Changes On the Drive #56

What a fabulous day to go walking!  This was the first monthly walk of the year wearing shorts.

I did the walk at lunchtime and every single patio along the Drive was full of happy smiling society. Which made the walk fun, even though there are almost no changes on the Drive this month; perhaps the fewest monthly changes in the more than four and a half years I’ve been doing this.

The only real change is that People’s Co-op Bookstore at 1391 Commercial is open once again after their fire-damage hiatus. Great to see that.

Otherwise, we have the same list of vacancies as we have had for some time now:  2240 (vacant 8 months), 2245 (18 months), 1566 (2 months), 1340 (13 months), 1303 (1 month), 1268 (34 months), 1110 (24 months), 1035 (2 months), 902 Commercial (11 months), plus the three sites in Il Meracto — the old Strawberry Bakery (15 months), Jenny Kwan’s old office (3 months), and the former Lombardo’s2Go (2 months).

I have to ask once again whether anyone smarter than me can explain how it is good business to have these storefronts shuttered for so long (almost three full years in one case). It is quite bizarre to me.

 

Previous editions of Changes on the Drive.

It’s Just Air, Said The Developer

This is the wonderful view from the Drive of our spectacular North Shore mountains, glistening in the sunshine, that we will lose if the Boffo Tower is built at Commercial & Venables.

“It’s not being used,” said the developer. “It’s just air.” Nothing important to him, apparently, but definitely not so to others.

Of course, when he comes to marketing his 12-storey expensive condos, you can bet your life he will — with loud hypocrisy — emphasize the glory of the view his buyers will get having stolen it from everyone else.

This is only an April Fool’s prank if we allow it to happen.

Image: Life Like A Movie