drum118
Superstar
No, THIS is what Metropolis needs to be tacky...
btw, sorry drum118, i used your image because it was the first i found... lemme know if you want me to take it down...
Haaaa!!!!!!! no problem and not tacky enough
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Haaaa!!!!!!! no problem and not tacky enough
caltrane74
Senior Member
That ctv weather guy is a lil' annoying.
Nice cars though.
The Future Shop signs are top notch...better than the backlit ads going up on the building as of current. I don't see how anyone can complain now, it is finally starting to look like the renderings.
If we can get a big neon sign on top, I will be a happy camper.
Nice cars though.
The Future Shop signs are top notch...better than the backlit ads going up on the building as of current. I don't see how anyone can complain now, it is finally starting to look like the renderings.
If we can get a big neon sign on top, I will be a happy camper.
casaguy
Senior Member
It's just a sign! A corporate logo! That's all it is. There will be many of them and that is all it will be.
What a proud achievement for Toronto.
What a proud achievement for Toronto.
lordmandeep
Banned
isn't best buy like 2 mins away....
lokyin
New Member
i'm totally clueless as to what goes into putting ads up but why is it taking so looooong for these money-making ads to go up on the damn thing? i don't know how it works but is it honestly really difficult?
H
Hydrogen
Guest
They always orbit Future Shops and Best Buys together. One must assume that most shoppers forget its the same store, and are seduced into thinking they are "shopping around" when visiting both stores.
Caltrane, is the next phase actually going to be a hotel and condo, or is this a nice wish-list item?
caltrane74
Senior Member
I have no clue, but the city plans to sell the lands to a developer once Metropolis is complete.
I'll try and find the information.
H
Hydrogen
Guest
Thanks for that.
It would be a great location for a hotel.
It would be a great location for a hotel.
alklay
Senior Member
Its a complete wish-list item. There are no proposals waiting to happen. Its a wish and the fact that one is not there now has nothing to do with the late arrival of Metropolis.
caltrane74
Senior Member
The City only aquired the land (at Hakim Opitical) as Metropolis was nearing completion.
Why else would they do that...
Report dated March 8, 1999, addressed to
the Sub-Committee- Relocation of All Members of Council to City Hall,
from the Executive Director of Facilities and Real Estate Division.)
Purpose:
To provide background information on City-owned office building at 277 Victoria Street to the Sub-Committee - Relocation of all Members of Council to City Hall.
Funding of Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:
Not applicable.
Recommendations:
It is recommended that the City-owned office building at 277 Victoria Street be treated as a temporary part of the City's office portfolio, and provision be made in the Office Consolidation Detail Plan for relocation of staff groups located at 277 Victoria once the timing of its redevelopment is determined.
Council Reference/Background/History:
The Strategic Policies and Priorities Committee, at its meeting held on January 26, 1999 recommended the adoption of the January 25, 1999 report from the Commissioner of Corporate Services and requested:
"the Commissioner of Corporate Services to clarify in a report to the next meeting of the Sub-Committee - Relocation of All Members of Council to City Hall, that the building at 277 Victoria Street forms part of the Yonge-Dundas Redevelopment Project and has been declared surplus, and as such, should be considered as a temporary location building."
Comments:
277 Victoria Street is located on the east side of Victoria Street, just north of Dundas Street East and one block east of Yonge Street. The site has a frontage of 92.71 feet X 116.15 feet for a total area of 10,800 square feet.
It is improved with an 11 storey office building containing a total leaseable floor area of approximately 109,700 square feet inclusive of the basement and penthouse levels. Average leaseable floor area for a typical floor is approximately 9,800 square feet. The building originally was a 6 storey building constructed around 1920 with a 5 storey addition made during 1989-1990.
Currently, City staff occupy the entire floors 3 to 11 of 277 Victoria Street. The first floor is leased to a restaurant (Second Cup) until November 30, 1999, with City staff occupying the balance of space not forming part of the ground floor lobby. A small portion of the basement level is leased to Rogers Cable until October 31, 2005 and a copy shop (to September 14, 2000) with the balance of the basement space used by the City for storage purposes. Part of the second floor is leased to Ryerson Polytechnical University on a month to month basis, with a 90 day termination clause.
