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Shops at Don Mills (redevelopment, Giannone Petricone/Pellow + Associates )

You have to wonder what it would be like in the cold winter months. Why would people go there when they can park and walk inside a warm cozy enclosed mall?
 
???? They knocked down the mall because no one would come inside and shop. Most stores seem to survive fine without being in a mall.
 
As someone who lives in SODOM ( South Of Don Mills ) I've no particular need to shop in this new place, but if the Pape bus goes there I'll probably check it out one afternoon.
 
The "Don Mills Plaza" that was razed to make way for the new "Shops etc" was climate controlled and had a pleasant comfortable aura about it but never attracted the high-end retailers that are flocking into the new version in the same location but less the climate control. Does this make sense to anyone?

I think the developers have vastly over estimated the economic demographics of the immediate area and if they are depending on attracting the car driving public to shop here it better be a nice day because once you are in the car there are lots of other places to go.

I guess all the Condos they will be building on the site, the real raison d'etre for this whole exercise, will be expected to provide shoppers for the new stores. I'm glad I don't have any money in this enterprise.
 
As "destination shopping", I wouldn't sell it so short--indeed, I'd be more worried for the future of the plaza at Bayview + York Mills.

Speaking of which, I wonder what the likelihood of a west end equivalent is (replacing Humbertown, maybe?)
 
adma said:
As "destination shopping", I wouldn't sell it so short--indeed, I'd be more worried for the future of the plaza at Bayview + York Mills.

Speaking of which, I wonder what the likelihood of a west end equivalent is (replacing Humbertown, maybe?)
Click to expand...

Does anyone know what is being proposed for the Kodak property in Weston-Mount Dennis? Has there be any proposals along the lines of The Shops at Don Mills?

So far Google has failed me.
 
Visual looks great - nicer streetscape than usual power centre, which is what I gather this is, from the chain stores that seem to populate it. Other than McEwans grocery store and McNally R (which although a "chain," is kind of a smallish chain still), anyone know how many "independents" there are?

Just two thoughts:
- Great that there's a rink and some Earth Day events planned - sounds like Cad Fairview may be planning to maintain some kind of public programming in the gathering spaces. But what do we think about the trend of private firms taking over the programming of public spaces (whether downtown, like the Distillery, or in Don Mills)? What do we as a society think about this? Especially since their own security have control over "private" land (example: the UT member who was harassed about taking his photos). Here's that classic question of quasi-public space again. Would that "subdivision to create public streets" solve this issue?

- Back to my comment about this appearing to be a "Power Centre," I wonder what solutions we can offer to encourage or enable "independent" stores and businesses. Supporting independents I think has a host of advantages: variety, local distinctiveness, less turnaround of staff, fewer "minimum-wage" positions, and ownership by people who are likely more vested in their community and therefore will take an interest in the residents and not just their direct clientele.

Pie in the sky thinking here? Am I off base?
 
That last set of pictures impressed me. Nice and busy. Kind of looks like a downtown scene.
 
I live about 15 minutes away from the new 'mall' so decided to take a stroll on Saturday while the weather was beautiful. I have to say I really liked the concept. People were having a great time, we saw a lot of money being spent in the shops (we ended up spending just over $400), and the overall atmosphere was like nothing I've ever experienced in Toronto. It actually reminded us of some malls in Florida.
 
- Back to my comment about this appearing to be a "Power Centre," I wonder what solutions we can offer to encourage or enable "independent" stores and businesses. Supporting independents I think has a host of advantages: variety, local distinctiveness, less turnaround of staff, fewer "minimum-wage" positions, and ownership by people who are likely more vested in their community and therefore will take an interest in the residents and not just their direct clientele.

Pie in the sky thinking here? Am I off base?
Click to expand...

The scenario you describe is almost exactly what the previous mall looked like. It was deemed to be a failure for all the reasons you consider desirable, I agree with your thoughts but then we aren't calling any shots here are we?
 
Xarina said:
Great that there's a rink and some Earth Day events planned - sounds like Cad Fairview may be planning to maintain some kind of public programming in the gathering spaces. But what do we think about the trend of private firms taking over the programming of public spaces (whether downtown, like the Distillery, or in Don Mills)? What do we as a society think about this? Especially since their own security have control over "private" land (example: the UT member who was harassed about taking his photos).
Click to expand...

Mall owners have been farming out the programming of - and hiring private firms to police - antique fairs, fashion shows, concerts and the like on their properties for decades. A similar situation has existed with our public cultural institutions for some time: events such as the AGO's upcoming Tut exhibition is a roadshow organized by someone else - the National Geographic Society, Arts and Exhibitions International and AEG Exhibitions with cooperation from the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities - and the AGO's own staff "police" the galleries, so I think it works reasonably well and most people accommodate to it.
 
Thanks for all the pics wylie + Torontovibe.

The lanes are indeed privately owned:

http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2008/ny/bgrd/backgroundfile-9426.pdf

Looking at the site plan from the PDF posted in p. 1 of the thread - it's regrettable how the stretch along Don Mills are lined by parking lots - which interfaces really badly with any future stop on the Don Mills LRT.

AoD
 
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AlvinofDiaspar said:
Looking at the site plan from the PDF posted in p. 1 of the thread - it's regrettable how the stretch along Don Mills are lined by parking lots - which interfaces really badly with any future stop on the Don Mills LRT.
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Those lots will be the final phase of construction in about 10 years. The development proponents believe the parking is necessary at this time the draw in the crowds and as the project establishes itself and as transit connections become stronger with the LRT those lots will be key intensification sites constructed at much higher densities than what we see there today (although the original plans for what now exists were higher density with more office space... those plans evolved with the economy and there is less office space above the storefronts now).
 
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