Tag: Lake Leaside

Canada Goose reminisces the days of yore at Lake Leaside.

Site of future Canadian Tire — 70 & 80 Wicksteed Ave, 202, 204, & 206 Parkhurst Blvd and 99 Vanderhoof. (March 31, 2024)

Site of future Canadian Tire — 70 & 80 Wicksteed Ave, 202, 204, & 206 Parkhurst Blvd and 99 Vanderhoof. (March 31, 2024)

Site of future Canadian Tire — 70 & 80 Wicksteed Ave, 202, 204, & 206 Parkhurst Blvd and 99 Vanderhoof. (March 31, 2024)

A local Canada Goose and its seagull pals were seen taking advantage of the puddles that formed in the bed of what was once known as “Lake Leaside“. All the structures on the building lot (70 & 80 Wicksteed Ave, 202, 204, & 206 Parkhurst Blvd and 99 Vanderhoof) were cleared many years ago, leaving a pit where trapped rainwater formed a wonderful oasis for the city fowl to congregate. This Goose wasn’t crying over spilled water; who needs a lake when you’ve got a puddle paradise?

Lake Leaside in 2017

Lake Leaside/Ian Francis

The renewed proposal from SmartCentres REIT for property known as Lake Leaside seems to show that the big box dream is not yet dead. Plans put forward more than a decade ago for the property envisioned large stores such a Walmart on the site. The onslaught of the Amazon revolution seemed to put frost on that business plan. But SmartCentres latest proposal calls for a “commercial centre comprising a series of new buildings ranging in size from 616 square metres up to 18,059 square metres with a total gross floor area of 20,184 square metres. The proposal includes a total of 403 vehicle and 138 bicycle parking spaces.” It was submitted to the City late in February.

Canadian Tire store

The proposal names Canadian Tire Corp as a tenant. It store would be approximately 185,000 sqft in size, along with three standalone retail buildings ranging between approximately 6,500-9,300 sqft. The submission states: “The proposed Canadian Tire store includes a mezzanine racking storage system. This racking storage system is specific to Canadian Tire and allows for an efficient warehousing solution within an urban retail store setting.”

Vaughan St, Parkhurst Blvd would be extended to Wicksteed

The draft plan of subdivision would extend little known Vaughan St and Parkhurst Blvd to connect with Wicksteed Avenue. Right now the streets are stubs off Vanderhoof Ave and Laird Dr. Parkhurst will perhaps take a sharp turn to the right and run behind the boarded-up ruins of the former Four Seasons Auto Repair on the corner of Laird and Wicksteed. That property is owned separately and continues its unsightly wait for redevelopment. Just when that might happen is unknown. Perhaps this century (or not).

Windows and doors boarded over

#LakeLeaside has been drained! …again pic.twitter.com/nHOJXzhhqh

— SBayview (@SBayview) June 15, 2020

Lake Leaside/Ian Francis

Ian Francis has posted this striking aerial view of Lake Leaside (so named by the South Bayview Bulldog back in 2017)  It looks west-northwest and shows the cluster of towers that mark Eglinton and Yonge. A long thread of comment at Leaside Community Facebook roams across such matters as draining the lake (again) and development of a “lake view” retail area (probably not). The lake — which is really a dormant construction site — is currently being drained as seen below.

Draining #LakeLeaside pic.twitter.com/uryS34nOTB

— SBayview (@SBayview) June 2, 2020

Adorable Lake Leaside geese family/Staci Rowland

Leaside Community Facebook members are commenting on the geese family frequently seen on Wicksteed Ave beside Lake Leaside. FB

Location of Lake Leaside east of Laird Drive

Lost dolly as water recedes in 2017

Slap up fence near Laird since repaired

Councillor Robinson has posted to Leaside Community to say that she has met officials at the SmartCentres REIT about the flooded land known as Lake Leaside. She says she reiterated the urgency of ensuring this site is drained as quickly as possible. A senior executive from SmartCentres confirmed to her that it has submitted an application for a Discharge Permit and has a contractor on standby to initiate the drainage process immediately following approval. Robinson says: “I’ve met with the Acting General Manager of Toronto Water and asked him to accelerate the permit review process for this site. I will be in touch as soon as I have confirmation that the permit has been issued.” Much of this conforms with efforts made by the previous Councillor, Jon Burnside, to get the area drained in 2017 after it was reported by The Bulldog. A primary issue is the capacity of the sewer system to handle this water. Then and again in 2018 (although not as seriously) runoff filled the excavation which was dug to permit construction of new retail space. Here is what the Bulldog wrote about that on April 11, 2017.

