Danforth may see new LCBO store
[attach]5758[/attach]The old site of the Albany Medical Clinic on Danforth Avenue is being torn down to make room for a new LCBO location.
As of press time the existing building was being demolished and the City of Toronto’s website lists the application for a new building as under review. The LCBO is asking to build a one-storey retail store with a mezzanine and a lot size of 1,400 square metres.
If the application is approved and the new store is built, the LCBO will close its current location at 213 Danforth Ave.
LCBO media relations coordinator Chris Layton said it’s a natural move.
“The small store that we have there was really no longer providing adequate service to the community,” he said.
“We needed a bigger space because we’ve seen a lot of growth in that area.”
He said the location will provide a wider selection of products and services to cater to a more sophisticated clientele.
“When we would have opened the smaller store many years ago, there wasn’t the same level of interest in having a wide selection of products,” he said.
Ward 29 councillor Mary Fragedakis said she welcomed the move and believes it’s good for the area.
“An empty building that was a place where people loitered is going to be an LCBO, which is an anchor retailer,” she said. “It’s exciting.”
At a community meeting in January, some residents suggested building a taller structure and having retail at grade level and residential units above in order to create more rental housing.
But Fragedakis explained that wasn’t an option because the building would have cast shadows upon nearby homes.
“In this particular instance the depth is not there because it abuts people’s homes,” she said. “So you can’t get much taller than what is going there already because there’s a house immediately behind there.”
The LCBO plans to have the new store open in the fall, which is expected to feature a special spirits section in addition to its usual products and services.
“We feel this location will provide the level of service to that community that it certainly deserves,” Layton said.