Where there are people there are customers. But the people have to come first whether it be business or residential. Retail is expensive. You have to have customers. When the dust settles I'm sure it will be great. But that might be awhile. While Yonge is under construction we might see side streets and bay (places nearby not currently under construction) improve.
 
stjames2queenwest said:
Where there are people there are customers. But the people have to come first whether it be business or residential. Retail is expensive. You have to have customers. When the dust settles I'm sure it will be great. But that might be awhile. While Yonge is under construction we might see side streets and bay (places nearby not currently under construction) improve.
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Hamiltonian said:
Maybe large condos will drive other smaller retailers to spill into the side streets.
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Let's certainly hope so. And I certainly agree a large customer base is important.
By the way, in terms of zoning, are most of the side streets near Yonge allowed to have retail? I wish every of them function like Elm street, at least between Bay and Church. Some of them do have retail, but hardly anyone would say, "let's go eat/shop on St Joseph st!"
 
Didn't i42 explain the lack of retail on side streets in another thread as primarily due to parking requirements? I don't know if that remains the case but I imagine a lot of the problem now is simply a cultural assumption built around high streets rather than the more Americanized spread out model.
 
wolfewood said:
Didn't i42 explain the lack of retail on side streets in another thread as primarily due to parking requirements? I don't know if that remains the case but I imagine a lot of the problem now is simply a cultural assumption built around high streets rather than the more Americanized spread out model.
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I probably missed it, but if that's the case, that's the most stupid reason. The parking requirement should be dealt with. Do Torontonians really expect to come to downtown and park their precious car right in front of a shop like they do in front of those plazas in the suburbs?

Most people I know shake their heads at the idea of driving downtown, and I am glad they do. I think there is enough public parking structures nearby if they have to drive here. Restricting retail because the sacred parking space is not enough, that's absurd.
 
Sorry wolfewood, I'm not sure what you're referring to. If I did say something like that, it would only have been as part of a larger context. There's no blanket issue with parking, it would depend on the site and certain ones would be required to have nearby parking, but if a store is close to transit there wouldn't be an issue. It's more complex though, and many factors come into play, mostly to do with zoning.

Side street retail will work in some areas where there's traffic to support it and complementary land uses/zoning, and it already does in some places. This is the kind of thing that changes block by block, property by property over time, and not all at once by decree of impatient internet forum posters.

42
 
Trying out my new cheap phone camera:
femGsy7.jpg
 
Interested to see what happens to Yonge. It definitely needs help. I'm just not sure about retail becoming a secondary useage. Not opposed to condos towers but, I would have liked to see midrise retail buildings in the mix. Basically, the east side from College to Bloor is proposed to become towers on half to full block podiums.
 
Yeah, I know. It'll be interesting to see where this street is 7-10 years from now. The Yonge redevelopment plan might offset any potential sterilization from boxy podiums and pricey/large retail outlets. We'll see.
 
Well, looks like they are getting serious with demolition. Scaffolding up around the site now as well as some drilling equipment.
 
I'd like to see a large development like Tea House 'outsource, crowd source' their street level element. Create a series of sheds along the street where businesses could put any sort of frontage they choose - signage, doors, windows totally up to them. All the developer would do is ensure plumbing, electrically and loading bays behind are operational. In theory the walls separating each unit would be movable to accommodate changing sizes. In other words an organic, crazy quilt of shops or market.
 
buildup said:
I'd like to see a large development like Tea House 'outsource, crowd source' their street level element. Create a series of sheds along the street where businesses could put any sort of frontage they choose - signage, doors, windows totally up to them. All the developer would do is ensure plumbing, electrically and loading bays behind are operational. In theory the walls separating each unit would be movable to accommodate changing sizes. In other words an organic, crazy quilt of shops or market.
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Versus a regular cheque from a non-troublesome drug store or bank? What developer wants that headache?
 
Retailers don't want that either. A bit of customization is great but most smaller retailers would have no interest in dealing with that stuff (asides from signage).
 
TeaHouse's south end retail is being curated to be tea-housey. The north end is going after fashion retailing IIRC.

42
 
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