The City acquired 277 Victoria Street in April of 1996 to consolidate its downtown office space requirements from leased to City-owned space. The purchase price was $3,700,000.00.
Yonge-Dundas Redevelopment Project:
In December of 1996, the former City of Toronto Council approved in principle the Yonge-Dundas Redevelopment Project, a public-private initiative aimed at revitalizing Yonge Street. At its meeting held on July 8, 9, and 10, 1998, the new City of Toronto Council gave final approvals for this project, including the expropriation of properties along Yonge Street, 38 Dundas Street East, and 259 Victoria Street, all as shown on the attached Appendix A.
This project will contain a public square located above a City-owned underground parking facility and surrounded by commercial uses. One of the development parcels around this public square is known as Parcel B which includes 277 Victoria Street.
Parcel B is comprised of 277 Victoria Street and the adjoining property municipally known as 38 Dundas Street East, a triangular corner parcel which contains a retail building with a parking area. Parcel B has been identified as a potential site for retail, hotel and residential uses with possible interim use for retail space. The City's planning objective as confirmed by the Ontario Municipal Board is to redevelop Parcel B as part of the Yonge-Dundas Redevelopment Project and maximize value for the City owned land, effectively reducing the net cost of the public square development.
Redevelopment of Parcel B:
The former City of Toronto Council authorized a Request for Qualifications ("RFQ") for the development of Parcels A, B, and C. Staff issued the RFQ in Spring of 1997 and followed this with a Request for Proposal ("RFP") for Parcels B and C in July, 1997. In light of the unacceptable response received, the former City of Toronto Council , in October of 1997, approved the reduction of Parcel B to its current configuration and authorized staff to negotiate with the owner of 38 Dundas Street East in order to maintain a development option for Parcel B.
While the ultimate development of Parcel B is to meet the planning objectives of the Yonge-Dundas Redevelopment Project, market demand plays a pivotal role in its timing and use. There is some flexibility and redevelopment may be in the form of an interim or a long term development.
Interim Development:An interim development would likely involve a retail commercial project comprising 38 Dundas Street East and the basement, first and second floors of 277 Victoria Street. This interim use would likely remain for up to 10 years. After this period, the buildings on Parcel B would be demolished to make way for the long term development of this site as contemplated under the Yonge-Dundas Redevelopment Project. Under the interim scenario, only the basement and the first two floors would be affected with the earliest date for vacant possession likely to be mid to late 2000. Vacant possession for the balance of office space from floors 3 to 11 would be after 10 years.
Long Term Development:If there is current market interest, the City could proceed directly with the long term development of Parcel B through a development call process. While the planning and approval process would be slightly longer with this development scenario, vacant possession of the entire 277 Victoria Street building is required. It is estimated the earliest vacant possession date for the building to be about 18 months after this scenario is selected.
There have been discussions with the owner of 38 Dundas Street East for a possible joint venture with the City for the redevelopment of Parcel B on either an interim or long term basis, but, to date, no definitive proposal has been determined.
In Summary, there is flexibility amongst City staff respecting either an interim or long term development of this site. The market tends to be in a state of flux and accordingly, whether or not an immediate long term development would be successful at this time or in the near future is still being investigated. Accordingly, any position that the Sub-Committee- Relocation of All Members of Council to City Hall has respecting the utilization of office space at 277 Victoria Street for City staff for a relatively short term, say up to 3 years, could be taken into consideration as the future development options for Parcel B are developed.
Declaration of Surplus:
City Council has identified and approved 277 Victoria Street as being part of the Yonge-Dundas Redevelopment Project, and the Ontario Municipal Board has confirmed the planning objectives of the various development parcels within this project. While a RFQ and a RFP have been previously issued inviting submissions for the development of Parcel B, formal City Council authority to declare 277 Victoria Street surplus to municipal requirements would be sought once the City has identified a potential purchaser or joint venture partner for the development. To date, City Council has not formally declared 277 Victoria Street surplus to municipal requirements.
