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There's no way that rebuilding this row would ever produce a result that similar to the current look and feel. Changing the interior would obviously change the program of the building. I'm very worried that the look and feel would be historical facadism, and end up being leased to 'safe' tenants such as Subways and Tim Hortons.
 
This is one of the most dense areas of the city. It is ludicrous to think that the current scale will remain forever; The design and type of density should always be open for discourse but to live in a heritage bubble in an area of the city such as this is delusional. The building facades should be preserved with attention to be paid to a requirement for stepped-back vertical massing but bring on the density -- it is the saviour of this city and this area of the downtown's fate is already sealed as more Manhattan than Ontario small-town.
Restaurant row, like so many other areas of downtown, was great in its day but is overdue for a little re-visioning. Bring it on.
This is now the epicentre of Toronto's cultural touchstone, TIFF, and let's be honest, the resto action there is mediocre at best. I am not worried about it. If you really care about heritage, step up to help out Hamilton's downtown where historic buildings still get replaced by parking lots. Toronto's doing just fine. The cow hanging from the building is tired and tacky and not one bit 'heritage'.
 
while I dont like the elitist tone of sjmx' post, I think his observations are mostly correct. if they can maintain the feel of the streetscape here while building vertically behind the storefronts than I think this is the most we can hope for. I wish that more new developments would be held to this standard because so few architects seem to be able to integrate their towers effectively into their surroundings. Nothing is going to stop development and so this is the kind of standard that should be adhered to throughout the Entertainment District and beyond... use the existing streetscape as a transition to higher denisty mid-block, rather than building some giant all glass or concrete podium that sucks the life from the area.
 
The Toronto development community (and half the members of this site) would whore their daughters to get a tower built.
 
This is one of the most dense areas of the city. It is ludicrous to think that the current scale will remain forever; ..... not one bit 'heritage'.

You speak with authority and pomp but have no idea what you are talking about.
 
"You speak with authority and pomp but have no idea what you are talking about. ..... not one bit 'heritage'."

Anyone who uses the word 'pomp' is pompous; It's like people who spell 'class' with a 'K';

In terms of speaking with authority, yes, guilty, I express my OPINION with authority.

For the record, a cow hanging on the side of the building is not one bit 'heritage' but you have cut and pasted my posting so that it reads out of context. This area of the city is slated to the among the most dense in the city/country in the coming few years. That, my friend, is the reality of the situation -- not just my opinion, although I can say it with a fair degree of authority;

If you are whinging about heritage height restrictions in this location then you are delusional and you may want to change your handle from 'neubuilder' to something more suitable.
 
Just out of curiosity, what exactly constitutes an elitist tone? Is it an opinion expressed passionately that differs from your own? Is it my opinion that the restaurants currently there are mediocre? (They are.) I don't think that anything I said should be a surprise to anyone -- it is a fait d'accompli at this point that that area will host another dozen 50 stories towers by the end of the decade. Personally I think it is exciting to see and elitist to try and restrict a revisioning of this space in the city -- or do you prefer the parking lots and nightclubs that used to predominate the neighbourhood?
 
It is also a "fait d'accompli" that if you rip out every peice of the city that doesn't earn it's keep in terms of FSR (density) that you will have completely sterilized the city and they very reason that people were drawn to it in the first place.
 
They should be forced to maintain the same rent as is currently in place. There should also be a clause to give an advantage to locally owned, one-off businesses, and discourage chain stores. What this clause could be, I have no idea. You can replace the existing buildings brick for brick, but if they are filled with Subway's and 7/11's then the street will lose its current appeal.
 

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