A
AlvinofDiaspar
Guest
Just heard on the radio this morning that the Bloor Street Revitalization is going to be announced this morning.
More info as available later.
AoD
More info as available later.
AoD
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AlvinofDiaspar
Guest
Re: Bloor Street Revitalization
From the Post:
New Bloor: nicer to walk, harder to park
Plan revealed today
Peter Kuitenbrouwer, National Post
Published: Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Mayor David Miller is set to announce today a plan to finally make Bloor Street -- which boosters call Canada's premier shopping strip -- a nice place for a stroll.
"We have great stores and a horrible street," said Bob Saunderson, a commercial real estate broker who has spent eight years putting together a plan to fix up the strip. "It will become somewhere you can be proud of, to take some friends or visitors."
Under the plan, designers have taken away 53 parking spaces on Bloor, between Church Street and University Avenue. This will allow them to widen the sidewalks by about 1.25 metres on either side. The new sidewalks, made of coloured granite, will boast "hundreds" of tall, stately London plane trees.
Many saplings that the city plants die because the city does not water them; this plan calls for an underground irrigation system.
"If you can water these darn things, we will have a city full of trees," enthused Mr. Saunderson, the former chairman of the 500-member Bloor-Yorkville Business Improvement Area.
Tulips in spring, geraniums in summer, ornamental kale in fall and globe cedars in winter will accompany the trees in flower beds.
Brown + Storey Architects, who reworked St. George Street through the University of Toronto campus and also designed Yonge-Dundas Square, are the designers of the Bloor Street Transformation Project.
Explaining the plan three years ago, Kim Storey said, "You slow the pedestrian down, so it's a stroll."
At that time, the merchants had pledged $10-million and the city $10-million, and the group had asked Ottawa and Queen's Park for another $10-million. The upper tiers of government balked. The Mayor will explain today how the city will proceed without that financial help.
Yesterday, Ms. Storey said little. "It's good news I think. I don't want to steal anybody's thunder for tomorrow."
Mr. Saunderson said planners are contemplating spending more than $1-million for art to adorn the street, which has been modelled on North Michigan Avenue in Chicago, trumpeted by its boosters as "The Magnificient Mile." In Chicago, according to the BIA, a $36-million public investment resulted in a 33% growth in retail square footage.
The boosters note that New York spent $300-million in public money refurbishing Times Square, which led to $2.5-billion in private investment.
The timing is right, Mr. Saunderson noted: the Royal Ontario Museum, Royal Conservatory of Music and Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, at the west edge of the Bloor strip, are all in transformation. "Our street will be the red carpet to the ROM," he said.
The strip boasts the country's densest cluster of high-end retailers, including Hermes, Chanel, Prada and Holt Renfrew. On average, the stores bring in $1,000 per year per square foot, compared with about $600 per square foot at the Yorkdale Mall, Mr. Saunderson said.
pkuitenbrouwer@nationalpost.com
© National Post 2006
AoD
From the Post:
New Bloor: nicer to walk, harder to park
Plan revealed today
Peter Kuitenbrouwer, National Post
Published: Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Mayor David Miller is set to announce today a plan to finally make Bloor Street -- which boosters call Canada's premier shopping strip -- a nice place for a stroll.
"We have great stores and a horrible street," said Bob Saunderson, a commercial real estate broker who has spent eight years putting together a plan to fix up the strip. "It will become somewhere you can be proud of, to take some friends or visitors."
Under the plan, designers have taken away 53 parking spaces on Bloor, between Church Street and University Avenue. This will allow them to widen the sidewalks by about 1.25 metres on either side. The new sidewalks, made of coloured granite, will boast "hundreds" of tall, stately London plane trees.
Many saplings that the city plants die because the city does not water them; this plan calls for an underground irrigation system.
"If you can water these darn things, we will have a city full of trees," enthused Mr. Saunderson, the former chairman of the 500-member Bloor-Yorkville Business Improvement Area.
Tulips in spring, geraniums in summer, ornamental kale in fall and globe cedars in winter will accompany the trees in flower beds.
Brown + Storey Architects, who reworked St. George Street through the University of Toronto campus and also designed Yonge-Dundas Square, are the designers of the Bloor Street Transformation Project.
