Toronto Mulling Over Beach Venue Renovation

The venue, a building at 1661 Queen East near Toronto’s beach district, is owned by EMM Financial and houses the Champions Greenwood betting facility, a movie theatre and a gym. Word on the street is that Live Nation will operate the mid-size venue.

The application, submitted by Michael Bissett of planning consultants Bousfields Inc. May 12, was approved by the Toronto and East York Committee of Adjustment. Major interior and minor exterior renovations are discussed in the proposal, including the increase of floor area by 407 square meters and the addition of a ticketing window.

The application also stated that the developers anticipated approximately 150 events a year, a mix of about 80-90 concerts and comedy shows, and 60-70 private/corporate events.

Coun. Mary-Margaret McMahon expressed support for the initiative in an interview with CBC news

. “We all at City Hall have been trying to crusade to turn Toronto into a music city to compete with and surpass Austin, Texas, and we’re very worried about empty storefronts along the Beach. It’s a great way of filling them,” she said. The outdoor festival Bestival was hosted near the proposed location this year, but McMahon said the area still needed a larger venue to become a destination for regular live music events.