Contact Name:
Doug Wong, Telephone: 392-1858, Fax: 392-1880, dwong@toronto.ca (99047.wpd)
Susanne Borup
Executive Director of Facilities and Real Estate Division
caltrane74
Senior Member
read and weep
Things will start happening with the 277 Victoria site and 38 Dundas East site now that the Metropolis portion is coming to completion. Wouldn't it make sense for the City to ensure that it's plans are fulfilled before moving on with the next stages of the Redevelopment of the Yonge Dundas Square?
The city has made it's intentions clear , posted in the Sept 8 - National Post article that now that Metropolis is complete they can move forward with the final phase of the redevelopment. Here the article posted in this thread a couple of days ago for reference.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Let there be light at Yonge And Dundas
Installation of video billboards nears completion
Karon Liu
National Post
Saturday, September 08, 2007
This weekend, workers will finish erecting one of North America's largest video billboards at Toronto Life Square, the massive commercial project overlooking Yonge-Dundas Square.
The billboard is one of nine totalling more than 20,000 square feet that will wrap around the 10-storey building, fulfilling the original vision of Yonge-Dundas as Toronto's Times Square.
''It's going to be amazing," said city councillor Kyle Rae who helped spearhead the project and the revitalization of Yonge-Dundas Square. ''It's going to be the place to be, where you can hang out and listen to music. It's a European piazza, a gathering of activities.''
John Klissouras, who is overseeing the mounting of the exterior signs as project manager for Provincial Sign Systems, said three billboards are already up, and he expects all nine to be up and working by the end of the year.
The 30-by 53-foot video billboard -- 34 smaller screens surround it, bringing its total size to 43 by 69 feet -- took two months to design, three months to make and another month to install, Mr. Klissouras said. It uses about 347 kilowatts, just 50 kilowatts short of what the Eiffel Tower uses for its nightly light show.
Workers began erecting the screens in early August, with cranes brought in from the company's facility in Ajax.
It's a 12-hour-a-day job for 16 people: eight installers, two crane operators, five paid-duty officers to control traffic and Mr. Klissouras as supervisor.
Mr. Klissouras and his team worked closely with the city and PenEquity, the company responsible for Toronto Life Square, to decide on the size, location and how bright the signs would be. After
years of delays since the project's inception in 1995, the city is looking forward to the finished product.
"We're all disappointed that it's taken 10 years. It's regrettable and it's done some damage in moving forward with other projects," Mr. Rae said.
"Its been a project that's been long-anticipated. It was conceived in the '90s as a catalyst for the rejuvenation of the area, and having an outdoor-oriented centre that will balance out the Eaton Centre and help establish the street itself," said James Robinson, executive director of the Downtown Yonge BIA. "With construction being complete in the next few months, it's a very positive thing for the area."
On the east side of Yonge-Dundas Square, PenEquity's $42-million vacant Torch building, which housed the Olympic Spirit complex before closing in June, 2006, is also expected to find new retail and office tenants soon.
Mr. Robinson believes that once Toronto Life Square is finished, other retailers will be drawn to the Torch building because of the increased number of visitors.
Once this weekend's work is over, crews will turn to the remaining billboards, all of which are backlit and use between 26 and 35 kilowatts.
James Brown of Brown & Storey architects, the husband-and-wife team who designed Yonge-Dundas Square, has had to live with a lot of criticism from people who wanted a park, with trees and grass, not the piazza they designed. Now that Toronto Life Square is nearly done, he said critics may finally get an appreciation of why the city chose his firm's vision for Yonge-Dundas Square.
"We're well aware of what it [Yonge-Dundas Square] will look like, but when you only have three-quarters of it done it's hard to understand," Mr. Brown said. "When you have that building done it'll add intensity to the area. Right now, the Hard Rock Cafe side works nicely with the square so it'll be interesting to see how the other side will look like."
kliu@nationalpost.com
© National Post 2007
Things will start happening with the 277 Victoria site and 38 Dundas East site now that the Metropolis portion is coming to completion. Wouldn't it make sense for the City to ensure that it's plans are fulfilled before moving on with the next stages of the Redevelopment of the Yonge Dundas Square?
