DSC
Superstar
Redpath Sugar provides jobs for people who live in the neighbourhood, it's a factory not a monument and is not 'dirty'. Smelly, maybe but I personally like the smell of raw sugar.
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High on my wish list for the East Bayfront would be to see the gray cement silo at the east end of the area demolished - a Brutalist eyesore. My personal opinion is that the silo's remnants of historic interest are far outweighed by its negative visual impact on the area. My litmus test - if a proposal to build a new structure in the same area, consisting of the same size, form and construction as the existing silos were presented now, would it accepted by the waterfront community and be approved by the city? Again - my opinion - not a chance. The same goes for the silos at the foot of Bathurst.
AHK
High on my wish list for the East Bayfront would be to see the gray cement silo at the east end of the area demolished - a Brutalist eyesore. My personal opinion is that the silo's remnants of historic interest are far outweighed by its negative visual impact on the area. My litmus test - if a proposal to build a new structure in the same area, consisting of the same size, form and construction as the existing silos were presented now, would it accepted by the waterfront community and be approved by the city? Again - my opinion - not a chance. The same goes for the silos at the foot of Bathurst.
AHK
Regarding museums,and art gallerys, there is more than enough and less complicated areas throughout our waterfront to build such venues.
There are 3 external factors to the success of East Bayfront and trust me, the city has, and will continue to address them:
1. Removal of the Gardiner expressway from DVP to Jarvis - the environmental assessment has been expedited due to the reality of East Bayfront. The Gardiner is ugly and a visual barrier disconnecting the city from the water.
2. Removal/Re-vitalization of Redpath. Let's be honest, Redpath Sugars does not fit into the city's waterfront plans. With the Westin Harbor Castle and Pier 27 to one side, it is inevitable that with the East Bayfront development, something has got to give with Redpath involving either private or WT interests.
3. Public transportation. Plans to bring LRT (Light Rail Transit - essentially a more efficient streetcar) to East Bayfront go hand-in-hand with the project as people will need a way to get to and from the shopping centre/George Brown/work etc...
IF and only IF, these 3 issues, which are independent of the East Bayfront development, are addressed, then the Toronto Waterfront does, indeed have a chance to re-connect with Toronto. My point is that tearing down Redpath is not the only solution, there are other factors as well. In fact, there are more factors than the 3 I have outlined. We'll see what happens.
(and by the way... on this site, most people know what LRT means. Word to the wise...) as the QQ re-do is coming soon and the Pan-Ams will push the Cherry line to reality tout de suite, I think we're good to go on this whole 'revitalize the East Bayfront' thingy.
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