Yorkville Village is a

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. It is located in the Yorkville neighbourhood, along

Avenue Road Avenue Road is a major north–south street in Toronto, Ontario. The road is a continuation of University Avenue, linked to it via Queen's Park and Queen's Park Crescent East and West to form a single through route.''Toronto Pocket Street Atla ...

, north of

Bloor Street Bloor Street is a major east–west residential and commercial thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct, which spans the Don River Valley, westward into Mississauga where it ends at Central Parkw ...

. Prior to its redevelopment which concluded on January 25, 2016, it was known as Hazelton Lanes.

History

Hazelton Lanes opened in 1976 with of retail space. It was positioned as a luxury shopping centre and attracted some prestigious retailers. The shopping complex was expanded to triple its previous size in 1988/1989. In 1991, a six-storey condominium containing 71 units was built by the same developer, situated behind the mall with the address 77 Avenue Road. Despite different entrances, the mall and condo shared utilities, the parking garage and some core services. The mall and condo were set up as separate legal corporations, with contracts governing how they interact. Hazelton Lanes began to experience difficult times in the early 1990s with the recession that gripped Toronto and much of Canada. Many of the upscale stores in Hazelton Lanes closed their doors, and some of them moved to the

Mink Mile Mink Mile is an upscale shopping district in the neighbourhood of Yorkville in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, along Bloor Street between Yonge Street and Avenue Road. History In the 21st century, mid-market retailers have begun to locate along the M ...

along

. Brick-work on parts of the complex's exterior fell into disrepair.

Redevelopment

The shopping complex was bought by

First Capital Realty First Capital REIT is a Canadian public real estate company, specializing in retail real estate, and based in Toronto, Ontario. It is one of the largest retail landlords in Canada. History First Capital was founded in 1994 as Centrefund Realt ...

in 2011. The corporation spent to redevelop Yorkville Village. The redevelopment added to the existing of space and replaced all mechanical systems. The rebuild has added an

Equinox Fitness Equinox Group is an American luxury fitness company which operates several lifestyle brands: Equinox, Equinox Hotels, Precision Run, Project by Equinox, Equinox Explore, Equinox Media, Furthermore, PURE Yoga, Blink Fitness, and SoulCycle. Withi ...

as its second anchor, which opened its doors on February 3, 2016. The mall continues to be anchored by

Whole Foods Market Whole Foods Market IP, Inc., a subsidiary of Amazon, is an upscale American multinational supermarket chain headquartered in Austin, Texas, which sells products free from hydrogenated fats and artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. A US ...

, which has remained throughout the renovation project. Along the Avenue Road frontage, a new double-height glass facade was added. The mall also added an entrance from Yorkville Avenue.

Controversy

First Capital's renovation of Hazelton Lanes led to conflict and lawsuits with the condominium corporation that runs the residential units. In one instance when First Capital needed to shut down electricity for renovations, several residents started a sit-in protest at the construction office which forced First Capital to back down, which was known in the community as the “Yom Kippur Rebellion”.
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References

External links

Yorkville Village official website
{{Shopping Malls in the Golden Horseshoe Shopping malls in Toronto Shopping malls established in 1976