Marcanadian
Moderator
The first community information meeting was held last night in the large downstairs theatre of the Humber Cinemas. The building is indeed a Quadrangle design, and Principal and Co-Founder Les Klein was on hand to present and field questions from the audience. There were three design options presented, all of which are extremely preliminary. No application has been submitted to Planning yet, and likely won't be until sometime in the Spring. This was an opportunity for the community to see what could be built on this site, and an opportunity for the applicants to hear from residents. There's definitely room for refinement before the application is submitted. A formal public consultation will be held once Planning gets a closer look at things.
The meeting was well attended, about 150-200 people showed up. I've included some shots of the slides that were presented, but the lighting was really dim, so the quality isn't as good as I had hoped.
Les started the presentation by noting the 10 storey development that had been approved for the site some years ago but never came to fruition. He pointed to the unique positioning of the site, lying on the "central axis" of Bloor as it dips south, so the building is viewed quite prominently when travelling west along Bloor at Jane.
Here are the basics of what's being proposed:
The first of three options envisioned a “landmark element” at the corner bordering Arbor Memorial. A series of pavilions on the façade have been designed to mimic the heights of the neighbouring buildings. The westernmost pavilion would roughly line up with the cornice of the One Old Mill building across Riverview Gardens. The pavilions would step down to the five-storey height of Arbor Memorial. Brick and grey metal are potential cladding materials.
The second option seems to abandon the landmark element in favour of a more streamlined look. The general massing is about the same, though an additional setback is thrown in at the northern elevation. Option two uses a broader mix of materials, combining red and white brick with limestone.
The smaller pavilions are ditched in the third option, which looks to be the most colourful of the plans presented. There was a general consensus that any development proposed here should be in keeping with the character of Bloor West Village as much as possible. A number of residents stated their dislike for One and Two Old Mill, which they thought should have incorporated varying materials.
Several residents commented that 14 storeys is inappropriate for the area, despite the 12-storey One Old Mill across the street, which they had hoped was more of an “anomaly” than the new normal. This stretch of Bloor is identified as an ‘Avenue’ by the City, but the proposal does not conform to the Avenue Midrise Guidelines, which state buildings should be no higher than the right of way is wide. The guidelines also specify a maximum height of 11 storeys. One resident exclaimed that “a landmark doesn’t have to equal a tall building”, stating that good design should be the paramount consideration.
Six storeys was the requested height thrown around a lot by members of the audience, though with 12 storeys across the street, the precedent has been set for something higher. Its proximity to Jane Station and one of the busiest intersections in the area lends some legitimacy to 14 storeys. I don’t see them returning with anything below 10.
The theatre would be demolished, which the crowd wasn’t pleased with, noting that it is an “important amenity” for the area. A lot of people were happy to see the Humber reopen in 2011 after being left vacant for nearly 10 years. IIRC, the Humber opened in the late 1940’s and is the last remaining of the original Odeons in the city. With the loss of the Chapters at Runnymede Theatre, which was often used as a community gathering place, and now the Humber likely going as well, there definitely seems to be a desire for some sort of additional indoor communal spaces in the area.
A host of other problems were raised, including high winds along Riverview Gardens since One Old Mill was constructed. I personally noticed it as I made my way up the hill to the meeting. Another building could create a “wind tunnel” effect as one resident put it. Though no traffic or shadow studies have been done yet, those were raised as issues as well, particularly traffic along Riverview currently linked to One Old Mill. Another attendee said the shadow of that project also shrouds Bloor Street in darkness on some afternoon winter days.
Some were worried about the retail makeup of the area and that “replacing individual storefronts with a monolithic entity” would not be conducive to the urban fabric of the neighbourhood. Another person lamented the loss of brick and mortar storefronts. The Mirvish Village plan was given as an example of a new development that got the retail component right.
So in general, people don’t like the height and the loss of the theatre, as expected. The design wasn’t really an issue yet, as it’ll be refined in the coming months as the application reaches the city. It’ll be interesting to see how this one evolves and whether the theatre could be incorporated into the design somehow.
