The landscaping is terrible. The planters are full of sad looking shrubs that don't even fill the space they're planted in. They should be filled with flowers in the summer. Also, it would be nice to remove the roads cutting through the shops and make the area entirely pedestrian. The parking lot was also a terrible idea (not sure why that wasn't buried).The retail streetscapes and condos at the Shops of Don Mills look great. It actually looks like a slice of a downtown core rather than some contrived faux-urban shopping centre in the 'burbs. The retail streets are great--wide sidewalks, narrow roadways and a lot of landscaping features like trees, ornamental street lights, benches and pavers. One day, I'd like to see the single storey retail buildings replaced with multistorey mixed use buildings.
The landscaping is terrible. The planters are full of sad looking shrubs that don't even fill the space they're planted in. They should be filled with flowers in the summer. Also, it would be nice to remove the roads cutting through the shops and make the area entirely pedestrian. The parking lot was also a terrible idea (not sure why that wasn't buried).
The retail streetscapes and condos at the Shops of Don Mills look great. It actually looks like a slice of a downtown core rather than some contrived faux-urban shopping centre in the 'burbs. The retail streets are great--wide sidewalks, narrow roadways and a lot of landscaping features like trees, ornamental street lights, benches and pavers. One day, I'd like to see the single storey retail buildings replaced with multistorey mixed use buildings.
These retail shops are all owned by the same landlord, no? Assuming so, I'm less optimistic that the area will mature organically into something approximating a slice of downtown. If the parcels were divided and individually sold, its not imagine the architecture and retail options becoming more diversified over time as tenants move in and out and the units are renovated or rebuilt at different times and in different styles. With Cadillac Fairview at the helm of the whole thing, though, my guess it will retain the feel of an outdoor mall.