balmoral said:
ML Square, Telus and 18 York have all contributed greatly to a once derilect neighbourhood - ICE will do so as well. All have their faults, but what redeems them are the high quality of their street-level materials and design. However, I can't help but find this entire corridor illustrative of Toronto's biggest problem: squandering prime planning opportunities.

Should there not have been a vision crafted for Bremner 10 years ago? Was a new street linking our baseball stadium with our hockey/basketball arena, lined with the our most famous tourist site, a historic park and our convention centre, not seen as a defining opportunity? Couldn't it have been, say, our Las Ramblas? Or a cafe-lined boulevard? Or a sports-lovers paradise of tailgate zones and outdoor event spaces? Or an extended, undulating, green park? Or something...anything? (Ideas would be appreciated....these are admittedly lame examples).

Luckily, the street has recovered from the horrific start of the condo beside the ICE site, with its hulking second story balcony hiding its dry cleaners and Subways, but it could have been so much more. Ignoring the injustices of the concrete, bunker-like parking lot entrances "welcoming" you to Roundhouse Park and the proposed Ripley's Aquarium that would be dismissed as tacky by any Tea Party-lovin' municipality, the area will succeed in spite of itself, as much of Toronto does - but how many more chances do we have to build signature areas, loved by locals and tourists alike? It should not be this hard...
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I agree. I wonder if there was any planning/design discussion at all regarding the promenade from the ACC to the Rogers Centre. Each time I go down that way I'm impressed with the obvious linkeage. Somebody said Toronto often succeeds in spite of itself, - the best example yet of rolling snake eyes with free market forces ?
 
I suppose this Grand Sports Avenue makes sense to sports aficionados for some reason, but for the life of me I'm not sure how it would be used in reality.

Are we to believe that 50.000 Jays fans are to watch a late season afternoon game and then half of them are supposed to also have tickets to an early season Leaf game? So all these hypothetical ticket holders would shop, eat, dine, and tailgate their way down this imagined boulevard between the games?

I thought most sports, concerts and special events attract distinct crowds and I doubt there would be much spillover. Can you imagine 25,000 Jays fans heading over after the game to ACC to catch Celine Dion sing her guts out?

Not to mention... Who are these filthy rich ticket holders that can afford more than one event in a day?... let alone in a year!
 
Never mind... I just figured it out

Birds of a feather

It's the idea that if you have painted your face with a giant maple leaf, then you will probably appreciate other sports fans off to see another event.

I can hear the growl now... HEY, Duuuuuuude! I love sports too! YEAHHHHHH!
 
It would have been nice to see a row of pubs and bistros spring up along this stretch..instead we will likely wind up with sterile dead space.
 
From today...
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The developer experienced some moderate concerns from the committee members with the substantial increases (16m - 55s / 18m - 65s).

The two additional residential stories should only be an elevation increase of approximately 3 meters on average per floor (Total of 6m per building), but the committee agreed to the height variance and imposed a maximum of only two residential levels per building. The developer has agreed to dontae $350,000.00 to Ward 20 for affordable housing and community improvement to Roundhouse Park.202

Ice Condominiums at York Centre is officially approved and increased as follows: Ice - 57s @ 202m / Ice2 - 67s @ 234
 
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UrbanOptic said:
The developer has agreed to dontae $350,000.00 to Ward 20 for affordable housing and community improvement to Roundhouse Park.202
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I think this is a policy in Vancouver when it comes to a development. You must provide improvement to the public in order to develop. I don't hear this happening much in Toronto.
 
Rowe said:
I think this is a policy in Vancouver when it comes to a development. You must provide improvement to the public in order to develop. I don't hear this happening much in Toronto.
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Toronto has section 37 of its planning act, which says that in exchange for allowing a builder greater density or height, the city is to get money for community improvements or some new public amenity. Virtually every major development ends up providing the city with some improvements to the public. The beautiful Allen Lambert Galleria by Santiago Calatrava was result of such planning requirements. If you go to a community meeting about a major development, you can contribute ideas as to how the money should be spent or what the developer should provide: whether it's on parks and public spaces, public housing, art, streetscapes, etc.
 
Rowe said:
I think this is a policy in Vancouver when it comes to a development. You must provide improvement to the public in order to develop. I don't hear this happening much in Toronto.
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umm, everything single development in Toronto must and does do this very same thing ... regardless if there was ever a height increase ... if there's a height increase they need to contribute more.
 
junctionist said:
Toronto has section 37 of its planning act, which says that in exchange for allowing a builder greater density or height, the city is to get money for community improvements or some new public amenity. Virtually every major development ends up providing the city with some improvements to the public. The beautiful Allen Lambert Galleria by Santiago Calatrava was result of such planning requirements. If you go to a community meeting about a major development, you can contribute ideas as to how the money should be spent or what the developer should provide: whether it's on parks and public spaces, public housing, art, streetscapes, etc.
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Thank you, I'd love to read that up. Appreciate the responce.
 
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