It could be the end of an era for the 6ix, as another of its iconic music venue faces the chopping block. Toronto's Sneaky Dee’s, a Tex-Mex restaurant located near Kensington Market, is reportedly on its way out after over three decades of business due to a new condo proposal.
Heartbroken residents are springing into action to save the establishment and its beloved nachos.
The City of Toronto received a development proposal on September 4 detailing a plan to turn a large stretch of College and Bathurst into a 13-storey condo building.
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The massive real estate project would displace current residents of 419, 421, 423, 429, and 431 on College Street.
“The proposal consists of a total of 169 dwelling units and 13,009.1 square metres of combined residential and non-residential gross floor area,” reads an excerpt from the application.
An online petition has been started to save the restaurant, which has been in business since the ’80s.
Over 5,000 signatures have been gathered in protest of the development proposal, with residents taking aim at the gentrification of Toronto and the loss of music venues.
“Sneaky Dees is a landmark, a one of a kind gathering place. Toronto is full of empty condos. We damn well don’t need more,” wrote one user.
“Sneaky Dee’s is a Toronto institution and one of my favourite places to be. This city needs to remember what’s important; it’s communities and spaces, not more luxury condos,” he added.
Mayor John Tory was also amongst those voicing their concerns about losing the venue, stating its importance to the city’s history.
“We know the importance of music venues in our city – that’s why we have taken action to help provide property tax relief for these sites to help them remain viable,” Tory told CP24 on Monday.
“I am committed to working with local councillor Mike Layton to make sure whatever happens at this location is in the best interests of the community, something which goes well beyond any single development,” he added.
Sneaky Dee isn’t the only iconic part of Toronto history to face the chopping block this month.
The CNE announced last week that they would be forced to shut down operations if the government didn’t help recoup their COVID-19 losses.