What's happening with the Kodak lands on Eglinton?
The Kodak lands at Black Creek and Eglinton are about to get a much-needed makeover as Metrolinx's Mount Dennis Station. The site is being redeveloped as an LRT station that will connect the TTC with the Eglinton Crosstown line and GO Transit's Kitchener line. But there's a possibility that even more's in store for the former Kodak grounds.
The sprawling, 48-acre complex has been in a sorry state for almost a decade. For 80 years the Kodak complex was a bustling production hub for photographic film and equipment. But since Kodak Canada filed for bankruptcy in 2012, it's turned into a derelict wasteland in desperate need of redevelopment.
Most of the original complex has been demolished save for, Building #9, the former employee's building on the south end of the site. In the past decade the four-storey concrete building has become a popular location for urban explorers and, ironically, photographers in search of an interesting backdrop.
Metrolinx bought the site from Kodak the same year the company called it quits. Now plans are underway to develop it as the western terminus of the Eglinton-Crosstown LRT as well as a train storage and maintenance facility.
Last year, Refocus our Kodak Lands, a campaign to encourage Metrolinx to include community facilities on the site gained some traction. But it's not yet clear what the final development will look like.
There's a possibility that in addition to Mount Dennis Station the new complex could be used for community development projects.
According to the latest available timetable the work on the Kodak lands will begin in late 2015.
What features would you like to see added to the Kodak lands plan?
Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.
