Bayview Village, an urban oasis for shopping at the intersection of Bayview and Sheppard in an affluent neighbourhood of Toronto, is being transformed with the addition of new residences, added experiential shopping venues, welcoming pedestrian avenues, green areas and public spaces.
It is also adding several new tenants to its retail mix as it aspires to become a European-style shopping centre.
“Bayview Village is always committed to providing an exceptional experience for both our valued visitors and esteemed tenants. With an array of exquisite shops and dining options, our goal is to consistently deliver a premium retail environment that perfectly complements the calibre of our outstanding partners. Our newly announced tenants will further ensure an elevated experience for everyone who visits Bayview Village,” said Carrie DeVries, Vice President, Retail Leasing, for QuadReal Property Group, which owns the property.
Bayview Village celebrated its 60th anniversary last year. The shopping centre is about 315,000 square feet on one level.
John Minas, VP, Retail East, handling the operations for Eastern Canada for QuadReal Property Group, said retail was hit quite hard in Toronto during the pandemic with all the government restrictions, particularly with non-essentials.
“We’re seeing some luxury categories, especially jewelry, performing at pre-pandemic levels. Our spa and ballet studio are doing very well. You’re seeing a lot of the luxury brands starting to get back to pre-pandemic levels and then you’ve got some other retailers that just haven’t come back which you’ve probably seen and heard about in other shopping centres across the country,” said Minas.
He said the shopping centre is over 90 per cent occupied as new tenancies continue to join the roster.
Those include Ju-Raku, a Japanese high-end style restaurant, in about 4,500 square feet of space, which is scheduled to open in September.
It will offer a unique dining experience featuring an omakase sushi bar, teppanyaki tables, and a traditional Japanese izakaya-style private dining area.
“We are so excited to be opening the very first Ju-Raku at Bayview Village as we think this prestigious shopping centre is in a fantastic location for our new upscale Japanese restaurant. We will be bringing a taste of Japan to our guests in a modern space. With three areas of the restaurant providing different experiences, customers can expect a sushi bar, a teppanyaki space and a main dining room, all with an extensive sake menu and Japanese-inspired cocktails,” said the restaurant brand in a statement.
Minas said Moda Kids has a target opening date of August in 2,376 square feet of space. Moda Kids is a one-stop mini luxury department store to shop for the latest trends in the kid’s world that can best reflect unique styles of kids.
“We’ve had our eye on Bayview Village Shopping Centre for a long time and have now found the perfect space for our new Moda Kids shop. So many of our customers are based in Toronto and with this new location we’ll be better able to service them. Much of our inventory is high-end baby products from Europe and we are confident Bayview Village shoppers will love what they find at Moda Kids,” said the brand in a statement.
Rinascimento has opened in 1,096 square feet of space. It’s a luxe Italian brand selling women’s clothing, shoes, accessories, and handbags, inspired by the glamorous and contemporary woman.
He said Pür & Simple Restaurants Inc. also has a target opening date of January 2025 in 2,834 square feet of space. Pür & Simple is a national breakfast restaurant serving the simple comforts of breakfast with imaginative twists on the classics.
“The new Pür & Simple Restaurant at Bayview Village will be very different from our other locations. We’re more than a breakfast place and will be serving delicious offerings all day long, an extension from our normal hours. We believe the Bayview Village shopper will be excited to enjoy our first-ever indoor patio and elevated presence. We’ll be combining two units to present a vibrant and dynamic dining experience for our customers,” said Sean Sarrami, Chief Development Officer & Co-Owner, Pür & Simple Restaurant Inc., in a statement.
Minas said Bayview Village is undergoing a complex interior renovation that’s going to be in harmony with a future exterior renovation.
“We’re looking at basically creating the great European shopping centre experience,” he said, adding that this includes classic European details to the flooring with marble flooring as opposed to porcelain. Arches will be added as well.
“We’re trying to develop something that’s going to be cohesive and we’ll enhance and elevate our user and customer experiences. What I mean by that is elevate something that’s going to be timeless and add technology to it and obviously performance.”
Minas said easy wayfinding will also be included in the shopping centre emphasizing some of the gathering points throughout the mall. Piazzas with marble tiles will interact with one another. New lighting is going to be added as well.
