Kensington Market staves off a potential Walmart—for now
Take heart, condo towers, you’re not the only vehemently opposed developments around town anymore—a proposed retail building on the fringes of Kensington Market has residents, local business owners and councillor Mike Layton all riled up. On Wednesday, the Toronto-East York Committee of Adjustment rejected a rezoning application from RioCan to demolish the old Kromer Radio site on Bathurst and Nassau and erect a 22 metre-tall building with 95,000 square feet of retail space. The community fears a one-stop-shop tenant like Walmart (notable RioCan tenants include the big box giant, as well as Home Depot and Canadian Tire), which could deal a deathblow to the market’s independent food shops. According to Layton, they also think the building will throw shade into neighbours’ backyards and cause major traffic snafus. The first battle lost, RioCan is expected to appeal the ruling with the Ontario Municipal Board. [Toronto Star]
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Take heart, condo towers, you’re not the only vehemently opposed developments around town anymore—a proposed retail building on the fringes of Kensington Market has residents, local business owners and councillor Mike Layton all riled up. On Wednesday, the Toronto-East York Committee of Adjustment rejected a rezoning application from RioCan to demolish the old Kromer Radio site on Bathurst and Nassau and erect a 22 metre-tall building with 95,000 square feet of retail space. The community fears a one-stop-shop tenant like Walmart (notable RioCan tenants include the big box giant, as well as Home Depot and Canadian Tire), which could deal a deathblow to the market’s independent food shops. According to Layton, they also think the building will throw shade into neighbours’ backyards and cause major traffic snafus. The first battle lost, RioCan is expected to appeal the ruling with the Ontario Municipal Board. [Toronto Star]){kind=link}
Can’t wait to see Walmart there. Hope it opens soon.
Walmart will bring life to a sleepy area of town.
ha ha. good one! Now that it’s going to the OMB we can rest assured it will be approved for these caring developers. ;-)
It is a discusting thing to have that iconic area being considered for major retail space. Part of the charm will be taken away from Kensington Market and the nearby Spadina area shops.
That specific building’s location isn’t even in Kensington no matter what anyone thinks. If it is, then you can make the argument that Regent Park is in Cabbagetown and vice-versa. Just because it’s adjacent does not make it Kensington.
Nothing like adding more traffic chaos to an already difficult area of the City to navigate.
Vote with your feet.
That building is not part of Kensington and i personally feel Walmart or Cnadian Tire will bring more business to the small cafe’s and will increase pedestrain traffic into the market.
I doubt it. People drive in and drive out from big box stores. They have no interest for cafes when they’re getting charged for parking and stuck in traffic all the time. To go to Kensington Market, you have to be set on going there. You bike, walk, take the streetcar, or (if you’re really hell bent on driving) park in its parking garages. You don’t just set out to drive to Wal-Mart, and end up in Kensington Market, as beautifully idealistic as that sounds.