A ‘flash mob’ gathered at Yonge and Eglinton in 2003. Local residents have been lobbying for a bolder plan to transform the square on the corner. ‘You could make that a much more inviting space,’ said community association president Ben Daube.Louie Palu/The Globe and Mail
An ambitious plan to reviatalize Yonge-Eglinton Centre is a step closer to reality, with community council signing off on a proposal to give the shopping centre a makeover and beef up its retail and commercial offerings.
But residents upset with the plan have every intention of continuing to fight the $100-million project, which they say doesn't go nearly far enough to address the need for a public space and community hub at the frenetic - and increasingly crowded - north Toronto intersection.
The proposal, which passed almost unanimously at North York Community Council this week, would add three, five and seven storeys onto existing buildings at the corner, and about 24,000 square metres of combined retail and office space, along with an ambitious retrofit.
For his part Ed Sonshine, CEO of RioCan, which owns the property, says he's more than happy to take on vocal opponents.
"We're tremendously improving the property - not only for our shareholders, but for everyone in the area," he said. "When we finish, Yonge-Eglinton is going to be magnificent and useful and really improve the whole cityscape."
But Ben Daube, who has lived in the area for several years, doesn't see it the same way. He remembers the square as a community-friendly host of festivals, beer tents and lunchtime loiterers. As president of the Sherwood Park Residents' Association, he has been among many lobbying for months for a Yonge-Eglinton revitalization of a dramatically different sort. They want to see improved public space, more places to sit. A fountain would be nice.
"The approval of the plans by council is shortsighted and lacks a vision for the entire Yonge-Eglinton Centre," he said. "You could make that a much more inviting space. ... We will have lost an invaluable asset."
Sorry, Mr. Sonshine says - that's not his responsibility. And to improve public space in the area, he added, the city would be wise to look to the unused TTC property across the street. "That's not our business," he said.
What is his business is appealing to shareholders, he said - some of whom might look skeptically at his plan to add 20,000 square metres of office space in a city whose commercial real-estate market is stagnant at best. But Mr. Sonshine insists he's not crazy: Planned office space likely won't be ready until 2014, by which time he hopes there will be people ready to fill it.
"Would somebody build a new office building today? Not a chance," he said. "But I have a great belief in the corner of Yonge and Eglinton. ... It's a great place to work."
Councillor Karen Stintz, who has taken heat from residents for her support of the proposal, said it will be an improvement over the oddly levelled and excessively windy corner there now. The approved plan obliges RioCan to pay for $250,000 worth of public art, although it's not yet clear what that entails. At the behest of the city, RioCan is also making a planned rooftop garden accessible to the public.
"I've represented the area for seven years and it's never acted as a community square. It was never designed to be a community square and that's why it doesn't function that way," Ms. Stintz said.
"My hope is that with this new design and with the community involvement ... we'll be able to realize more accessible, community-oriented, programmable open space.
"We want Yonge and Eglinton to be recognized as a prominent place in the city."