No condo for Thornhill's Sobeys plaza
RioCan proposes a low rise commercial/professional one or two storey structure

yorkregion.com
June 7, 2017
By Simone Joseph

A highrise condo won’t be built at Thornhill’s Sobeys plaza at Clark and Hilda Avenues.

So says a press release sent out by local ratepayer group The SpringFarm Ratepayers Association, dated Tuesday, June 6.

The ratepayers association has been working with RioCan to develop a plan for Sobeys Plaza (SpringFarm Marketplace) that would address community concerns and meet RioCan's business objectives.

What is being proposed by RioCan is the addition of a low rise commercial/professional one or two storey structure at the north east corner of the plaza adding 10,000 sq.-ft. (about the size of the current Shoppers Drug Mart).

The existing businesses will be maintained and no additional residential component is being proposed, according to the release. This new proposal has not yet been submitted to the city.

“There is still more work to be done to ensure it reflects our community standards. Since this new development is in very early stages, no more details are available,” the release said.

In Nov. 2015, RioCan presented its plan to develop the plaza at a packed meeting at Garnet A. Williams Community Centre. At that point, the plan included building an 18-storey condo with retail and a stacked townhouse block.

Residents raised concerns about noise, the impact of construction and traffic.

RioCan said it wanted to create an upgraded, walkable shopping community.

Since then, two additional storeys were added to the plan and residents were contacting Thornhill Councillor Alan Shefman daily, asking what was happening with the project and saying they are not in favour of it, he said.

What will happen now? RioCan's Senior Vice President of Development said RioCan will work with all the stakeholders to finalize the new proposal. That means they will call another charrette with the residents association, the city and its partners. After consultation with all the groups, an updated proposal will be submitted to the city for review.

RioCan's Senior Vice President of Development has also agreed to make the new proposal available at the residents association’s Annual General Meeting in September. RioCan will have representatives at the meeting to answer questions and explain the proposal.