Welcome To Town Centre (Pickering)
Town Centre is Pickering’s downtown, or at least what will pass for one once the cranes finish: the mall (now rebranded The Shops at Pickering City Centre), City Hall, the central library, the Chestnut Hill Developments Recreation Complex and most of the city’s condo towers, all packed into a few blocks north of the 401. It’s also the only Durham neighbourhood we cover where you can genuinely walk to the GO train… an enclosed pedestrian bridge crosses the 401 straight into Pickering GO.
The bigger story is what’s coming. The 55-acre Pickering City Centre redevelopment has broken ground on its first two condo towers (45 and 40 storeys), the start of a masterplan calling for more than ten towers and roughly 6,000 new homes around the mall. Buying here today is buying into a construction site with a plan… which cuts both ways.
Properties For Sale
Town Centre (Pickering)
Central Pickering, immediately north of Highway 401 around Kingston Road, Liverpool Road and Valley Farm Road… the blocks surrounding The Shops at Pickering City Centre, City Hall and the Esplanade.
This is condo territory, which makes it the cheapest way into Pickering: in Q1 2026 the community averaged $615,195 with a median of $603,250 across 20 TRREB sales. Most of that is high-rise condos and townhomes; houses barely exist here.
The best in Durham, honestly. The pedestrian bridge puts Pickering GO within walking distance of most buildings, and the Lakeshore East train runs about 45 minutes to Union. Drivers are on the 401 in two minutes, for better or worse.
It’s more of a condo-and-empty-nester neighbourhood today… the current population skews older, and most homes are one- and two-bedroom units. Families do fine here with the rec complex, library and Esplanade Park at their door, but most Pickering families end up in the house neighbourhoods around it.
If you want transit, amenities and a lock-and-leave condo, this is Pickering’s obvious answer. If you’re picturing quiet residential streets, look literally anywhere else in the city.
Around the Neighbourhood
Cultural landmarks: Pickering City Hall and the civic complex, the Pickering Central Library, and Esplanade Park, which hosts the city’s events calendar. The Shops at Pickering City Centre is the landmark whether we like it or not.
Hot local spots: the mall covers the chains, and the Pickering City Centre Farmers’ Market runs weekly through the warm months near the Chestnut Hill Developments Recreation Complex.
Parks & green space: Esplanade Park in the civic core, plus the Chestnut Hill Developments Recreation Complex with pools, rinks, courts and a health club… the parks here are civic rather than natural.
Your Typical Neighbour
Today, Town Centre skews older and smaller-household than the rest of Pickering… a lot of one-person households in the towers, with retirees well represented. The incoming condo waves will pull that younger. Across Pickering as a whole, the 2021 Census counted 99,186 residents with a median household income around $118,000.
Source: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census Profile, Pickering (City)
What We Love
Everything is walkable: the GO train, the library, the rec complex, groceries, the farmers market. That combination doesn’t exist anywhere else in Durham at this price. And the City Centre masterplan means this is the one Pickering neighbourhood with a genuine urban future rather than a suburban past.
What We Don't Love
You’ll be living beside construction for years… the first towers have only just broken ground, and ten more are planned. The public realm today is still mall parking lots and the hum of the 401. And condo fees plus a building’s reserve fund health matter more here than anywhere else we cover, so review the status certificate carefully.
Real Estate
Town Centre is roughly three-quarters high-rise condos, with townhomes and a handful of detached homes on the northeast edge. Existing buildings from the 80s and 90s offer larger suites at lower prices per square foot; the new towers will offer the opposite. New to the market? Start with our First-Time Buyer guide.
(Current prices and days on market appear in the live statistics block below, updated quarterly.)
Transit
Pickering GO on the Lakeshore East line is a walk away via the enclosed pedestrian bridge over the 401, with trains about 45 minutes to Union roughly every half hour. Durham Region Transit routes converge here, and the 401 is immediate for drivers.
Schools
Town Centre is served by the Durham District School Board and the Durham Catholic District School Board, with nearby options including Glengrove PS and Vaughan Willard PS for elementary, Pine Ridge SS and Dunbarton HS for secondary, and St. Mary Catholic Secondary School on the Catholic side. For school rankings and Fraser Institute scores, see our interactive Durham Region School Map.
Property Statistics in Town Centre (Pickering)
Detached Houses - Statistics
Q1 2026
N/A
Average Price
4
New Listings
2
Properties Sold
N/A
Average Days on Market
N/A
% of Asking Price
semi-detached - Statistics
Q1 2026
N/A
Average Price
0
New Listings
0
Properties Sold
N/A
Average Days on Market
N/A
% of Asking Price
townhome - Statistics
Q1 2026
$586,000
Average Price
21
New Listings
3
Properties Sold
24
Average Days on Market
98%
% of Asking Price
Condos - Statistics
Q1 2026
$554,000
Average Price
31
New Listings
13
Properties Sold
36
Average Days on Market
99%
% of Asking Price
All Properties - Statistics
Q1 2026
$615,195
Average Price
60
New Listings
20
Properties Sold
39
Average Days on Market
98%
% of Asking Price
Source: TRREB Statistics
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