“The reason why we did that is we looked at Bayview Village pre-pandemic and when we first bought it and obviously liked the uniqueness of it and that was one of the things that attracted it to us as far as the property goes. If you walk through Bayview Village on any given day there’s actual natural trees, there’s natural lighting which makes it really unique,” he said.
New lighting is being added to the centre court area including a big bang chandelier.
The residential component is a key part of the redevelopment plans into the future.
“QuadReal is one of Canada’s leading providers of housing. At Bayview Village, we are reimagining the community to create a highly amenitized living experience that seamlessly connects to high-end retail, transportation, and new outdoor spaces,” said Aaron Knight, Senior Vice President, Development, for QuadReal.
“Working with creative partners like architect Ralph Gianonne and Antonio Tadrissi, the redevelopment will create a million square feet of new living space with over 1,000 rental and condo units across five buildings. We have a long-term vision for Bayview Village, and we’re committed to supporting a vibrant community for its residents and guests.”
The renovation of Bayview Village shopping centre draws from its prestigious history and status. Antonio Tadrissi, creative director of Prototype Design Lab and President of Tadrissi Studio, and his team aim to call on elements of the centre’s glamorous history while maintaining its luxury reputation. Their design philosophy envisions the centre as a central gathering point, inspired by European locales like Piazza Duomo in Milan and the shopping streets of Paris and Rome. They selected materials and finishes to evoke a timeless, classic experience, using artisanal marble tiles in a chevron pattern and brass and copper accents. Existing trees in the halls became focal points, complemented by custom-carved wood infinity seating, symbolizing the blend of nature and the centre’s indoor-outdoor history.
On its website, Bayview Village described its objective this way: “To transcend what it means to be a lifestyle hub by creating a truly holistic, mixed-use environment built on community connectivity, a diversity of experiences and services, a spectrum of housing options, and of course retail therapy.
“How will we do this? Our ambitious pursuit starts with our approach. The genesis of which is to provide all of our guests, whether they be residents, shoppers, or visitors with a resort-like experience; exclusive and curated with the needs of each individual thoughtfully considered.
“Our new expansion is organized around an intimate outdoor retail promenade, flanked by boutique shops and restaurants. The promenade itself will be highly programmed, offering patio spaces for relaxing, space for rotating public art, and seasonal activities; seamlessly connecting the new retail, the residential buildings and a new public park.”
The website says residential lobbies and below-grade parking will directly connect residences with the interior of the shopping centre, as well as the Sheppard-Yonge subway station, providing all users direct access in a way that is unique to Bayview Village and quite unlike the approach of other malls also undergoing redevelopment.
“The vision: to modernize and activate the southwest portion of Bayview Village. This includes bringing Bayview Village out to Sheppard, with a multi-level storefront as our new front door to the city. An integrated podium incorporating both residential and retail elements to support the city’s key planning and urban design objectives for this part of Sheppard Avenue. To ensure a sustainable, future-proof development, we’ve improved connectivity to transit and the community. That’s why our concept plan includes new retail and residential along Sheppard, and new integrated direct connection to the TTC Line 4 subway that will provide a weather protected connection to the new buildings and to the existing shopping centre.
“New dedicated public open space will form a new urban ‘town square’, allowing for different events and opportunities for the community to come together all year long.We are in the midst of creating a destination where people can participate in a more vibrant urban neighbourhood. How? By improving the pedestrian experience, while improving the efficiency of various modes of transportation through new bike lanes, ease of access to the subway and functional parking. Through incorporating a series of well-located urban parks and green spaces, an interconnected series of pedestrian walkways links the community/transit to residential to retail across the various activity zones through the centre.
“The NE park is more intimate in scale and acts as a more traditional neighbourhood park, lush with plantings, trees and seating. Consistent with our core principles, native and drought-tolerant plant species will build upon Bayview Village’s sustainability and visual green identity.
“The SW park anchors the site and forms part of a modern, urban plaza. Bounded by water features and flush with outdoor seating areas, the plaza acts as both a thoroughfare to the nearby subway and a place to relax and meet friends.”
Has been my favourite spot for over 50 years.