Westbank – Honest Ed’s Retail Market Analysis
About the project
urbanMetrics was retained by Westbank to undertake a retail market demand study and impact assessment in support of their application for a Zoning By-law amendment in the City of Toronto. This amendment was being sought to permit the development of a range of new retail/service commercial space which would be integrated as part of a broader mixed-use development located at the south-west corner of Bathurst and Bloor Streets in the City’s Annex neighbourhood (i.e., the former Honest Ed’s site).
Based on more than 18 months of consultation with local residents and other community stakeholders, the commercial component of this development is expected to include a variety of new neighbourhood-focused retail and service commercial spaces, including: a public food market; fine-grained main street retail units fronting along both Bloor and Bathurst Streets; a new alley way featuring “micro-retail” spaces for start-ups and pop-up shops managed in conjunction with the Centre for Social Innovation; as well as a variety of restaurants and other smaller retail/service spaces focused along both sides of Markham Street in retained historic houses.
The purpose of our study was to examine the potential market impact—if any—of the commercial component of the subject proposal on other existing or planned retail/service commercial facilities located in the vicinity of the subject site and/or surrounding neighbourhoods
