BRIAN'S BLOG
Toronto Neighbourhoods: Bloordale takes back the future
November 20, 2014
Bloordale is experiencing a monumental shift; the stretch of Bloor that runs from Lansdowne to Dufferin used to be known for hookers and drug addicts but now thanks in part to a Business Improvement Area, the area has been revitalized. Real estate prices have experienced exponential growth… they’ve gone up 35%. (Fun fact – the chair of the BIA is the owner of the House of Lancaster strip club).
The Star’s Christopher Hume recently wrote an article about how vibrant the neighbourhood has become – commenting on the new sidewalks, planters and bike racks as well as the new independent businesses that have moved into the area. Interestingly, one of the commenters pointed out a column that Hume wrote in 2007 which details how awful the stretch of Bloor was. A lot can happen in 7 years!
The fear now is that property values will continue to skyrocket and the only businesses that will be able to afford the neighbourhood rents are big chains. In which case, another neighbourhood will start to be known as ‘the new Bloordale’.
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