On Tuesday night around 10 p.m. as a light rain fell, a few hundred people gathered around a landscaped wall in Olive Square. Thirty years ago, when “downtown North York” was still largely a dream in then-mayor Mel Lastman’s mind, there were just a handful of midrise buildings along Yonge St. Otherwise the strip mostly consisted of one and two storey mid-century buildings, more of a small town Ontario streetscape than big city. A finalized redesign of Yonge St. has been postponed by city council until next year. Not every city has the critical mass needed to make an Olive Square happen or to keep those shops and restaurants open and thriving.

Source: thestar April 27, 2018 20:26 UTC