This next bit, from the Planning Report addendum is quite interesting in that it shows the City's concern and the Applicant's response:
Pause for comment: I'm 100% with the City on both of the concerns expressed above and happy to see them thinking this way.
But I digress, the response from USI below:
There's still more of this in the Planning Report, but I'll stop there.
I really like the City's take here, very thoughtful, the right sorts of questions and ambitions.
CF's response is not entirely satisfactory. Too many excuses. Including a no-build clause that is, to my understanding, tied to one particular retailer........
Their imagining the retention of the mall, more or less as-is, in the longer term does not represent either the community's or CF's best interests as far as I'm concerned.
I would not quibble with keeping some sort of mall here, but not the current siting at layout.
If desired, I'd rather see it go to 3 storeys of retail, with a smaller footprint by about 1/3; and sited in such a way as to allow the Parkway Forest to Godstone connection; and full east-west public roads connecting that road to Don Mills.
I could see the mall existing on both sides of said road, and connecting both underneath and on top, while allowing the road though.
Insufficient imagination and ambition here.