buildup said:
On the other hand if a business has chipped in to help pay for the Bloor Street revitalization, and is saddled with municipal property taxes, I could understand them resenting a hot dog vendor squatting in front of their storefront without any of the associated costs.
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So people buying street food and other items somehow compromises the livelihood and investment of Yorkville businesses? I don't think they compete against each other. There's a reason for street vendors: they provide products that are in demand in the area that could otherwise not be provided because of high rents. "Squatters" is derogatory to these ordinary people providing affordable products to other ordinary people and not interfering with the business of boutiques and upscale restaurants. There's a reason why one pays property taxes and not the other one, namely the scale on which they operate and what they sell differs in the most dramatic way. The revitalization has made this area more attractive and prominent; what's not clear is the harm caused by street vendors. Rather than being a part of normal urban life that's fair and democratic, they're being marginalized to certain areas.
 
ILuvTO said:
I don't remember seeing many (if any) street vendors on Fifth Ave in NYC when I was there this past summer. I may not be remembering correctly though.
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Absolutely there are. Those carts that sell hotdogs, pretzels and chestnuts are on the corners where 5th connects with the cross streets... and on the side streets just off of 5th you'll find everything.
 
There are street vendors on 5th avenue however many of the retailers and businesses on the street want to have them removed and place a ban on all types of street vendors. Last i heard the city was taking this proposal seriously.
Personally i don't think street vendors should be on such high end streets. They could go on Yonge and Bay just a few feet away from the corner of Bloor.
 
Thanos said:
There are street vendors on 5th avenue however many of the retailers and businesses on the street want to have them removed and place a ban on all types of street vendors. Last i heard the city was taking this proposal seriously.
Personally i don't think street vendors should be on such high end streets. They could go on Yonge and Bay just a few feet away from the corner of Bloor.
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They could also consider a proposal to only allow people above a certain income level to walk on this stretch of Bloor.
 
Thanos said:
No one has a gun to their head to go shop there.
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No, but being this central means that there will always be people on the sidewalks who aren't there to shop at boutiques. They're not particularly relevant to the interests of high-end businesses, but they are normal people whose interests in public space shouldn't be marginalized. I believe the best urban spaces are those that are exceptionally beautiful with the finest urban design and best materials, and democratic at their core. I would really hate for this project to create the perception among leftists that this kind of ambitious improvement inherently means a sort of stratification (whether deliberate or inadvertent), that the finest public realm can't really be for everyone, just for one demographic.
 
Tewder said:
Absolutely there are. Those carts that sell hotdogs, pretzels and chestnuts are on the corners where 5th connects with the cross streets... and on the side streets just off of 5th you'll find everything.
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Just to clarify my first post, I was thinking more of the non-hot dog vendors. Mostly people selling fake coach purses, Rolex watches, sunglasses, etc.

I don't have a problem with hot dog vendors on bloor. And I don't understand why the stores would either. The fake purses, watches, etc, is another story, and I agree they should not be there (hence my comment about letting them setup at Y&D :D )
 
I agree with you junctionist, however i can't really blame the BIA. From what I've noticed, the street vendors attract alot of garbage. People will buy their hot dogs and other food, eat it nearby and even if there's a garbage container just a few steps next to them they still leave the trash on the street. I noticed this in Vancouver as well. People are too lazy to be bothered.
 
I think people assume that BIA's actively try to get retailers in their neighbourhoods, but that is not usually the case- they have no say in who goes in or how much rent will be charged, so you cant expect them to market something that they have no power to market!Also, i believe the vendors on the street are no longer there because with the new set-up of furniture and planters (plus future artwork), most locations on Bloor, where there used to be vendors, do not have the required space according to City By Laws, to allow for vendors.
 
There's still that hot dog vendor on the N/E corner of Yonge and Bloor, no?
 
cruzin4u said:
So that's what they've been doing. I have also noticed they took down the sun shades (not sure what they are called) above the stores. I am hoping they are going to put up new ones, as it looks rather empty without them. Seems the entire building is a construction zone with work being done in the underground parking area as well.
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Re: S/E corner of Church & Bloor - The work on the plaza here is pretty much complete, nice job done. They are putting up structures now to replace the sun shades that used to be in place, it's hard to tell what they'll look like but it appears they will have more sidewalk coverage than before.
 
Thanos said:
There are street vendors on 5th avenue however many of the retailers and businesses on the street want to have them removed and place a ban on all types of street vendors. Last i heard the city was taking this proposal seriously.
Personally i don't think street vendors should be on such high end streets. They could go on Yonge and Bay just a few feet away from the corner of Bloor.
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In America faceless corporations take priority. I feel sorry for the poor vendors working 12 hours a day trying to earn a living. I don't have a problem with vendors, they have to pay the city to have a vendors licence. Bloor is a major st with lots of foot traffic i don't see how small part of it being high-end makes it any different than Queen st or Yonge st.
 
... and yet I find the street vendor 'scene' to be way more active in major US cities than in Toronto.
 
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