Explaining the plan three years ago, Kim Storey said, "You slow the pedestrian down, so it's a stroll."
At that time, the merchants had pledged $10-million and the city $10-million, and the group had asked Ottawa and Queen's Park for another $10-million. The upper tiers of government balked. The Mayor will explain today how the city will proceed without that financial help.
Yesterday, Ms. Storey said little. "It's good news I think. I don't want to steal anybody's thunder for tomorrow."
Mr. Saunderson said planners are contemplating spending more than $1-million for art to adorn the street, which has been modelled on North Michigan Avenue in Chicago, trumpeted by its boosters as "The Magnificient Mile." In Chicago, according to the BIA, a $36-million public investment resulted in a 33% growth in retail square footage.
The boosters note that New York spent $300-million in public money refurbishing Times Square, which led to $2.5-billion in private investment.
The timing is right, Mr. Saunderson noted: the Royal Ontario Museum, Royal Conservatory of Music and Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art, at the west edge of the Bloor strip, are all in transformation. "Our street will be the red carpet to the ROM," he said.
The strip boasts the country's densest cluster of high-end retailers, including Hermes, Chanel, Prada and Holt Renfrew. On average, the stores bring in $1,000 per year per square foot, compared with about $600 per square foot at the Yorkdale Mall, Mr. Saunderson said.
pkuitenbrouwer@nationalpost.com
© National Post 2006
AoD
G
GregWTravels
Guest
Re: Bloor Street Revitalization
That's cool. I've always felt the two streets share a lot in common - high end stores that I can't afford to shop in!
Nice to see wider sidewalks anways - I'm sick of having to duck around people by taking the street.
That's cool. I've always felt the two streets share a lot in common - high end stores that I can't afford to shop in!
Nice to see wider sidewalks anways - I'm sick of having to duck around people by taking the street.
C
Canuck 36
Guest
Re: Bloor Street Revitalization
Great news. I was worried for this project.
Great news. I was worried for this project.
A
AlvinofDiaspar
Guest
Re: Bloor Street Revitalization
And here is more info (w/ renderings) from the Brown + Storey website:
www.brownandstorey.com/pr.../bloor.htm
AoD
And here is more info (w/ renderings) from the Brown + Storey website:
www.brownandstorey.com/pr.../bloor.htm
AoD
Y
yyzer
Guest
Re: Bloor Street Revitalization
The press conference is at 11...
Attention News/Assignment Editors:
Press Conference Media Advisory - Bloor-Yorkville BIA
City of Toronto and Bloor-Yorkville BIA Announce Details for Multi-
Million Dollar Bloor Street Transformation Project
TORONTO, May 24 /CNW/ -
<<
What: Mayor David Miller and Councillor Kyle Rae will provide
details on the multi-million dollar Bloor Street
Transformation Project, a joint effort between the City and
the Bloor-Yorkville Business Improvement Area to revitalize
one of Tornto's great streets. Information will be provided
on timing and overall costs. Project renderings will also be
available.
When: Wednesday, May 24th at 11:00 AM.
Where: Members Lounge - Toronto City Hall on Queen Street.
Speakers: Mayor David Miller, Councillor Kyle Rae and Gordon Dreger,
Chair of the Bloor-Yorkville BIA.
>>
For further information: Media Contact: Chris McDowall, Holmes Creative
Communications, (416) 628-5648, (416) 648-5651 cell, cmcdowall@hccink.com
The press conference is at 11...
Attention News/Assignment Editors:
Press Conference Media Advisory - Bloor-Yorkville BIA
City of Toronto and Bloor-Yorkville BIA Announce Details for Multi-
Million Dollar Bloor Street Transformation Project
TORONTO, May 24 /CNW/ -
<<
What: Mayor David Miller and Councillor Kyle Rae will provide
details on the multi-million dollar Bloor Street
Transformation Project, a joint effort between the City and
the Bloor-Yorkville Business Improvement Area to revitalize
one of Tornto's great streets. Information will be provided
on timing and overall costs. Project renderings will also be
available.
