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Northern Light

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Choice is lobbying for an Employment lands to MCR conversion for this Fortino's property.

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Aerial Pic:

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This site is directly opposite Woodbine Centre Mall.

It's ~4ha/10 acres

Comments: The site is largely surrounded by employment lands; however there is residential relatively close to the east.

As the site doesn't contain much in the way of high-wage employment and no office or manufacturing space, the City may be open to a conversion here; providing the existing retail ft2 and employment levels are retained.

That said, I'm not sure given a huge shortage of industrial space in the region, that a 10 acre parcel might not have more potential and financial value in a different form; though there would be a need to relocate the supermarket.

Should this proceed, I envision the following:

1) The extension of Mercury Road to, and possibly through the site, connecting it to the residential community to the east.

2) The extension of Harness Road to what is also currently Mercury Road, but I would re-name.; in order to grant east access to Flagstaff Park.

3) I would then mandate an expanded Flagstaff park as the primary green space here.

4) There would be a clear need to examine how to improve transit service to this site/area.
 
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The development of this partition of Queen's Plate took me by surprise. Specifically, with the recent installation of the LCBO.
Fortino's and the nearby strip plaza seemed to offer the very stores the Woodbine Centre had failed to provide for the last
20 years.

Upon first glance, I figured more condo development was in the works, but it seems like an MCR conversion could entail the
creation of (yet another) factory/corporate headquarters in the area. If that is indeed the case, then a proposed building
wouldn't be out of place from the other factories situated along Queen's Plate.

Other than No Frills at the Albion mall and the soon-to-open Costco on Islington & Rexdale Blvd, I can't think of any name
brand grocery stores left in Rexdale.
 
Not to mention, the open fields and warehouses already in the area would pose a problem as well.

It's a shame the parking lot in front of the now-defunct Canadian Tire on Kipling and Rexdale wasn't larger. With all
of the other renovation plans in the area, that site would be ideal for Fortinos' relocation.

There's also the Woodbine Centre ....but the less said about that mall the better.
 
Wow, was not expecting this. I wonder, they had just flattened and fenced off the property near Queen's plate and Rexdale that's been empty for over 30 years. I wonder if this would be connected somehow?

What is an MCR conversion exactly? I'm unfamiliar with the term.
 
I'm also curious. My partners parents live right by here, and we drove past on the way home from Thanksgiving and noticed the corner lot was fenced off and flatted and were curious about that property specifically, but then saw this and wanted to see what this was about.

Her parents will be super bothered if that Fortinos closes. It's the only grocery store in the area and they live walking distance. Ever since the plaza in their neighbourhood closed that had a few stores with some food items they've only really had Fortinos within walking distance.
 
On the topic of Fortinos, does anyone know the history of the supermarket in Toronto? They are very prominent in Hamilton and Burlington. What was their first location in the 416?
 
christiesplits said:
On the topic of Fortinos, does anyone know the history of the supermarket in Toronto? They are very prominent in Hamilton and Burlington. What was their first location in the 416?
Click to expand...

Came to Toronto in the '90s.

I believe the North York store (700 Lawrence W) was first, then Rexdale.

Chain was founded in Hamilton in 1961.

Acquired by Loblaws in 1988.
 
Northern Light said:
Came to Toronto in the '90s.

I believe the North York store (700 Lawrence W) was first, then Rexdale.

Chain was founded in Hamilton in 1961.

Acquired by Loblaws in 1988.
Click to expand...
The North York store opened with the rest of Lawrence Square Shopping Centre in 1989. Lawrence Square has since been renamed Lawrence Allen Centre.

en.wikipedia.org

Lawrence Allen Centre - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 
Northern Light said:
Came to Toronto in the '90s.

I believe the North York store (700 Lawrence W) was first, then Rexdale.

Chain was founded in Hamilton in 1961.

Acquired by Loblaws in 1988.
Click to expand...
My grandparents are actually buried like two spots over from John Fortino. I also worked at a Fortinos in Burlington in University.
 
There was a Fortinos location at the southwest corner of Jane and Wilson for years (I actually worked there in high school)
It started as a Loblaws in the 80s, perhaps even earlier, became a Fortinos sometime in the mid-90s I think, and has now been a No Frills for something like a decade or so
 
christiesplits said:
On the topic of Fortinos, does anyone know the history of the supermarket in Toronto? They are very prominent in Hamilton and Burlington. What was their first location in the 416?
Click to expand...
The Rexdale Fortinos used to be in the Albion Mall where the No Frills is. Notice the similar facade to the Queens Plate location? Also the Albion Mall location used to be smaller in the mid 90's. Before that I'm not sure. I think there was a Dominion at Albion Mall back when it was an open air mall where the Shoppers or Canadian Tire is.
 
Chimpur said:
The Rexdale Fortinos used to be in the Albion Mall where the No Frills is. Notice the similar facade to the Queens Plate location? Also the Albion Mall location used to be smaller in the mid 90's. Before that I'm not sure. I think there was a Dominion at Albion Mall back when it was an open air mall where the Shoppers or Canadian Tire is.
Click to expand...

When Albion Mall opened as a strip plaza in1964, Loblaws was the anchor that sat where Canadian Tire now resides. Kmart took over in the 70's,
and Loblaws switched to the opposite end of the mall (where Fortinos would eventually pop up in the 90's).

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Dominion was a fixture of the Rexdale Mall going back to 1956.
 
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