Lake Leaside on Wicksteed Ave. no doubt holds many untold stories of plans delayed, retail development disappointments and big box entrepreneurs who are busy fixing business in the US. We can only guess. But it is now years since the SmartCentres interests began furiously digging at the site. Then everything seemed to go silent. Insiders who protested the development in the beginning called it the Walmart Plaza. Even then there was no confirmation that it was the ambitious boys from Bentonville, Arkansas who had done a deal to build there. Walmart and others have faced the Amazon challenge in recent times. The Bulldog has no desire to see purchases delivered to a nearby telephone pole by drone, but there seems no denying an altered retail style is at hand. Does it include Walmart Plaza, or more recently, Lake Leaside?

Lake Leaside, April 2019

Always with us/Bulldog

The snow-laden winter of 2019 has produced runoff that has refilled Lake Leaside, the large in-limbo construction site belonging to the SmartCentre. This area is east of Laird Drive between Vanderhoof and Wicksteed Aves. Excavation began there in 2015 when prospects seemed good for an expansion of the commercial centre, including a new Walmart. In 2017, it took until August to drain the lake. Fencing required repair and was considerably improved although the state at present is unknown. Lake Leaside archive.

Alluring Lake Leaside/Steve Nastos

Whimsy from Frank Aberts

Lake Leaside, the flooded construction site east of Laird Drive, was rediscovered on Facebook over the weekend. By Monday evening there were more than 30 posts from readers who found it both pretty and potentially quite perilous. People speculated about water skiing there, stocking ducks and perhaps sending home a postcard from this charming place. Others worried about kids getting hurt or killed in the murky waters. Lake Leaside was first brought to the attention of the community and given its name by The South Bayview Bulldog on April 11, 2017. It was described as a graveyard of big box retail dreams. Geoff Kettel read the post and asked Councillor Burnside to check on the somewhat rickety fences that surrounded the huge site. A decision was taken to drain the lake. The original fences had fallen down and permitted easy access on the stretch of City road off Wicksteed known as Vaughan Street. But the City sewer system was (and probably is) unable to take a full flow of water from the site. It took until August 2017 to drain Lake Leaside. All Lake Leaside

Lake Leaside nearly dry

At the bottom

Grocery cart

Lake Leaside is nearly dry after a slow drain required by the City to maintain levels in the sewer system. The great cavity, dug so deep perhaps to extract possible contamination, now sits muddy and decorated by random junk.

Rainbow over Lake Leaside

Comments on Lake Leaside

Becky Allen White was tweeting last night about the rainbow she saw looking out to the east over Lake Leaside, that murky pond that fills the excavation site for a yet to be announced big box store. A couple of readers commented that they didn’t know Leaside had a lake. Of course it doesn’t. Lake Leaside is a bit whimsy made up by the The South Bayview Bulldog, harmlessly we hope. You have to say it looks a bit like a lake from the right angle. The owners, SmartCentre, are supposed to drain it but there were concerns that the City’s capacity to push that much water through the sewer system was an issue.

At Laird before replacement

Water still deep

New fence on Vaughan Street

Laird Drive lane new fence

It has been a week now since word was released that new fencing would be placed along much or all of so-called Lake Leaside. And indeed, a lot of work has been done. There are hundreds of feet of sturdy new wire fence on the north end of the water reaching almost to Brentcliffe Rd. Patching has been done at some weak looking point, as illustrated above by before and after pictures at the end of a lane off Laird beside the TD bank complex. But the water, which is supposed to be drained, remains deep. This may be a result of the physical capacity of City facilities to accommodate it. But it is a murky and seemingly unhealthy pond that needs cleaning up. Flooded “Lake Leaside” to be drained, receive fence repair

Lake Leaside with poor fencing

The flooded excavation site between Wicksteed and Vanderhoof Aves. east of Laird Drive will be drained by the owner, the City has said. The large body of water has been referred to as Lake Leaside. Efforts by the office of Jon Burnside (Ward 26) to secure the site and remove the water resulted in an agreement with the owner, SmartREIT, to do this. But word Thursday says that confirmation to transfer water to the City’s catch basin may be delayed somewhat by last week’s heavy rain. Fencing on the site has been repaired on Vaughan Street at the east end of the site. It had fallen down but was fixed by April 13. Slavisa Mijatovic of the Councillor’s office said the property management had been very responsive and had immediately opened a tender to get a fencing contractor to secure the site completely. Work started this week after a delay for delivery of materials.