^ There are a lot of equity partners and financing companies/individuals behind the scenes than just the one guy who is the face of the company.

The use of curtain-wall vs window-wall has a much stronger and cohesive aesthetic impact and is also much more expensive as an exterior cladding material. It carries a higher R-value in terms of thermal insulation and is overall a much better use of seamless materials, which is not typically...

The debate on Sapphire is fairly pointless as the developer behind it would have been totally incapable of executing the project even if he'd managed to sell many of the units. It was a well put together rendering / marketing tool and nothing more than that.

Land assembly can be a very very difficult component of the development process.

Short answer is without the OMB, no the building heights would not be as tall (but there would likely be another mechanism to ensure provincial policy is adhered to in the planning process)... longer answer would involve ward by ward local politics (i.e. Kyle Rae often pushed for taller...

The "city" had nothing to do with the decision by a private sector entity to mitigate risks and propose a 54s rental tower. Given the federal tax structure with respect the GST treatment of rental housing, lack of ability to defer capital gains & recaptured depreciation deductions upon the...

Not really a fair comparison due to land values and the fact that many of these condos will sell for upwards of $10 million (some likely for $50 million+), but here is a rendering of the under construction Nordstrom tower at 217 West 57th Street. It will stand 92 floors and 1,775 feet tall (1...

U Condos just after sunset tonight:

Not sure how that narrative works for all the projects that go to the CofA and add a couple floors...

This (and many other) thread has gone off the rails in always assuming that is is the "city" (either council or the planning dept.) that opposes height/density resulting in a scaled back project. I think some of the height fanatics don't take into account economic or feasibility issues. Many...

In my years in the industry I've never once heard the term "super-tall". It is an arbitrary figure that only seems to be discussed on Internet forums. I would hazard a guess that most people in the architecture, design, building, planning professions have never heard of super-talls or mega-talls...

The Mirvish / Stinson marriage did not end happily... or profitably for either partner...

I don't think so (well except for the fact that he left city hall to run federally and local planning issues were not really part of the campaign or debate on issues between candidates) - I don't believe it was a tactical decision not to talk about the project, it just wasn't an issue in a...

Progress at the last council meeting: http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2014.EX43.17 It is a rather complicated application involving other nearby projects to make the park happen - here are the approved details: 1. City Council approve a development charge credit...

Interesting that at the July 10th council vote that both Josh Matlow and Kristyn Wong-Tam voted against the project (Rob Ford joined them in voting against an amendment). The local replacement councilor Ceta Ramkhalawansingh voted in support (as Vaughan would have). I think the key figure in...

I attended the meeting last night... a couple of thoughts & observations: 1. For those who had become wedded to the previous design... it was still a design in flux and would have continued to evolve – what you saw what not what you were going to get anyway. 2. For 90% of projects out there...

This is a fairly long-term project and there are some rather big ideas being discussed/considered - should be very interesting to see how this evolves over the next decade.

Sec 37 & Sec 42 agreements being consolidated with Sutton Place and 501 Yonge Street to make the economics work for a single tower with larger parkland conveyance at 11 Wellesley.

How is that irrelevant - if most units are sold and if construction financing has been arranged the price for the remaining units typically increases as there is less urgency to sell those units quickly.

The letter writer is also with Save Queen Street and the Beach Residents Association - apparently doesn't have much love for planners following their professional support for six-storey mid-rise along an avenue with frequent streetcar service.