(04-28-2021, 12:01 PM)tomh009 Wrote: I expect that their rationale is based on a combination of existing retail inside 1 Victoria and Pharmacy, and future retail next door (and at Station Park).
I would also hate to build a whole lot of retail space and then have it sit empty because there aren't enough retail customers. Until we have 2WAD GO service, the station will not be much of a destination.
If I remember right, their justification for it was that they did not want to get into managing commercial spaces (or "playing landlord" as someone put it). While there are a couple retail spaces across the street, it's still very limited. I believe all there is at 1 Victoria is a coffee shop.
Two way GO train service is projected to be operational by 2025. While I imagine that will be delayed as usual, I don't think the train station will be open by then either as it wouldn't make sense to rush this project until then. It'll probably be timed so that when improved train service is available, the train station will be completed. It would be a perfect place to have one or two shops once both GO, VIA, LRT, buses and taxis service it...even just a café and general store would serve passengers quite well.