Ok, yesterday's Planning and Housing Committee didn't go so great.

At a high level (and based on preliminary reports on the consequences of the votes), the recommendations put forward applied to two relevant things: major streets and neighbourhood interiors. In the face of pushback, the Committee ditched the interiors with a bunch of language about further consultation and study. So that's not moving ahead to the council.  

The bad news is that it's hard to categorise what got passed as true "neighbourhood retail"; instead, what we might see is something closer to "neighbourhood perimetre retail". The good news is that this does actually cover lots of new spaces...it's better than nothing.

Confused? Honestly, so am I...the way this is going down is convoluted and entirely alienating to normal people. Opponents to neighbourhood retail themselves seemed confused, presenting a survey they ran that referenced the first iteration of recommendations, not the current ones. It's a mess, but we're not quite dead in the water, yet. 

I'm not going to pretend this was a victory, however, this setback and the opposition to this initiative have counterintuitively galvanised renewed support. I'd like to capitalise on that and ensure the work of everyone so far is channelled into some sort of productive outcome--we have the fate of a corner store and a popular initiative in limbo, we can still eke out some wins and have some fun doing it.

What's next:

The neutered version of this recommendation goes to the City Council on Nov 12. And a bunch of the neighbourhood components will be going out for further study and consultation. I'm leaving this petition open (and, after some time to rest and lick my wounds a bit, may in fact promote it even harder) for a few reasons:

1. The motion that passed from Gord Perks included language to support existing "grandfathered" retail, like Finch Store. This is the first ask of this petition and something we have still not secured.
2. The only vote in favour, Josh Matlow, voiced concern that even in this compromised state, these recommendations may be dead on arrival. This is the second ask of this petition and, even in its compromised state, is an incremental step towards the goal.
3. Opposition to neighbourhood retail is organised and mobilised. We need to present some sort of coherent message that supports the existing neighbourhood retailers who are being smeared as detriments to their communities, and reflects the support for neighbourhood retail in the City's own survey.

Further reading:

• This petition was presented to the committee through a letter and a virtual deputation. Share and enjoy.
• Some of our opposition are going viral for complaining about Pizza Badiali's success. I'm sympathetic, but with a second location opening and new competitors like Nice Slice on Harbord getting momentum, this actually follows the cadence of how a new local institution or city-specific retail trends should form--cheap rent and small space that accommodates innovation and tailored goods/services until they outgrow it...it's kind of the point?