Precisely. Every avenue should be lined with a continuous, pedestrian friendly retail strip.
What good is Pedestrian Friendly retail strip,... if there's no pedestrians?
Look closely at GoogleEarth streetsview image
@Edward Skira posted,.... shadow shows it around mid-day, yet, there's not even 1 pedestrian! I live here in Willowdale and occasionally walk along Finch Ave - often walking along this stretch of Finch Ave West - west of Bathurst to east of Beecroft - I could walk a kilometer in the daytime without seeing another pedestrian! Why?
Mixed use with retail is often used as selling-point local amenity for buyer and local residents - often interpreting it as useful Corner convenience store, grocery store, dry-cleaner, restaurant, coffee shop, pharmacy, etc,... The building directly east that
@Edward Skira referred to is mixed-use completed about 5 years ago with 10 retail units on ground floor (currently 3 formed Bakery/Cafe, 2 formed Domino Pizza, 1 small Pharmacy next to Health/Wellness & Doctor's Office - 2 vacant). Here, the ethnic Pharmacy, Health/Wellness & Doctor's office would service a much larger catchment area than just local area - thus, less utilization for locals. Also, since residential is easier and higher margin sale - it's tougher to convince developers to build any retail & office component.
5 years ago, during review of Sheppard Avenue Commercial Area Secondary Plan (Easton/Senlac to Bayview) when City Planning & local Councillor wanted to model it to Central Finch Area Secondary Plan (Bathurst to Finch full of townhouses with 3-4 storey with retail base) - I opposed & convince them ground floor retail along Sheppard would not work, since there's low pedestrian traffic. Why??? Also since vast majority of commercial space along this part of Sheppard is professional offices (medical, dental, financial, consulate) drawing from larger catchment area, I convinced them to encourage offices here instead of displacing offices with retail.
Another hint for "Does anyone want to venture as to why adding retail at mid-block locations like this along Finch or Sheppard won't work - or at least it'll be extremely challenging. Hint: Look at the map" - why does retail on east-west arterial roads work well downtown (east & west Toronto) but not here in Central North York?