torontologist said:
They're nearing an agreement with the city, and it's rental, so they don't have to wait for sales. Should start excavation by the end of the year.
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I think that's close to impossible. They still need to agree with the city and there are no guarantees how long that could take. They could start demolishing the buildings that aren't heritage protected immediately. Say the mentioned June date is correct. Next they need to complete the design and engineering (not even close to this stage yet as the city hasn't agreed to anything). If they really want to expedite they can start shoring before the detailed design is complete but this could be very tricky as there are lots of heritage buildings that need to be built around or moved. This makes me doubt they will start shoring before the engineering and design is 100% complete. They also need to do some geotech studies before that can happen and get a permit (not hard to get though). Only then can they start digging. I'd be amazed if they start excavating before June 2018. There are still lots of complex steps before excavation can begin and that means time. You won't see an excavator on this site doing much more then demolish or digging a soil sampling trench for years yet. My prediction is the site will sit empty/demolished for a long time before construction begins. Similar to the Yonge and Bloor site unfortunately. It's not unusual for large developments to take a decade to complete their first phase from initial proposal submission. That puts use around 2020-21 before excavation/shoring begins.
 
DonValleyRainbow said:
I'll join others in thinking Westbank has been tweaking and tweaking for the better. I am a bit skeptical of the rooftop trees though. I have yet to see a rooftop tree of significant size implemented in Toronto, it will take a lot of tender care, waterproofing and structure protection from the tree's roots. In fact, the only rooftop tree I can ever recall seeing was in Vancouver, where it has a generally wet climate to help support elevated vegetation.
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Picaso has some (technically not roof top more like roof top balcony) and the building on the southwest corner of College and Bathurst beside the parking lot. Only a ~10 story building but it has trees up there around the back.
 
A before picture:

Honest Eds Stuffed.jpg


And a couple more photos from my personal goodbye to the building during my visit to the art maze at Honest Ed's yesterday:

Honest Ed's.jpg

It really is a Frankenstein of a building:

Honest Ed's (2).jpg
 

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Another public meeting this Thursday, more info at Joe Cressy's website:

When: Thursday, March 2, 2017
Time: 6:30pm – 7pm – Open House / 7pm – 8:30pm – Presentations & Open Forum
Where: 777 Bloor Street West – Bickford Centre – Cafeteria
 
http://globalnews.ca/news/3303075/torontos-iconic-honest-eds-building-vandalized/

Toronto’s iconic Honest Ed’s building vandalized

By Ashley Carter Reporter/Producer Global News

For nearly 70 years, Honest Ed’s was a Toronto landmark. But the once vibrant building at Bathurst Street and Bloor Street West is now covered in graffiti.

“It was such a beautiful institution in the city and then all of a this stuff started popping up, and it’s such a shame because the whole thing starts to feel like its being gentrified,” said area resident Ellie Wiedensmith.

The family-run store was sold to the development company Westbank three years ago and the store closed its doors for good on Dec. 31.

Since then, the building has been abandoned while Westbank waits for the green light from the city to redevelop the land. Area residents said since the closure, the building has been vandalized and covered in graffiti.

But according to the City of Toronto’s bylaws, the owner of the property is responsible to remove the graffiti – even if the building is going to be demolished.

After Global News alerted city staff of the spray paint, they sent a warning letter to Westbank saying they have 30 days to clean up the graffiti. After that deadline, the company could face a $300 fine.

Cressy is on the board of the Mirvish Village BIA and said the graffiti is cause for concern, but added the owners are taking action.

“There are cameras now in place, there is 24-hour security now in place and there are motion-activated lights now in place that should help prevent future graffiti from coming,” said Cressy.

Westbank’s PR company told Global News the cameras and security guards were put in place on Wednesday.
 
who cares? why not encourage decent graffiti? Commission some good artists to do work on it, or demolish it and avoid all forms of graffiti.
 
AlbertC said:
http://globalnews.ca/news/3303075/torontos-iconic-honest-eds-building-vandalized/

Toronto’s iconic Honest Ed’s building vandalized

By Ashley Carter Reporter/Producer Global News

For nearly 70 years, Honest Ed’s was a Toronto landmark. But the once vibrant building at Bathurst Street and Bloor Street West is now covered in graffiti.

“It was such a beautiful institution in the city and then all of a this stuff started popping up, and it’s such a shame because the whole thing starts to feel like its being gentrified,” said area resident Ellie Wiedensmith.

The family-run store was sold to the development company Westbank three years ago and the store closed its doors for good on Dec. 31.

Since then, the building has been abandoned while Westbank waits for the green light from the city to redevelop the land. Area residents said since the closure, the building has been vandalized and covered in graffiti.

But according to the City of Toronto’s bylaws, the owner of the property is responsible to remove the graffiti – even if the building is going to be demolished.

After Global News alerted city staff of the spray paint, they sent a warning letter to Westbank saying they have 30 days to clean up the graffiti. After that deadline, the company could face a $300 fine.

Cressy is on the board of the Mirvish Village BIA and said the graffiti is cause for concern, but added the owners are taking action.

“There are cameras now in place, there is 24-hour security now in place and there are motion-activated lights now in place that should help prevent future graffiti from coming,” said Cressy.

Westbank’s PR company told Global News the cameras and security guards were put in place on Wednesday.
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A couple of things pop out at me here. First, why were the people at Global News such jerks that they felt the need to rat on the owner? Second, why would a developer care about a $300 fine? Even I don 't care about a $300 fine, so I can't imagine why a developer would take action on this.
 
When they redevelop aren't they going to tear the building down?

Sounds like a local news network trying to make a story out of nothing.
 
stjames2queenwest said:
who cares? why not encourage decent graffiti? Commission some good artists to do work on it, or demolish it and avoid all forms of graffiti.
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If work is commissioned by the owner, that is fine. But when you put graffiti on someone's property without permission you have done a bad thing. Even children understand this. It's called vandalism.
 
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