Asian Invasion

I'm not sure if many people has heard about this but this was actually announced back in March- plans for a new Pacific Mall, Version 2.

Look at how DULL and UGLY Pmall (aka pac mall, tai gu, etc.) currently looks. This is what the NEW pmall will potentially look like-

Glamorous eh??? Don't mistaken this for the new Remington Centre (the NEW Market Village that will be torn down to become a 800,000-sq-ft Chinese-themed mall with a 20-storey hotel and condominium tower seen below) that is being built RIGHT beside it. Pacific Mall 2 is a completely separate project.

DAY VIEW. via Remington Centre.ca

Even though Pmall Version 2  has not been approved by the town of Markham (yet) but these two POWER Asian Malls might potentially be at the corner of Steeles and Kennedy in approximately four years...which is almost like a snap of fingers. Image that. I also heard from my dad that they are planning to "upgrade" the failed-Splendid Tower (across the street) by expanding it or something. I think its such a bad investment when the mall itself is so dead (like Oriental Centre on Brimley and Sheppard..thats another huge real estate FAIL right there) and i cannot image an expansion can help it any more than Raymond Lam or Kevin Cheng can when they were invited as guests to help "promote" the mall. If they can't- NOTHING CAN.

Anyways so lets say that this project is a GO, this would mean:

• Doubled the retail space ~ equalvalent to about an exta 450-500 new stores
• Increased parking ~ 1,300 to 1,500 spaces.
• An underground traffic tunnels for cars turning left from Steeles into the mall. (The tunnel, similar to one at the nearby IBM campus on Steeles & Warden/Esna Park-ish)
• New Hotel (Do i sense a Casino coming as well........)
• A more attractive, flashier exterior
• Every Asian in ONTARIO potentially gathering here for dimsum every weekend.

Interesting, no?

My only thoughts on this is that they are kind of stupid to want to build a HOTEL when Remington next to them has already declared their plans (first) to build a TWENTY (not two) storey Condo/Hotel (concept similar to the Pantages Hotel dt)...they are practically throwing their money away into Lake Ontario. Also i feel like their "target market" is really undefined. The current clientele pmall serves ranges from fobby teens, to families with kids, to HK-ers that misses HK, people that needs bootlegged stuff, Caucasians that needs rims,  Browns and Blacks that needs Cellphones and couples that are bored. I'm not sure now with this new "look" they are going for how its going to work out. See if they brand themselves into a classy/Yorkdale-like type of mall (catered for Asians) with lots of hot expensive brands that asians like (i,e,MuiMui/Celine/DKNY/LV)..then they lose the business of pretty much every single other type of people apart from obviously those that can afford it. They also risk THEFT because they are forgetting that Pmall is STILL located in SCARBOROUGH and we know what that means.......heh. That said if they are still catering to the same current clientele, then all this work that is going to be put into having a Condo/Hotel and a flashy exterior is going to be SUCH a waste if there's still going to be Supermarkets (Gai Sees) where big greens go freaking crazy fighting over cheap corn and Grandpas&Grandmas doing their daily loitering in the food court.

But I WOULD appreciate a better food court. i heard in HK, the food courts in their 30 storey malls are extremely heavenly.

Just my two cents. Nice try pmall people.

Can read all about this exciting news here and here