Galleria Shopping Centre (Toronto)

Galleria Shopping Centre
Location 1245 Dupont Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Opening date 1972
Owner Freed Developments[1]
No. of stores and services 40+ (including kiosks)
No. of anchor tenants 3
Total retail floor area 21,124 m2 (227,380 sq ft)
No. of floors 1
Website www.galleriashoppingcentre.ca

The Galleria Shopping Centre (also known as Galleria Mall) is a shopping centre located at Dufferin and Dupont streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The shopping centre is a single storey, enclosed (one of only three enclosed shopping centres in the Old City of Toronto), and has approximately 50 tenants. It was opened in 1972 and has an area of 21,124 m2 (227,380 sq ft).[2] In August 2015 the mall was reported to have been sold to Freed Developments, with strong indications that the site will be redeveloped.[1]

The shopping centre's largest tenant is a FreshCo supermarket (formerly Price Chopper), with the remainder a mix of various retail stores and services. For about two decades the mall was home to a Zellers discount department store. The standalone McDonald's immediately adjacent to the street corner is actually an outparcel tenant of the centre.[2] Planet Fitness announced the opening of a 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m2) gym and fitness centre at the mall in December 2014.[3]

The mall has faced concerns over store closures, depressed footfall, and outdated decor with questions raised over its viability.[4][5] Significant openings, refurbishments, and expansions continue at the centre, however. The fitness announcement was listed as part of a redevelopment that included the doubling of the Pet Valu location.[2] The Planet Fitness is the first in Canada.[3]

Location and site

The shopping centre is located on Dufferin Street, a major Toronto north/south artery and Dupont Street halfway between the Annex neighbourhood and the Junction in the Wallace Emerson neighbourhood of west-central Toronto. The shopping centre sits on about 12 acres (4.9 ha) of land.[6] Areas to the east and west are dense with high rise residential. The mall has served as an important community hub.[7]

The mall's site has been termed a "greyfield"—a large, developed urban site that is ripe for redevelopment. Extensive discussion was undertaken in the early 2000s about demolishing the mall to make way for as many as six residential condo towers. Approvals were granted in 2004.[8] However, a mixture of tenancy issues and resident concerns brought a halt to the plans.[6]

The sale of the Galleria site appears to have confirmed the redevelopment rumours. While Freed Developments has not announced any plans—the sale was actually made to a numbered company believed to be associated with them—reports suggest the site will almost certainly not remain as is, with a condo development the most likely outcome.[1] Given its size and location, the property is coveted; one report notes that a property footprint of this size is an anomaly in Old Toronto.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Keenan, Edward (August 18, 2015). "Galleria Mall, recently sold, harks back to a neighbourly era". Toronto Star. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "Galleria Shopping Centre". Galleria Shopping Centre. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  3. 1 2 Jermyn, Diane (October 31, 2014). "Popular U.S. fitness franchise brings 'judgment-free' ethos to Canada". The Globe and Mail.
  4. ↑ Battersby, Sarah-Joyce (April 23, 2012). "The Galleria's glaring hole". The Grid. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  5. ↑ Urback, Robyn (May 13, 2011). "Toronto malls in need of makeovers: Galleria Mall". BlogTO. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  6. 1 2 McKay, David (April 2, 2007). "Redeveloping Greyfields in the Greater Toronto Area" (PDF). University of Toronto. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  7. ↑ McConvey, Joel (September 12, 2012). "Amigos on Dupont". The Grid. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Toronto Staff Report" (PDF). City of Toronto. May 25, 2004. Retrieved December 21, 2013.
  9. ↑ MacKay, Sean (August 17, 2015). "Toronto Staff Report". Buzzbuzzhome News. Retrieved February 27, 2016.

Coordinates: 43°40′03″N 79°26′31″W / 43.6675°N 79.442°W / 43.6675; -79.442

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