When: Wednesday, May 24th at 11:00 AM.
Where: Members Lounge - Toronto City Hall on Queen Street.
Speakers: Mayor David Miller, Councillor Kyle Rae and Gordon Dreger,
Chair of the Bloor-Yorkville BIA.
>>
For further information: Media Contact: Chris McDowall, Holmes Creative
Communications, (416) 628-5648, (416) 648-5651 cell, cmcdowall@hccink.com
A
alklay
Guest
Re: Bloor Street Revitalization
This is great news. Just the trees alone with make a heck of a difference (what? no skinny twigs in cracked concrete containers?). And I too was worried about this project (and their reliance on government funding).
This is great news. Just the trees alone with make a heck of a difference (what? no skinny twigs in cracked concrete containers?). And I too was worried about this project (and their reliance on government funding).
S
samplain
Guest
Re: Bloor Street Revitalization
Will they replace the granite with patches of asphault when they dig for utilities?
Will they replace the granite with patches of asphault when they dig for utilities?
B
beaconer
Guest
Re: Bloor Street Revitalization
Many saplings that the city plants die because the city does not water them; this plan calls for an underground irrigation system.
If the city planted a tree outside my shop (if I had one), I'd water it, or would have an employee water it every day...
Many saplings that the city plants die because the city does not water them; this plan calls for an underground irrigation system.
If the city planted a tree outside my shop (if I had one), I'd water it, or would have an employee water it every day...
M
Mike in TO
Guest
Re: Bloor Street Revitalization
They should put a star in the ground or a little monument to Ben Kerr at Yonge and Bloor as part of the revitalization.
They should put a star in the ground or a little monument to Ben Kerr at Yonge and Bloor as part of the revitalization.
F
fiendishlibrarian
Guest
Re: Bloor Street Revitalization
Everything I've read and heard indicated that this project was supposed to start next year. That's great news. Where did they get the extra money?
Edit: Oops, the article states that the source of funding will be revealed. In between this and St. Clair, that's two major streets getting long-needed makeovers.
Everything I've read and heard indicated that this project was supposed to start next year. That's great news. Where did they get the extra money?
Edit: Oops, the article states that the source of funding will be revealed. In between this and St. Clair, that's two major streets getting long-needed makeovers.
B
beaconer
Guest
Re: Bloor Street Revitalization
They should put a star in the ground or a little monument to Ben Kerr at Yonge and Bloor as part of the revitalization.
Or a bronze statue where he used to sing..
They should put a star in the ground or a little monument to Ben Kerr at Yonge and Bloor as part of the revitalization.
Or a bronze statue where he used to sing..
M
miketoronto
Guest
Re: Bloor Street Revitalization
Well its about time. We need projects like this to help downtown compete against suburban malls and big box centres.
Its time our downtown worried about things like how our streets are presented.
Now if only the buildings on Bloor could be made into more stunning pieces of work
Well its about time. We need projects like this to help downtown compete against suburban malls and big box centres.
Its time our downtown worried about things like how our streets are presented.
Now if only the buildings on Bloor could be made into more stunning pieces of work
O
Oliver Tweed
Guest
Re: Bloor Street Revitalization
This increases demand even further for One Bloor East to go up. Or at least something other than what is there. That intersection is an embarassment and it's only going to look worse when the rest of the street starts to look better.
Good news, though. There is a serious need for this. I wonder how much mature trees are to purchase. I know they are expensive. I wonder if the size of the trees in the rendering is accurate or if they will be much smaller.
This increases demand even further for One Bloor East to go up. Or at least something other than what is there. That intersection is an embarassment and it's only going to look worse when the rest of the street starts to look better.
Good news, though. There is a serious need for this. I wonder how much mature trees are to purchase. I know they are expensive. I wonder if the size of the trees in the rendering is accurate or if they will be much smaller.
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AlvinofDiaspar
Guest
Re: Bloor Street Revitalization
fiendish:
I think here is the funding model they're going to announce:
www.toronto.ca/legdocs/20.../it024.pdf
AoD
fiendish:
I think here is the funding model they're going to announce:
www.toronto.ca/legdocs/20.../it024.pdf
AoD