Toronto mall to be demolished and replaced with enormous condo community

Another Toronto mall is set to vanish in the coming years to make way for a new mixed-use community containing condos, retail, and new park space.

The owners of Jane Finch Mall in North York have proposed a multi-phased redevelopment that would demolish the shopping centre to support new density on the heels of the new Finch West LRT.

The first hints of a major redevelopment at Jane Finch Mall came in 2019 when the property owners established the jfm+ (Jane Finch Mall Plus) process to engage with mall tenants and the local community on a shared vision for the site’s future.

More news came in mid-2022, when a lobbying file appeared on the city’s lobbyist registry, indicating that a major redevelopment plan was in the works.

Most recently, property owners have pitched a proposal to city planners calling for a dozen buildings rising up to 50 storeys in height, plus two parks served by a network of new roads.

Buildings designed by BDP Quadrangle would frame new public spaces, including 8,448 square metres of new public parkland and a sprawling 1,846-square-metre plaza that would act as a focal point for the community.

The community will eventually include seven blocks containing over 4,600 residential units and a central spine of retail carved through the heart of the blocks.

The recent application focuses on the initial phases, which would introduce 2,730 condominium units across approximately 191,200 square metres of space. No rentals are included in the mix for the initial build-out.

Positioned on the upcoming Finch West LRT, the proposal is relatively light on parking. A total of 400 parking spaces are proposed for residents and visitors within the first phase, while the bulk of the site’s transportation needs would be met by the LRT and a combined 2,109 bicycle parking spots across the site.

While the plan would see the loss of some vital community staples, the proposal is promising that services like a grocery store within the mall will remain accessible to the local community. It will also add a new community centre to the mix, featured prominently in renderings.

Phasing for the project would see the mall’s continued operation for the foreseeable future. A FreshCo location within the mall would be the last retailer to vacate under this plan, by which time a new grocery store should be operational within the new buildings.

A first phase would rise from the current parking areas at the northwest corner of the site. The second and third phases would follow along the north end of the site, requiring partial demolitions of the mall while preserving the bulk of the shopping centre.

Only the final phases will see the demolition of the FreshCo once a new grocery store has been constructed on site.

You might also like:
• Tweens are "taking over" Sephora to buy pricey skincare products and the Internet isn't having it
• More than 40,000 personal massagers recalled nationwide due to burn hazard
• McDonald's launches the Hot Honey McCrispy alongside new McFlurry

The proposed redevelopment of Jane Finch Mall is just one of a growing list of Greater Toronto Area shopping centres facing redevelopment in something of a mallpocalypse.

Toronto malls with planned or active redevelopments now include Westside Mall, Scarborough Town Centre, Yorkdale, Sherway Gardens, Fairview Mall, the ongoing redevelopment of Galleria Mall, Yorkgate Mall, Agincourt Mall, Atrium on Bay, Dufferin Mall, Centrepoint Mall, Cloverdale Mall, Malvern Town Centre, and, now, Jane Finch Mall.