New plan calls for Yonge St. makeover
Posted July 5, 2011 8:45 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A busy stretch of Yonge Street could be getting a bold new look, including fewer lanes for cars, sidewalk cafes and street vendors.
The proposal, a privately-funded project commissioned by the area councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, was put together with input from local residents, businesses and city officials.
The changes are designed to encourage retailers to set up shop in the area and to improve the public space for pedestrians and commuters.
The proposal, titled The Yonge Street Planning Framework, calls for new northern entrances for the crowded Dundas subway station.
And while cafes and small businesses are being encouraged, the report would send big box retail stores from ground-floor locations to upstairs or below-ground spots.
The area is already seeing big changes. Ryerson University is in the process of building a $110 million Student Learning Centre in the old Sam the Record Man Yonge Street building.
A massive 75-storey condominium is also under construction along this stretch. It will add more than 900 residential units to the neighbourhood.
