This just in!
There have been two new developments in the highly contested debate over the proposed urban format retail complex at 410-446 Bathurst St, just south of the College and Bathurst intersection.
The first development came about on June 10, when RioCan and city planners faced an angry public of Kensington Market supporters at City Hall Council Chambers. The latest development came about on July 19 when Councilor Mike Layton (Ward 19) introduced a “motion without notice” for a “Bathurst St. Interim control bylaw.” Friday was the fourth and final day of the last council meeting until October. The motion passed 36-1 with no debate.
The June 10 meeting was held to hear the public’s opinion on the rezoning application for the complex. The public seemed to focus on the perceived negative effects the complex would have on their community. One such effect: pushing out smaller, family-run businesses with some larger chains like Walmart (who, at the moment, has a conditional agreement to lease the second-floor larger format space within the proposed complex).
The complex has been in development talks since May 2012. With the reaction that the company is still getting from the public, we are foreseeing further complications. According to a telephone poll conducted by Forum Research on June 25, 60 percent of Toronto’s population think the complex and its tenants would negatively impact Kensington’s ‘delicate ecosystem’, reports Robin Urback of the National Post.
I see it differently. There are quite a few benefits to the complex’s design.
Some include:
– The three-floor complex can accommodate up to ten smaller retailers on the ground level while the second and third would house one to two larger format retailers.
-As well, there will be 300 parking spots created below the complex, which is always needed in downtown Toronto.
RioCan is trying to be as transparent as possible. The company has created a website that will document the complex’s developments, aiming to solicit the public’s ideas. The site is interactive and a diplomatic way to try to engage the very involved Ward 20 community.
Urback also makes an appropriate comparison to when a Metro grocery store was built across the street from the St. Lawrence Market on Front St. The community’s fears for the livelihood of the Toronto institution were soothed by the obvious coexistence of the two businesses. The market served the need for the local and artisanal while Metro served the everyday: the standard after-work milk run.
This could easily be the case with Walmart and Kensington. We are excited to see this property evolve, not only since it has already received so much hype but as it will surely prove to be a positive addition to a vibrant downtown community.
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published on:July 23rd, 2013