The meeting was well attended, about 150-200 people showed up. I've included some shots of the slides that were presented, but the lighting was really dim, so the quality isn't as good as I had hoped.
Les started the presentation by noting the 10 storey development that had been approved for the site some years ago but never came to fruition. He pointed to the unique positioning of the site, lying on the "central axis" of Bloor as it dips south, so the building is viewed quite prominently when travelling west along Bloor at Jane.
Here are the basics of what's being proposed:
- 14 storeys – 48 metres, 56.6 metres to top of mechanical
- About 250 units
- U-shaped
- Two floors of retail
- Standard nine foot ceiling heights, rising to 10 on the penthouse levels
- Residential entrance on Bloor with servicing and parking access off the existing rear laneway
- Four underground parking levels
- Approximately one parking space per unit
- Handicap accessible walkway from the existing TPA parking lot to Bloor Street
- Standard amenities (gym, multipurpose room) above the two retail floors
- 506 square metres of outdoor amenities, 448 square metres indoor
The first of three options envisioned a “landmark element” at the corner bordering Arbor Memorial. A series of pavilions on the façade have been designed to mimic the heights of the neighbouring buildings. The westernmost pavilion would roughly line up with the cornice of the One Old Mill building across Riverview Gardens. The pavilions would step down to the five-storey height of Arbor Memorial. Brick and grey metal are potential cladding materials.
The second option seems to abandon the landmark element in favour of a more streamlined look. The general massing is about the same, though an additional setback is thrown in at the northern elevation. Option two uses a broader mix of materials, combining red and white brick with limestone.
The smaller pavilions are ditched in the third option, which looks to be the most colourful of the plans presented. There was a general consensus that any development proposed here should be in keeping with the character of Bloor West Village as much as possible. A number of residents stated their dislike for One and Two Old Mill, which they thought should have incorporated varying materials.
Several residents commented that 14 storeys is inappropriate for the area, despite the 12-storey One Old Mill across the street, which they had hoped was more of an “anomaly” than the new normal. This stretch of Bloor is identified as an ‘Avenue’ by the City, but the proposal does not conform to the Avenue Midrise Guidelines, which state buildings should be no higher than the right of way is wide. The guidelines also specify a maximum height of 11 storeys. One resident exclaimed that “a landmark doesn’t have to equal a tall building”, stating that good design should be the paramount consideration.
Six storeys was the requested height thrown around a lot by members of the audience, though with 12 storeys across the street, the precedent has been set for something higher. Its proximity to Jane Station and one of the busiest intersections in the area lends some legitimacy to 14 storeys. I don’t see them returning with anything below 10.
The theatre would be demolished, which the crowd wasn’t pleased with, noting that it is an “important amenity” for the area. A lot of people were happy to see the Humber reopen in 2011 after being left vacant for nearly 10 years. IIRC, the Humber opened in the late 1940’s and is the last remaining of the original Odeons in the city. With the loss of the Chapters at Runnymede Theatre, which was often used as a community gathering place, and now the Humber likely going as well, there definitely seems to be a desire for some sort of additional indoor communal spaces in the area.
A host of other problems were raised, including high winds along Riverview Gardens since One Old Mill was constructed. I personally noticed it as I made my way up the hill to the meeting. Another building could create a “wind tunnel” effect as one resident put it. Though no traffic or shadow studies have been done yet, those were raised as issues as well, particularly traffic along Riverview currently linked to One Old Mill. Another attendee said the shadow of that project also shrouds Bloor Street in darkness on some afternoon winter days.
Some were worried about the retail makeup of the area and that “replacing individual storefronts with a monolithic entity” would not be conducive to the urban fabric of the neighbourhood. Another person lamented the loss of brick and mortar storefronts. The Mirvish Village plan was given as an example of a new development that got the retail component right.
So in general, people don’t like the height and the loss of the theatre, as expected. The design wasn’t really an issue yet, as it’ll be refined in the coming months as the application reaches the city. It’ll be interesting to see how this one evolves and whether the theatre could be incorporated into the design somehow.
