[URBAN NOTE] "Union Station makeover proposal adds vast fresh-food market, high-end shops"

[rfmcdonald]

The Globe and Mail's Oliver Moore reports on the latest incarnation of the plans to redevelop Union Station.

A huge new market promising the best foodstuffs Toronto offers is at the heart of a proposed retail makeover at Union Station, part of an ambitious redevelopment of the country’s busiest transit hub.

New details about the plans for retail options at the station were revealed on Monday at city hall, and they include an oyster bar and restaurant in the historic great hall, high-end shops and space for cultural events.

“It’s changing, not just as a train station, but as a focal point and a community hub,” said councillor Paul Ainslie, chair of the city hall committee that heard the presentation.

The government management committee voted to approve $480,000 for legal and real estate advice and to give city staff the authority to re-negotiate the lease with Osmington Inc. Osmington, a development firm, is owned by David Thomson, the proprietor of The Globe and Mail