TORONTO – City councillors and staff will meet with the public Thursday evening to discuss a development proposal that would see a Wal-Mart built near Toronto’s iconic Kensington Market.
Tens of thousands of people have signed a petition opposing the plan, which the city has already rejected once, saying it would threaten the neighbourhoods of Kensington Market and Little Italy.
City Councillor Mike Layton said there was cause for concern with the proposal from the start – initially over the amount of traffic the development would generate, “right in the middle of a downtown neighbourhood that’s well served by public transit and cycling.”
“We also were concerned about the impacts that this type of business would have… on the neighbouring business community,” Layton said, adding that when big-box retailers move into a community, local shops get worry they’ll be out-bid or undersold.
“Many of the folks that run businesses on Queen and Kensington and on College St., these are small businesses. They get outcompeted by these large big box stores.”
The Wal-Mart is part of a plan by RioCan, Canada’s largest real estate investment trust, to build a three-storey complex at the former home of Kromer Radio. Kromer officially closed its doors last summer, after operating for 55 years in the neighbourhood.
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RioCan CEO Ed Sonshine did not return requests for an interview.
The plan would demolish existing structures and replace them with a 12,000 square metre retail building. Critics of the proposal said it goes against Toronto’s Official Plan, which designates 410-446 Bathurst St. as a “mixed use” area.
Both Kensington Market and Little Italy are considered designated neighbourhoods – “physically stable” areas with lower-scale buildings. In the section of the plan titled “Healthy Neighbourhoods,” the city states that “physical changes to our established Neighbourhoods must be sensitive, gradual and generally ‘fit’ the existing physical character.” They also aren’t supposed to have a major impact on traffic and parking nearby.
“Our Official Plan actually says, ‘Protect those neighbourhoods because they’re an important part of our community,’” Layton said. “The diversity they have within them, the jobs they create, this is all the Toronto that we love and that we cherish, and that’s what we want to try to protect.”
Last May city council rejected the initial proposal and RioCan’s request to overlook a series of variances in city zoning bylaws.
RioCan appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board, which upheld the city’s rejection, saying the project is so big it would need its own site-specific rezoning.
In April, RioCan applied for a zoning amendment in order to build the complex. The proposal will go before city council.
Layton said this application process is more formalized than their previous plan, which means more community consultation and a closer eye from city staff. He said the city will work with RioCan to try and find solutions for the complex to fit the site.
“Maybe they’ve got to look for different size of units. Maybe they have to look for different tenants, maybe they have to make sure that this won’t adversely impact the surrounding community,” he said. “Whether or not that’s possible, I’m not sure.”
Over 63,000 people have signed a petition, posted Sunday night by Kensington resident Dominique Russell, urging the city to block RioCan’s proposal.
“Everything I love about my neighbourhood is threatened by this proposal: the human scale of the streetscape, the skyline, its walkability, the local independent businesses that give Kensington Market and Little Italy their character,” Russell said.
“At 129,000 square feet, the proposed mall is 130 times larger than most of the stores on College and in Kensington Market,” she said.
Russell said she will present the petition at the public meeting tonight.
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