I read that article and there's things I agree with and vehemently disagree with. First of all, that planner, Greenberg, claims that there's not enough retail. Ya, well maybe he could explain why all the retail in developments from 3 years ago ARE STILL SITTING EMPTY! Clearly the demand is not there, and development is a business, therefore you're not going to put it in for the sake of it. Clearly there's a disconnect with the commercial demand in the area and the residents. The only thing that seems to do exceedingly well are the restaurants.
Also, Mimico has to gentrify. The Lakeshore strip is pathetic and believe it or not, getting worse. There is not a single night that there isn't a fleet of cop cars in front of one of those bedbug palaces. Prostitutes and drug dealers roam the street and make it uncomfortable for many people. One of my friends moved to Mimico (Superior and Lakeshore) as she is in love with the area, but once her lease is up, she is leaving. The stories she told me are cringe-worthy especially as I live not a 10 min walk away. I know some of these 'socially-aware' residents of Mimico want the area to preserve its affordable housing and rental apartments (as is dictated by the law) but for those owners to redevelop and build something worthy of such a prime waterfront location, there will need to be profit. Profit won't come from demolishing and rebuilding a 5 storey building, but from towers. So clearly we have two options in Mimico, leave it as is and watch it further deteriorate, or let developers have their way with the apartment strip. I saw the plans for the Amadeo Court. I think they're gorgeous. Granted, I believe the heights are a bit excessive (tallest in Mimico should be 30, not 44) but the design and urban realm is gorgeous. The plaza front the lake, and the connection with the existing Mimico waterfront is very well planned.
At each one of these Mimico 20/20 redevelopment meetings, I end up arguing with the residents whose heads are way up in the clouds. Similar themes are "we want Mimico to be beautiful, we want the apartment strip cleaned up, BUT we want to preserve the affordable rentals".. Well guess what, that entire sentence is an oxymoron to anyone vaguely familiar with how development works. They keep pointing to the revitalization of Regent Park or the planned Alexandra Park one, however, do they not realize that those developments are publicly owned? Mimico's bedbug strip is unfortunately privately owned by slumlords who haven't invested a single dime in that building since they were built. I've been inside some of these buildings, I didn't think such standards existed in Toronto, let alone ON the lake along some of the nicest waterfront in the city. Concrete floors in the hallways, wires dangling from the ceilings, cracking balconies, elevators that work about a week of the entire year... I could go on and on, but that's why you're paying about $800 all utilities included for a one bedroom.. That's appealing to the prostitutes and drug dealers inhabiting these buildings.
