A new banner sign on the east wall of the commercial and retail development at 1860 Bayview Ave. states clearly that Whole Foods, Shoppers Drug Mart and the TD Bank will be “coming soon” to the location. There is no date or season given. The sign was put up Monday after the removal of a sign that mentioned only Whole Foods and Shoppers. The new banner also shows the logo of RioCan, the huge REIT which owns Sunnybrook Plaza and has its headquarters in the Yonge Eglinton Centre. RioCan is in the process of buying 1860 Bayview from developer Trinity. The South Bayview Bulldog reported in March that the Whole Foods store and Shoppers Drug Mart had been delayed to at least the fall. This information was offered by the developer’s leasing office in response to our inquiry.
TRINITY
The developer, Trinity Development Group, has said throughout the construction of 1860 Bayview that it would open in “Spring 2016.” In a technical sense, this is correct because the largely empty site has the doors unlocked and it is possible to drive through the upper level of the garage. A workman posting signs Saturday said he did not think the lower level of public parking was open. But none of the anchor tenants is open or even visible. No work on these large spaces is evident. The banner which hung on the east wall of the site saying that Whole Foods and Shoppers would open soon was noticed by residents who watch the site.
QUESTIONS
The apparent delay in the arrival of anchor tenants and the absence of activity has generated questions. Some people have claimed they have heard that Whole Foods had re-thought its decision to open here. But none of this has a source or authority to it. Still, the delay, as seen by residents, is unexplained. It is useful to note that the Whole Foods site in the U.S. shows a “Canada” heading under which stores in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario —Toronto (Bayview) — are mentioned in a single line of type. RioCan on track to acquire 1860 Bayview
