Condos could replace former Canadian Tire at Carling and Clyde

Vicky Carincross has been dealing with the endless construction that is taking place on Carling and Clyde avenues.

"That one is by my apartment building on an already high traffic road mind you," said Carincross pointing to the new Claridge builds on Carling Avenue.

Carincross lives and works in the area. Just steps away, more construction could be breaking ground where a Canadian Tire used to be.

"I'm not a fan of the idea," said Carincross. "There’s already a ton of big high rises going up and I’d rather see something that would help out the community like a Walmart or some sort of department store."

Property owner RioCan is proposing six mixed-use buildings, including one that could be as high as 40 storeys.

"They couldn't get a tenant," said Bay ward councillor Theresa Kavanagh. "They decided to start from scratch and demolish it."

An application is before city hall. If approved, the area would be home to 1,700 residential units, including a retirement building and a new public park.

The owner of Reynolds Restaurant on Clyde, just south of the former Canadian Tire, welcomes the proposal and the business that comes with it.

"Foot traffic is good for business so I'm excited for it," said Gregory Aboukheir. "It shows the area is growing."

This comes after the city approved rezoning for more high-rise towers at the former Saputo and Clark dairy plant—also on Clyde Avenue.

"It’s something the city is needing, but they do have to go over it with a fine-tooth comb and make sure it fits and we can handle the capacity at that location," said Kavanagh.

It will likely be late fall before the RioCan development plan will be considered by council.