The city has made it's intentions clear , posted in the Sept 8 - National Post article that now that Metropolis is complete they can move forward with the final phase of the redevelopment. Here the article posted in this thread a couple of days ago for reference.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Let there be light at Yonge And Dundas
Installation of video billboards nears completion
Karon Liu
National Post
Saturday, September 08, 2007
This weekend, workers will finish erecting one of North America's largest video billboards at Toronto Life Square, the massive commercial project overlooking Yonge-Dundas Square.
The billboard is one of nine totalling more than 20,000 square feet that will wrap around the 10-storey building, fulfilling the original vision of Yonge-Dundas as Toronto's Times Square.
''It's going to be amazing," said city councillor Kyle Rae who helped spearhead the project and the revitalization of Yonge-Dundas Square. ''It's going to be the place to be, where you can hang out and listen to music. It's a European piazza, a gathering of activities.''
John Klissouras, who is overseeing the mounting of the exterior signs as project manager for Provincial Sign Systems, said three billboards are already up, and he expects all nine to be up and working by the end of the year.
The 30-by 53-foot video billboard -- 34 smaller screens surround it, bringing its total size to 43 by 69 feet -- took two months to design, three months to make and another month to install, Mr. Klissouras said. It uses about 347 kilowatts, just 50 kilowatts short of what the Eiffel Tower uses for its nightly light show.
Workers began erecting the screens in early August, with cranes brought in from the company's facility in Ajax.
It's a 12-hour-a-day job for 16 people: eight installers, two crane operators, five paid-duty officers to control traffic and Mr. Klissouras as supervisor.
Mr. Klissouras and his team worked closely with the city and PenEquity, the company responsible for Toronto Life Square, to decide on the size, location and how bright the signs would be. After
years of delays since the project's inception in 1995, the city is looking forward to the finished product.
"We're all disappointed that it's taken 10 years. It's regrettable and it's done some damage in moving forward with other projects," Mr. Rae said.
"Its been a project that's been long-anticipated. It was conceived in the '90s as a catalyst for the rejuvenation of the area, and having an outdoor-oriented centre that will balance out the Eaton Centre and help establish the street itself," said James Robinson, executive director of the Downtown Yonge BIA. "With construction being complete in the next few months, it's a very positive thing for the area."
On the east side of Yonge-Dundas Square, PenEquity's $42-million vacant Torch building, which housed the Olympic Spirit complex before closing in June, 2006, is also expected to find new retail and office tenants soon.
Mr. Robinson believes that once Toronto Life Square is finished, other retailers will be drawn to the Torch building because of the increased number of visitors.
Once this weekend's work is over, crews will turn to the remaining billboards, all of which are backlit and use between 26 and 35 kilowatts.
James Brown of Brown & Storey architects, the husband-and-wife team who designed Yonge-Dundas Square, has had to live with a lot of criticism from people who wanted a park, with trees and grass, not the piazza they designed. Now that Toronto Life Square is nearly done, he said critics may finally get an appreciation of why the city chose his firm's vision for Yonge-Dundas Square.
"We're well aware of what it [Yonge-Dundas Square] will look like, but when you only have three-quarters of it done it's hard to understand," Mr. Brown said. "When you have that building done it'll add intensity to the area. Right now, the Hard Rock Cafe side works nicely with the square so it'll be interesting to see how the other side will look like."
kliu@nationalpost.com
© National Post 2007
H
Hydrogen
Guest
Then there's hope (for a hotel).
Always useful when dealing in the world of wish-lists.
Always useful when dealing in the world of wish-lists.
Tuscani01
Senior Member
What I find weird is they just fixed up the inside of that building last winter. Why would they have done that if it was going to be redeveloped?
urbandreamer
recession proof
A capsule hotel would work well at that location. Otherwise, I have no reason to stare at that ugly beast.
alklay
Senior Member
Good research. I learned something which I clearly did not know. Thanks.