Kensington Market might be getting a new addition to the community but its residents are not on board with this neighbour.
Retail giant Walmart wants to set up shop in the historic neighborhood as a part of a three-storey shopping mall. The proposed mall, including the Walmart, would be nearly 130,000 square feet.
Kensington Market residents, visitors and shop owners are against the idea of a Walmart being built in the area. Some suggest moving it a couple blocks down.
“There are 100 other places that they could put that Walmart that doesn’t need to be close to Kensington and it has nothing to do with Kensington,” a resident told 680News.
“Each neighbourhood has got their own little flavour. Why do you want to bring something big and monstrous into such a nice area?” Another resident said.
While shop owners are concerned that the retail giant will have a negative impact on their businesses, some residents are worried about the amount of traffic it would bring to that part of the city.
“The bigger impact would be just more traffic and the impact on other small stores in the area,” one resident told 680News.
A petition has been posted online to prevent the re-zoning of the area, which would allow the Walmart to be built.
So far, more than 55,000 supporters have signed it.
The Ontario Municipal Board has previously rejected the idea of a large mall in Kensington Market.