School built into highrise is part of discussion for major Mississauga development

If more people than expected move into a Mississauga development, a new school at the base of a highrise is a possibility.

The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board says it is monitoring the progress at Lakeview Village to determine if existing schools in southeast Mississauga will be able to accommodate the new students that are expected to flow into the system once the homes appear.

Lakeview Village is currently under construction on the south side of Lakeshore Road between Cawthra Road and Dixie Road.

At a meeting of the board on Tuesday night, Trustee Mario Pascucci raised the issue following the concerns of residents about growth in the area.

“What is available, what is growing, how fast is growing and what are we doing to accommodate?” asked Pascucci of board planning staff. “There is an anticipation that 19,000 individuals will be moving into that community so I just want to make sure that we are ready and what will it take to make us be ready? And I am sure we will be ready.”

Stephanie Cox, the board’s manager of planning, said her department is aware of what is coming in terms of population and that there is still capacity at schools near the development.

“However, we are making provisions to ensure that there is a potential for a podium school in the development should we need the extra capacity,” she said.

A podium school is one that is integrated into a development and usually situated at the base — or in the podium — of a residential highrise.

Existing schools near the new development include elementary schools Queen of Heaven, St. Dominic, St. Edmund, St. Luke, St. Timothy and St. Paul Secondary School.

Construction on the 177-acre Lakeview Village began in October on the site of the former power generating station.

The site will see a mixture of highrise and townhomes that will be built over the next 20 years.