Statement regarding The Beer Store located at 227 Gerrard St. E.

In a recent letter to local residents, The Beer Store addressed mounting concerns over its proposed 6,964 sq. ft retail space that will be located at the ground level of ‘The Georgian’ condos, by Stafford Developments, the new owners of the property located at 227 Gerrard Street East.  Construction on this project is expected to commence this Fall.

In this letter, The Beer Store made a number of inaccurate claims about support from the Cabbagetown South Residents’ Association (CSRA) which we feel are important to publicly address.

For clarity, the CSRA does not support the opening of a mega beer store at this location for a number of key reasons:

• the proposed square footage of approx. 7,000 square feet is not in keeping with the scale of retail along Gerrard Street East. For context, 7,000 sq ft. is the equivalent of 1.5 NBA basketball courts and larger than any other retail space in the immediate area.
• there are already several locations in our community where beer can be purchased, which negate their argument that a store of this scale is required:
• Metro Grocery Store, 89 Gould St. – 800 metres from 227 Gerrard
• LCBO, Loblaws at Maple Leaf Gardens, 60 Carlton St – 900 metres
• The Beer Store, 534 Parliament St. – 800 metres
• LCBO, 512 Parliament St. A – 700 metres
• The Cabbagetown BIA, the catchment where the current/proposed expanded beer store reside, share residents’ concern over the scale of the store
• The Beer Store has consistently demonstrated a lack of engagement with the surrounding community to address the negative impacts their business has on all residents, including our most vulnerable

In their letter, The Beer Store states they have participated in “numerous community consultations over many years regarding this store”.  This is simply not true.  Despite consistent efforts by the CSRA and other community stakeholders to meet with management at The Beer Store to address their operation’s negative impacts on the local community, their leadership has not engaged with us in any meaningful way. The consultations they reference were ones that occurred between the community and the Rosewater Capital Group (the site’s previous owner and developer), not The Beer Store and the community.

When The Beer Store finally engaged with the community during this same period it was only after they faced pressure from then MPP Glen Murray to do so.

As was the case with the previous owner and developer, The Beer Store is once again noticeably absent at key points in the community consultation process with Stafford Developments, including the first public meeting on February 8 of this month.

We want to see their collaboration in this important development process change in an immediate and drastic way if–as they claim–they’re truly being transparent and cooperative.

The CSRA is asking The Beer Store to commit to looking at flexible urban design solutions that better fit the area and, ultimately, want to see the scale of this store drastically reduced to reflect the downtown environment in which it will exist, instead of a mega store better suited in a suburban location.

We also welcome the opportunity to meet with Executives, the District Manager, and relevant Store Managers of The Beer Store to hear, in detail, the business case that justifies a store of this scale, which is completely out of step with the immediate businesses and the needs of the surrounding neighbourhood.

Sincerely,
Cabbagetown South Board