Tewder said:
Seems a bit late to be installing a christmas tree. Should have been done after Halloween.
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+1 hahahaha if xmas commercials start november 1st then why not trees. Im guna start putting green clovers and guinness posters up january 2nd!
 
I walked along Bloor for the first time since the revitalization was mostly complete and it seems to be coming together with Spring approaching. Some observations:

- The trees look strong and well kept. I love the grates.
- Ashley's decision not to participate makes it look ugly, out of place and unkempt. They're the losers here.
- There are not enough of the bike posts, although I love the ones they used. We just need more.
- Even on a rainy/snowy day, the streets were full of pedestrians.

Despite the delays, I think this Bloor Revitalization is one for other BIA's to model. It's a truly beautiful makeover.
 
When does the public art arive !
 
MetroMan said:
- Ashley's decision not to participate makes it look ugly, out of place and unkempt. They're the losers here.
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None of the areas on the Manulife Centre's property on Bloor was done, nor the Colonnade. All in all though a huge success, be sure to check it out in the spring/summer & fall - it's even better then!
 
MetroMan said:
- Ashley's decision not to participate makes it look ugly, out of place and unkempt. They're the losers here.
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Agree. I'll shop there when they decide to invest in the pavement in front of their store. They're not getting a dime from me till they smarten up.
 
Does anyone have any more info about this? Couldn't really find anything else about it. Sounds interesting:

Sure, it hasn’t all been rosy for residents and businesses given the construction of the past two years that gave the main thoroughfare a facelift. The Bloor Street Transformation Project from Avenue Road to Church Street — a $20-million initiative fully funded by area businesses — has resulted in wide granite sidewalks and curbs, planting of 134 London Plane trees and 20,000 tulip bulbs, a sustainable soil cell system to promote optimal growth, and new bike rings and benches. A $1-million permanent art installation will go live at the Bloor/Yonge intersection later this year. Briar de Lange, executive director of the Bloor-Yorkville Business Improvement Area, calls it “the icing on the cake.â€

“It’s a gift to the city from the Bloor Street community,†says Mr. Saunderson, chair of the Bloor Street Business Improvement Area that was formed exclusively to secure funding for the transformation project.
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Link: http://life.nationalpost.com/2012/02/17/street-smarts-footloose-and-fancy-in-torontos-yorkville/
 
dt_toronto_geek said:
None of the areas on the Manulife Centre's property on Bloor was done, nor the Colonnade. All in all though a huge success, be sure to check it out in the spring/summer & fall - it's even better then!
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Granite has been warehoused so these retailers can step up when they are ready. Colonnade is excusable since they may not have the revenues to cover this stuff. But Manulufe Centre/Ashley's is inexcusable - this is a very successful location.
 
buildup said:
Granite has been warehoused so these retailers can step up when they are ready. Colonnade is excusable since they may not have the revenues to cover this stuff. But Manulufe Centre/Ashley's is inexcusable - this is a very successful location.
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That's good to know that they have some granite stored away for when the cheapskates are ready to step up. Every time I walk by the RBC branch I applaud them for getting on board and installing the granite all the way to their front doors. It looks beautiful. Very well done.
 
buildup said:
Granite has been warehoused so these retailers can step up when they are ready.
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Or to replace spots that are already having trouble, primarily (I think) because of large trucks driving up on the sidewalk: NW corner at Avenue & Bloor by the Park Hyatt, SE corner of St. Thomas & Bloor at Victorionox, and in the driveway near HMV near Y&B.
 
Plus the stretch between the Xerox building and Yonge will eventually need to be done once One Bloor is complete. I hope they have plenty of granite in storage!
 
I was doing research at the Toronto Archives a couple of weeks ago, and I discovered an interesting folder relating to Bloor in the Yorkville area. Apparently, there was once a major conflict between the BIA and street vendors in the late 1980s. Street vendors were doing business around Yonge and Bloor, selling all sorts of merchandise on the sidewalks (not just hot dogs), while the BIA wanted them gone. They pressured the city to require permits of all vendors and to have more regulation in general. I just flipped through the files in the folder like the street vendor correspondences with supporter Jack Layton out of interest; I wasn't researching this particular topic. But the end result is clear: no merchandise street vendors. Now even the basic hot dog vendors have gotten the shaft from the BIA. And so, a facet of a vibrant city with informal entrepreneurship on busy sidewalks is being wiped out by the conservatism of elite merchants. One might say it's just Yorkville, but there are many BIAs which aspire to that sort of upmarket image that might adopt the same attitudes, even if they can coexist with vendors and having more vendors means more business happening overall.
 
On the other hand if a business has chipped in to help pay for the Bloor Street revitalization, and is saddled with municipal property taxes, I could understand them resenting a hot dog vendor squatting in front of their storefront without any of the associated costs.
 
junctionist said:
I was doing research at the Toronto Archives a couple of weeks ago, and I discovered an interesting folder relating to Bloor in the Yorkville area. Apparently, there was once a major conflict between the BIA and street vendors in the late 1980s. Street vendors were doing business around Yonge and Bloor, selling all sorts of merchandise on the sidewalks (not just hot dogs), while the BIA wanted them gone. They pressured the city to require permits of all vendors and to have more regulation in general. I just flipped through the files in the folder like the street vendor correspondences with supporter Jack Layton out of interest; I wasn't researching this particular topic. But the end result is clear: no merchandise street vendors. Now even the basic hot dog vendors have gotten the shaft from the BIA. And so, a facet of a vibrant city with informal entrepreneurship on busy sidewalks is being wiped out by the conservatism of elite merchants. One might say it's just Yorkville, but there are many BIAs which aspire to that sort of upmarket image that might adopt the same attitudes, even if they can coexist with vendors and having more vendors means more business happening overall.
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I don't remember seeing many (if any) street vendors on Fifth Ave in NYC when I was there this past summer. I may not be remembering correctly though. Point being TO is not the only place where this elitism takes place. And in a way I can't say I disagree. I think Bloor has an image that should be upheld. Let street vendors hang out around Yonge and Dundas. :D
 
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