A number of downtown favourites are coming soon to Sheppard Avenue East, but community members are apprehensive about how this will impact traffic in the area.
The segment of Sheppard between Yonge Street and Leslie Street is frequently named as one of the busiest areas for traffic in the city. It’s no surprise that resident groups, including the Bayview Village Association (BVA), are concerned about rapidly increasing density along the avenue.
The area is already the setting of several disputes around residential development, including Amexon’s six-tower proposal near Leslie Street, which would stretch to 39 storeys, and Liberty Develop-ments’ mixed-use development at the site of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church near Bayview Avenue.
Though Sheppard has seen a vast increase in residential and office buildings, until now it has been lacking in retail growth. The stretch between Fairview Mall and Bayview Village Shopping Centre is peppered with small shops and convenience stores. But change is coming to the area very soon.
Late last year, outdoor retailer Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) submitted a redevelop-ment application for the Sheridan Nurseries property at 784 Sheppard Ave. E. to build a two-storey store with two levels of parking and a 48-unit townhome development behind the store.
In addition, the north end is buzzing about the upcoming Origin North, a third location of the popular St. Lawrence Market area restaurant opened by acclaimed chef Claudio Aprile. Origin North will be located at Bayview Village, in a separate building in the parking area at the south side of the mall.
Aprile said he chose the Bayview Village location because the area’s demographics were so different from downtown.
“I was really looking to diversify the brand and bring it to a new demographic,” said Aprile. “Often times what happens with any brands that are moving north of the city core, they tend to water down their concepts. [But] this new Origin is probably going to be one of our more sophisticated.”
BVA vice-president Jan Siegel likes the idea of having these new, exciting stores but worries about the impact. “The [traffic] studies that people are expected to do are Monday to Friday,” Siegel said. “We hadn’t heard anything about weekend travel. Weekend travel on [Sheppard] is horrendous.”
BVA president Doug Stephens’ main concern is parking. “How much parking are these [developments] going to have?” he asked. “If the overflow parking rolls into the streets, we’re not too thrilled about that.”
He doubts that the Sheppard subway line, which has been criticized for low ridership since its introduction in 2002, will serve any more of a purpose than it does now.
“They think they’re building it on the subway and people aren’t going to drive, but I think that’s quite naive,” Stephens said.
Siegel echoed his concerns that the new retailers and restaurants would encourage subway use.
“I don’t think that those stores particularly are drawing subway-goers. Most of the people that would go there use their cars.”
