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Just to the east of the HQ site are 3 or 4 addresses that have been empty and now derelict for more than a year. I thought they were to be part of the HQ project, but no, that's being shoehorned into the narrow lot to the west. So wonder what's planned - or cancelled - for the other site? The city should at least force clearing the site. It does drag down the streetscape. And then there are several other vacant stores on the north side which I assume are evidence of skyhigh rents. Wonder if the new economy will bring these down and attract some tenants?
 
335 Queen Street West

Adam Vaughan
Toronto City Councillor: Ward 20 Trinity-Spadina
e-newsletter

February 1, 2008


335 Queen Street West

Tami Kenwell of Madhouse Designs Inc. presented this proposal on behalf of Mr. Impera, the owner of 335 Queen Street West at Beverley. This proposal is for an elegant boutique hotel with 19 rooms, a fresh market restaurant, dining room, and a roof top patio that will be open five months of the year.

There will be front, middle and back rooms on each floor, of which the two largest suites will beat the front of the building. The rooms in the middle will not have any windows, but will receive light from sky lights. Windows at the back of the hotel will look onto the laneway. The rooms will be approx. $150-175 per night and double that price for the premium suites. The hotel will rent to people looking for an elegant European boutique experience. There will be valet parking using the lot at Peter and Queen Street.

The new Queen Street District Heritage Conservation guidelines apply to this application. The building materials used will be red brick, limestone on the sills and slate. The developer has a foundation permit but is still working with City Heritage staff to resolve issues before getting a building permit. The Committee of Adjustment has approved variances for the built form. The sign for the building, HQ (Hotel on Queen), will need a variance from the Committee of Adjustment.

Residents do not want an illuminated sign on top of the hotel, saying it does not fit with the heritage designation. I suggested that hanging the signage from the front of the hotel would be a more traditional approach.

Concerns were raised that putting more parking onto the lot at Peter and Queen would force overload parking into the surrounding community. The proponent offered that hotels do not generate a lot of parking, but are more likely to require taxi pick ups. The residents would prefer an enclosed dumpster space within the building and were also concerned about the noise coming from the roof top patio. A new City policy and guidelines will govern the noise from the roof top patio and it will be open to the public. There will be a lot of hotel investment coming into this area, generated by the development of the Toronto International Film Festival building.


http://www.theara.org/minutes_docs/VaughanE Newsletter - 2007 02 01.pdf
 
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4 March 2009 photo update

Around 5PM today:

dsc00091m.jpg
 
Seeing that image, it's a shame that the 3 buildings next door could not be incorporated into this project.
They look neglected and desolate (sp).
 
cdr108 said:
Seeing that image, it's a shame that the 3 buildings next door could not be incorporated into this project.
They look neglected and desolate (sp).
Click to expand...

As I previously posted, those three buildings are owned by Guess and they are planning to build a three-storey Guess / Marciano store. It was recently approved at the C of A.
 
gmania said:
As I previously posted, those three buildings are owned by Guess and they are planning to build a three-storey Guess / Marciano store. It was recently approved at the C of A.
Click to expand...

Great, another sterile corporate chain.
 
Towered said:
Great, another sterile corporate chain.
Click to expand...

It's really not that bad if you consider these little retail stretches as the Toronto equivalent of a 'mall'. At least it's not a mall, if you know what I mean. The funky boutiques will always find a place.
 
They finished taking down that building either Thursday or Friday. I'm not sure what's going to replace it.
 
urbandreamer said:
4 April 2010: A year later, and no one gives a damn?

(I can understand why--this strip of Queen West has become "Trash Central." Really nasty people.
Click to expand...

The evolution of Queen West here is very strange. Between Simcoe and Spadina, it's become fairly gentrified, albeit pretty much an open air Eaton Centre. Then you have Bathurst and westbound, which is really coming into its own. But here we have the stretch between Spadina and Bathurst that has dodged most improvements, and still feels trashy. Not sure what's happened, and I'm not a fan of homogeneity, but I'd like to see it cleaned up to some degree.
 
That strip of Queen is definitely not trashy. Certainly not the part past Queen Video where you'll find establishments like the Spa Boutique, The Healthy Butcher, Leslieville Cheese Market, BLVD Interiors, Brown's apparel for gentlemen of limited stature, and a bunch of great restaurants (Arepa, Epicure, a couple of good sushi restaurants, that new upscale burger joint, etc.) There's also a high concentration of fabric/sewing/textile shops serving the fashion industry. There was also that rip-off upscale grocery store called Per Se, but it went under.

I guess you could call Spadina to Cameron St trashy, but that's less than 100 meters.


Edit: this is also where CB2's first Canadian location is opening. Not trashy.
 
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