This blog would like to contend that the principals of Jumbo Burgers which also own the Tim Hortons site née Bakers Dozen site served (pun intended) the community well in bringing Tim Hortons to the site. They are not developers but restaurant owners who have long served the Junction community. Expecting them to develop the site into a use or building that benefits its unique pie shape is unreasonable. Building out the site into a structure that fully heeded the shape of the lot and its definitive place of Dundas St W. west would have been so wonderful. But could it / or can it happen at all in Toronto.
What would have been great…
1) A community art house with multiple floors with public and private galleries – hey maybe The Telephone gallery could have moved there for a bigger space. This is not Denmark, so it’s not going to happen, the hole of Toronto does not have a community art house.
2) A flatiron shaped condo – well that would have just provided some with an exclusive and interesting address. Abet with design fit-in issues at the point where the building sat at the east end.
3) another restaurant? – one that would attract as much traffic as a Tim Hortons – increased activity is what the community needs in this area.
4) buy it and extend the park… this did happen in 1972 when the community forced the city to buy the SHUR gain plant on Vine Ave and double the size of the park, (oh and the city claimed then there was no money to buy the plant, but under strong community pressure and a skill member of council for the area it happened. Could that happen today?
but now…
The Bakers Dozen signs are down from the building and the interior fitting removal are well under way. The blog author does feel this new Tim Hortons Restaurant will greatly contribute to revitalize the western Junction Strip.
Enterprising people have opened great businesses – such as the Telephone Gallery, the salons, Simardone Design, the Crosstown Car-wash, all have pushed forward the breathing of new life into the two block stretch. Long investing Lucky Star Cleaners & Launderers – certainly one of the best run cleaners in the entire city – Lotus Inn Chinese Cuisine and Victoria & Co have stayed the test of time and should hopefully greatly benefit.
Traffic patterns will change and there will be more traffic on the surrounding residential streets. The increase in traffic has occurred thought-out the Junction and all of the Greater Junction Area as the resurgence has occurred over the past 15 years. Near the new Tim Hortons lot to the east, Mc Murray Ave, Quebec Ave, Pacific Ave, Medland Ave, and every other street has more traffic and parking. During the prime supper hour parking on these side streets simply cannot be found, as people park on the streets while attending the restaurants. It all part of a better neighborhood of retail amenities, if not for ease of residential parking, when one returns from work.
It’s good thing.
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