ByWard Market building tenants fight city's redevelopment plan for 55 ByWard Market Square

Sixteen of the seventeen businesses operating in the ByWard Market Building have formed the ByWard Market Building Tenants Alliance and written to the mayor and council asking them to repeal the city's plan to redevelop 55 ByWard Market Square.

In March, council approved a plan to "reimagine" the building, the parking garage at 70 Clarence Street, and York Street Plaza as part of a broader effort to revitalize the area. City documents describe the vision as a "vibrant, all-day destination" featuring a bright central hall, local specialty grocers, bakeries, rotating food vendors, and flexible event space.

While the city says current lease agreements would be upheld, the documents also outline a new "tenanting model" that could lead to tenant displacement, with the city offering "relocation advisory support" and connections to other commercial real estate opportunities.

For Jill Anguaya, owner of Tickled Pink — a gift shop that has occupied the building since 2012 — displacement would spell the end of her business. She took over the store with the promise to keep alive the legacy of the previous owner, a local seamstress. "That's what we have worked at doing for the past 14 years, building it up to meet the demands of the people coming in and out of the building every day," Anguaya said.