An empty piece of land near Fort York is being transformed into market, complete with bars, restaurants and shops — and made entirely out of shipping containers.
The market, named Stackt, will operate on the empty lot at 28 Bathurst Street, near Bathurst and Front streets, which has been vacant and unused for years.
“Stackt is taking unused land and, through the use of shipping containers, transforming it into an experience of curated discovery,” the market’s website says.
Management of Stackt is currently reviewing applications and determining which vendors will be allowed to occupy the containers.
Toronto city councillor Joe Cressy, whose ward encompasses the space, told Global News that there will be approximately 100 to 120 different vendors in the space.
“Some are going to be galleries, studio space, restaurants, bars, local farmers’ market stalls,” Cressy said. “There’s going to be a mix.”
Cressy said that the agreement between Stackt and the city ensured that 15 per cent of the containers would be reserved for community economic development.
“So you’re going to have things like micro retailers who can’t afford rents downtown. You’re going to have things like a new community garden that are being built into it,” he said.
The market, however, will only be temporary.
The land at 28 Bathurst is currently scheduled to become a park in the coming years.
The city is currently in the design stages of developing the park.
“Rather than have the land sit vacant while we design and construct the park, we created an innovative temporary solution to turn it into a vibrant shipping container market,” Cressy said.
Cressy also added that the shipping containers will be easy to remove when it is time for the park to be developed.
Stackt has a two-year lease on the land, after which the market will have to be removed.
It is expected that the market will open in either the spring or summer of this year.
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