadingShow less

Home Relocation Project Brings 17 Affordable Rentals To Sunshine Coast's shíshálh Nation

Home Relocation Project Brings 17 Affordable Rentals To Sunshine Coast's shíshálh Nation

Renewal Development

Via Renewal Development and Wesgroup, 17 affordable rental homes are now in the hands of the shíshálh Nation — marking the completion of a project that addresses the community’s housing needs while creating local opportunities.

Like many communities across British Columbia, the shíshálh Nation has been facing a housing crisis. This project tackles that issue head-on while supporting local economic development: roughly 70% of its construction work was carried out by shíshálh Nation entrepreneurs, providing jobs and skills training within the community.

Keep ReadingShow less

Build Canada Homes Pulls From Public, Private Sectors For Exec Team

Build Canada Homes Pulls From Public, Private Sectors For Exec Team

Valesa Faria (left) and Jeffery Coles (right) have joined the Build Canada Homes executive leadership team.

The economy may be acclimating to tariffs and interest rate pain has eased (for now), but Canadian housing remains sorely in crisis. Against that backdrop, Build Canada Homes (BCH) has its work cut out for it, and the agency is forging ahead with the appointments of Valesa Faria and Jeffery Coles to its executive leadership team.

While Faria will be stepping into the Senior Vice President of Partnership and Development role later this month, Coles assumed the Senior Vice President of Investments post in January.

Keep ReadingShow less

Hudson's Bay Left Behind 15 Million Sq. Ft Of Space. What Happens To It Now?

Hudson's Bay Left Behind 15 Million Sq. Ft Of Space. What Happens To It Now?

The closed Hudson’s Bay store in the Metrpolis at Metrotown shopping centre in Burnaby, BC. (Howard Chai)

We’re closing in on almost a year since the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) filed for creditor protection. Liquidating the company’s assets and closing all of its stores was the easy part — and has mostly been completed already. The hard part is determining what to do with the huge blocks of vacant space left in the company’s wake.

Across Canada, HBC operated a total of 96 stores, including not just the traditional Hudson’s Bay stores, but also a handful of stores under the Saks Fifth Avenue and Saks OFF 5TH brands.

Keep ReadingShow less

GTA Home Sales, Prices Expected To Hold Steady In 2026: TRREB

GTA Home Sales, Prices Expected To Hold Steady In 2026: TRREB

Shutterstock

After years of volatility, the GTA housing market is entering a holding pattern.

That’s the takeaway from the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board’s 2026 Market Outlook and Year in Review, which forecasts relatively stable home sales and prices this year, as improved buyer choice and affordability continue to be weighed down by cautious consumer sentiment.

Keep ReadingShow less

End Of An (Easing) Era? Some Economists Warn Of BoC Hikes

End Of An (Easing) Era? Some Economists Warn Of BoC Hikes

Bank of Canada

The Bank of Canada’s (BoC) decision to hold the policy interest rate steady at 2.25% last month was a welcomed one for Canadians. The only thing that would have been more welcomed would have been an interest rate cut.

But the likelihood of another cut any time soon seems slim, with many economists insisting that the central bank will stay on the sidelines through 2026.

Keep ReadingShow less
Privacy PolicyAbout UsTerms of UseAdvertise with UsJobsContact UsRSS Feed
All rights reserved SiteMedia © 2026.