[URBAN NOTE] "What Toronto will lose when Mirvish Village is gone"

[rfmcdonald]

In a photo essay at blogTO, Derek Flack explores the personal importance of the neighbourhood of Mirvish Village. Great stuff, with good photos and enlightening comments.

If ever there was a Toronto redevelopment scheme worthy of ambivalence, it's Westbank's plan for Honest Ed's and Mirvish Village. There are many reasons to be optimistic about what's coming to the micro neighbourhood that exists just beyond the southwest corner of Bathurst and Bloor, but it's also worth remembering that Mirvish Village as it exists today is a unique part of Toronto.

Amongst the things going for Westbank's plans for the area is the scale of the development. With about 1,000 residential units on the way, it's big, of course. But the vertical scale of the project is kept in check. The fact that these will also be rental units is also a boon for a neighbourhood that houses a significant chunk of U of T students.

On the other hand, no matter what replaces Mirvish Village, the city will lose one of its most interesting retail areas not housed on a main street. The plan is to retain some commercial space along Markham in the future, but it's unclear if this type of strip can function in any other manner that's not organic.

Mirvish Village started as an artist colony thanks to cheap rent. Even today, one is reminded of these origins with the presence of shops like Suspect Video, The Beguiling, Vintage Video, Coal Miner's Daughter, and Neurotica Records. This is small retail strip that works in part because of the history from which it has arisen.

A teenage ritual of mine was to cut through the alley behind David Mirvish Books on the way to Suspect Video from my best friend's house on Palmerston. On occasion we would be be hassled for using the laneway, which we handled by claiming that our uncle Dave said it was okay - yes, as in David Mirvish.