La Piazza | ?m | 1s | McCauley Development Co-Op

Vancouver has been testing street closures adjacent to main streets to create public areas on the street. Some of them have been as simple as some picnic benches and umbrellas, but others include things like ping pong tables and children's games. They've been wildly popular and I feel like this is the private version of that. Obviously there's some downsides to having community spaces private, but this could definitely fill a similar role.

The test version of this one was so popular that they actually created another one a block north, not sure how permanent they are though:
https://vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/cambie-and-18th-pavement-to-plaza.aspx
 
This is very nearly what I have been suggesting for most intersections that bump into Alberta Avenue west of 79th street with exceptions at 82nd Street, 95th Street, and 97th Street. The other through-ways for traffic are unnecessary if collectors are made out of one-way avenues -- 119th and 117th (one west-bound and one east-bound).
 
This past summer Toronto turned a bunch of strip mall parking lots into beach beer gardens across the city and were incredible.

They permitted ordering from restaurants within two blocks to support local businesses and food was simply walked over.

gerrard-east-market-toronto.jpeg

nowtoronto.com

Gerrard East Market brings the beach to an east-end parking lot

A collaborative beach-themed beer garden and patio (complete with sand), Gerrard East Market offers contactless eats from local restaurants
nowtoronto.com nowtoronto.com
 
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Man, what does Teresa Spinelli have against good old-fashioned smut? :(

Teresa Spinelli told Taproot that the McCauley Development Cooperative, which she helped set up in 2019, struggled to make the commercial strip mall near her grocery store simultaneously aligned with local values but also profitable, placing it in a dilemma. “If we (the cooperative) sold it to an absentee landlord that lived in a different part of the country, or something, they could put X-rated video places in there, and we’d have no control,” Spinelli said.
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Gronk! said:
edmonton.taproot.news

Teresa Spinelli doubles down on Little Italy as cooperative dissolves

The owner of The Italian Centre Shop said she has paid "way too much" to buy The Piazza property in Little Italy from a real estate cooperative that she helped create and lead.
edmonton.taproot.news edmonton.taproot.news
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I had high hopes for the co-operative. The timing was absolutely catastrophic, and completely out of their control. It still has made a big difference in the community. Paper Birch Books in particular is a gem!
 
Gus Haynes said:
Man, what does Teresa Spinelli have against good old-fashioned smut? :(
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Not sure if X rated video stores are really still much of a thing, so the example might be a bit dated, but there are various other undesirable activities that she and others might not want here or nearby.

I know someone else involved in the cooperative and hoped this would be successful, but COVID in particular and some other things really set a lot of retail back. It may be easier for one owner rather than a group to deal with the challenges and help it move forward.
 
I will say, visiting this specific Italian Centre has been a long standing tradition for my family. It would be cool if Teresa Spinelli and Co. could somehow make an individual Spinelli Cafe with a smaller bodega store and put that somewhere central, like in Wihkwentowin or near Whyte/Garneau.
 
Platinum107 said:
I will say, visiting this specific Italian Centre has been a long standing tradition for my family. It would be cool if Teresa Spinelli and Co. could somehow make an individual Spinelli Cafe with a smaller bodega store and put that somewhere central, like in Wihkwentowin or near Whyte/Garneau.
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Or in both please
 
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