Value Buds to open where Aroma Coffee operated By Luca Tatulli  The legal cannabis business is booming in the Annex. Value Buds, whose slogan is “get high, spend low,” is opening at 500 Bloor St. (the site of the former Aroma Coffee shop) – just a few doors down from Tokyo Smoke, a store whose […]

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The City of Toronto is hoping upgrades can improve the safety of the area. They outlined their plans during a consultation meeting on Feb. 4.

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After years of opposition, many Annex residents relished the defeat of a proposed development on 64 Prince Arthur Ave. The proposal was brought to the City of Toronto twice – the first time as a 29-storey condominium building with luxury rentals, the second time as a 19-storey building. In both instances, the design was one of twisting steel and glass that would have stood in stark contrast to the low-rise brick and vine neighbourhood.

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A unique character building with an interesting history graces the corner of Brunswick and Sussex avenues in Harbord Village. In the 1930s, 225 Brunswick was a synagogue for one of Toronto’s oldest Jewish Orthodox congregations, Shomrai Shabbos Congregation. In 1972, the building came to host the Toronto School of Art. Currently, it houses four different tenants including the Annex Designers and Writers Co-op, The Childcare Resource and Research Unit, and a policy research institute.

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On January 20, Councillor Mike Layton (Ward 11, University-Rosedale) hosted a tumultuous online consultation for the proposed development at the corner of College and Bathurst streets. While the development has received significant press due to the fact that it will involve the destruction of the building that now houses Sneaky Dee’s, residents at the meeting seemed more concerned about how the new development will change the demographics of the neighbourhood.

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A few blocks east of Bathurst Street running north from College Street, you find Croft Street, which is in fact an alleyway. At the gateway to the laneway on College, there is a colourful mural dedicated to the street’s namesake, John Croft. With murals on most of the garage doors and creative pot planters, one could be forgiven for thinking that the laneway itself is a canvas. There are currently two laneway homes on Croft Street, both of which stand out for their uniqueness and contrast to the Victorian character of the neighbourhood.

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