Yesterday in the WestEnder, Sean Condon wrote about the plight of Finlandia Pharmacy and their eviction from the West Broadway and Maple location they’ve called home for 17 years.
The specialized health store and naturopathic medical clinic has been a cornerstone of the Kitsilano health industry for 31 years, and has helped spawn a number of similar stores in the area. In its place – and in the empty lot beside the store – Staburn Property Group plans to build a six-storey, 75,000-square-foot development that will include a government liquor store, a grocery store, a community policing centre, and 48 market residential units.
The proposed development comes just one year after city council stopped a controversial plan to build a 72,000-square-foot Home Depot across the street. However, these two projects combined can’t compete with the mega-project a few blocks west called The Vine. At 168,000 square-foot, this project will house a London Drugs, a grocery store, and 133 residential units.
All this real estate development has been criticized by local residents and small businesses, which came out in full force against the Home Depot. Kits residents are in favour of progress overall but we’re not sure we need more baby stores, cel phone outlets, and yoga gear peddlers. Especially when old-school Kits businesses like Touch of Sweden are being squeezed out of their retail storefronts on to the Web.
Last modified: September 30, 2005
I love Home Depot…and I’m tired of driving to the east side to get my fix. They should build a giant one down at Kits point.