The mall is not unpopular in the way that it would be an actual problem for anyone living across from it, it's only unpopular in the sense that it doesn't draw many people from far away like something with more regional significance like Square One does. The whole thing needs to become a more urban centre of course: the parking lots and the non-park green spaces around the mall are still vast, but that will all come in time. This development is part of the process, as will the next Daniels phases be, kitty-corner across the intersection. In the meantime, the housing crisis affects the whole of the GTA and there still people who are happy enough to picture themselves driving everywhere, and there's no reason they'd rule out this spot as a place to park themselves.
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