Project
Developed collaboratively with Black Urbanism TO (BUTO), in collaboration with the Little Jamaica Community Land Trust (LJCLT), this report presents our vision for a business incubator within the planned redevelopment at 1675 to 85 Eglinton Avenue West. The concept is a Culinary Accelerator Hub: a place where entrepreneurs and residents can eat, shop, learn, and innovate, combining the vibrancy of a marketplace and dining destination with the infrastructure of a business incubator. The hub prioritizes Black and diverse founders in food and beverage, with a commercial kitchen, co-working and training space, retail showcases, and an open marketplace at its core.
The Result
The report delivers a market-ready proposal for one of Toronto’s most storied corridors, answering three challenges the community named directly: the absence of place-based business supports, the growing risk of commercial displacement, and the lack of accessible gathering space. It sets out a stewardship model where BUTO safeguards community priorities, we lead operations and programming, and the LJCLT anchors long-term community ownership of the site. Backed by more than 15 cross-sector partners and aligned with eight City of Toronto strategies, the hub is also designed as a satellite node of our Element Centre, linking Little Jamaica’s entrepreneurs to the wider innovation ecosystem.
