First Capital Realty Inc., the developer of the old railway land on Laird Drive, is buying the Yorkville shopping complex Hazelton Lanes. As the linked Globe and Mail story recounts, Hazelton is the site of many upscale businesses such as a Whole Foods grocery store. It is however a potentially risky venture. While enormously chic, Hazelton Lanes has had chronic difficulty attracting and holding a lot of regular visitors. The grocery store has helped. It went in at the same time as the charming curving hallways of the Lanes were straightened, frankly, to make it easier to find one’s way. The Laird Drive site, known as Leaside Village, is set to open in 2012.
