The Foundry District proposal takes advantage of an opportunity to regenerate a historically industrial component of South Riverdale. What is now a super-block between Leslie and Carlaw will become accessible and permiable to neighborhood residents. The Foundry District will be the link from the new Port Lands to Queen Street East. It will create open spaces and new public access to the Lakeshore and Port Lands with pedestrian and bicycle trails. And, it will reverse general decline caused by the closing of major industries, with activity that supports shops and restaurants in the Queen Street and Leslieville areas.
The opportunities for living, working and community-oriented uses on the site present a welcome change. The mixed-use Foundry District would open up possibilities including:
- Community services, and cultural, recreation and entertainment facilities
- New retail shopping for both neighbourhood and destination use
- Small business and light industry in workshops, studios and offices
- Employment within industries, small businesses and retail operations
- A range of residential housing choices
Like the factories and film studios that preceded it, The Foundry District will become a regional employment hub, with new forms of employment interspersed in a vibrant, diverse setting. These uses will be balanced with the need for open spaces and pedestrian links. The redevelopment will be phased-in and market driven, but at each stage the context and critical relationships to the Leslieville/South Riverdale communities will be reinforced. What the vision doesn’t call for is ‘Big Box land’ or a wall of condos.