IIRC, isn't there a proposal for the big parking lot just west of Verona? I assume that would mean this proposed building wouldn't extend into the parking lot.

Personally, I'm not crazy about *more* facades. The city seems to be on a facade binge recently. And this stretch of street seems to work quite well without a forty storey building above it. I'm not sure how a skyscraper + facades will improve things.
 
If there was ever another location for Five St. Joseph style treatment of a heritage block (below), this is it.


5stjosephs.JPG
 
I'm reasonably sure that one of the buildings included in this proposal is actually a reconstruction and not a heritage structure (the three floor brick building shown in one of the above photos).

I was speaking with one of the developer reps after the meeting, and he indicated that many of the buildings being used as restaurants likely don't meet code for their present use. I have no idea how true that is, but regardless, that little stretch of King is under some intense redevelopment pressure.
 
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gristle said:
I'm reasonably sure that one of the buildings included in this proposal is actually a reconstruction and not a heritage structure (the three floor brick building shown in one of the above photos).
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So, this means that it's not just the buildings to the west of Z-Teca that are being considered, but a building to the east? That makes the remaining heritage pretty isolated. And let's not forget that there is this proposal *behind* it. Check out the tight squeeze here.

There's no room to do a Five Street style treatment. They'll barely get any facades!
 
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i was looking at the site today and agree that there isn't the amount of room to have a big setback as there is in the "Five" development on Yonge. The lots are not very deep and there is another 15 story building right behind.
 
Well they are just going to have to get creative. "Five" did, and look at the L O V E it gets.
 
gristle said:
I'm reasonably sure that one of the buildings included in this proposal is actually a reconstruction and not a heritage structure (the three floor brick building shown in one of the above photos).
Click to expand...

I think I know what you're talking about--would it still be technically a "heritage structure", i.e. the reconstruction happened under the THB/Heritage Toronto's auspices?
 
Wow, what a catastrophe. The City really needs to start implementing some real heritage districts on its rapidly-dwindling and irreplaceable low-rise commercial strips. It's blindingly obvious that the base of some condo project will not have anywhere near the vitality of the existing buildings, facadectomy or no facadectomy. That block and a half stretch of King is pretty much the only vibrant walkable area south of Queen Street. To allow it to be destroyed is a travesty.
 
adma said:
I think I know what you're talking about--would it still be technically a "heritage structure", i.e. the reconstruction happened under the THB/Heritage Toronto's auspices?
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Actually adma, I was counting on your knowledge to help clarify those details. The representative I spoke with never made any mention of the point that you have raised.
 
Some more context 333 has been vacant for almost a year now. Bistro/Club Menage used to occupy the site but left almost 2 years ago. There's been a sign indicating a new restaurant "Paese" for nearly a year but no action.

Strange though that Forget about it was part of this purchase as well.
 
unimaginative2 said:
That block and a half stretch of King is pretty much the only vibrant walkable area south of Queen Street.
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King between John and Bathurst is actually very walkable, especially west of Spadina.

They've done a great job maintaining that district. What's the difference? More cooperative developers?


Woodbridge_Heights said:
There's been a sign indicating a new restaurant "Paese" for nearly a year but no action.
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Paese is finished and has been open for business for a couple of months now.
 
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grey said:
King between John and Bathurst is actually very walkable, especially west of Spadina.

They've done a great job maintaining that district. What's the difference? More cooperative developers?
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Yeah, I referred to a block and a half because the walkability definitely continues a little way west to Spadina, though it's not quite at the same level: some long empty expanses at the Shoppers, the M5V sales centre, Hudson, etc. West of Spadina it isn't terrible, but the density and vibrancy aren't quite the same. Anyway, it's a comparatively short stretch and would be a tragedy if it were turned into yet another parade of Rabbas, movie stores and dry cleaners with enormous glass towers looming above.


Paese is finished and has been open for business for a couple of months now.
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Yeah, they were giving out free slices of pizza to passers-by the other day.
 
...and how was the pizza? Better than average? Thin crust? Thick crust? Quality of ingredients?

42
 
Thin crust. Not bad. It was margherita. It wasn't crazy awesome buffalo mozzarella or something but it was a decent pizza.
 
gristle said:
Actually adma, I was counting on your knowledge to help clarify those details. The representative I spoke with never made any mention of the point that you have raised.
Click to expand...

I believe that is the case here: a "mandated" reconstruction-in-kind (more or less) from the 80s...
 
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