People in the casino could watch drunk clubbers drown as they attempt to make their way back to the parking lot at 3:00 AM.
 
someMidTowner said:
Club district = Alcohol
Surface Parking = Cars
Alcohol + Cars = dead people

Factor in the lack of public transit, and the isolation of the location, and it doesnt seem like a great idea at all....that is unless transit service makes the area more accessible
Click to expand...

it was a joke idea dude
 
gristle said:
People in the casino could watch drunk clubbers drown as they attempt to make their way back to the parking lot at 3:00 AM.
Click to expand...

Hahaha, i think it would be the other way around...clubbers sitting back and watching suicidal casino patrons (Before exiting to the parking lot at 3:00 AM) jumping off the Pod after a long night of gambling.:D
 
Automation Gallery said:
Hahaha, i think it would be the other way around...clubbers sitting back and watching suicidal casino patrons (Before exiting to the parking lot at 3:00 AM) jumping off the Pod after a long night of gambling.:D
Click to expand...

You might be joking but it's a serious concern if you knew how often suicides happened at Casino Niagara and the Fallsview.
 
Maybe the idea of putting a club district at Ontario Place is a good idea considering they've been trying to kill the existing club district.
 
How about we let the market decide where the most profitable place is to open a club ...
 
Yes... any form of government effort to establish a club district is very likely to fail miserably. The club district formed up organically and slowly over time. It's not as if it were a preplanned destination district, like some kind of Disneyland.
 
Well, the club district was a bit of a forced artificial creation. I remember when there was nothing down there (except the Barracks!). The city more or less made the decision to allow clubs to spring up there - while making it difficult to get licenses for new dance floors in neighbourhoods in the rest of the city. Living near the Church and Wellesley neighbourhood where the need to disco is paramount, the ban has been sorely felt.

For a city that prides itself on fine-grained Jane Jacobs-style mixed-use neighbourhoods, the creation of one big entertainment area at the expense of new neighbourhood places all around the city was a surprisingly clumsy move, IMO. Also, as a gay guy, the entertainment district on a weekend was not a place I would go had there even been new gay clubs there.

Especially now that there's practically nothing left of the entertainment district but condos, I'd like to see the city re-open the file on dance floors and clubs and allow new licenses to be issued all around the city - taking into account noise, crowds, etc., of course. Having allowed all the construction down there, I think they're responsibly obligated to.

On that note, and getting back on topic, I wouldn't want to see the Ex Grounds or Ontario Place being built up as a monolithic club district, either. It would entail a lot of divergent construction, for one thing - and who would do it? However - it's a great area with room for interesting projects that Toronto currently lacks - a planetarium, a big year-round water park and wave pool for example. What I'd really like to see is Toronto innovate again and do something that has not been done before - like we were doing in the '70's, when we first built the Science Centre and Ontario Place.

By the way - fun list, Action Jackson. If just some of your proposals were acted on, it would be a big boost to the area. I can't really imagine a feasible dome over the central lake, and I wouldn't touch the cinesphere. Nor would I move the central marina (though I think a few of the small, run-down geometric structures there could be considered for replacement). But there would be a lot of room to do all these things if, say, a pier or new landfill was put in to extend the park south-westward out into the lake. Personally, I'm for a heavy decking-over of Lakeshore Boulevard between Ontario Place and the Ex to allow 'natural' lakefront access. Very expensive. But, it could be done by building structures over it instead of just empty space - mid-rise live-work kinds of places that would bring and keep people there, while providing interest year 'round. Much like the glass-blowing studios at Harbourfront.
Since Ontario Place was paid for by the government, I think it's not unfair to suggest that the parkland itself be turned back over to the people, and that it be free to enter, with attractions on a 'pay per' basis. It's wonderfully landscaped, and has mature trees, and is a much-needed spot of green by the lake. I wouldn't want to see it built up. I think looking at ways to preserve the existing green space should be a top priority.

BTW I like AoD's suggestion that Waterfront Toronto get involved. I'd like to see what solutions they might come up with for the area.
 
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CanadianNational said:
What I'd really like to see is Toronto innovate again and do something that has not been done before - like we were doing in the '70's, when we first built the Science Centre and Ontario Place.
Click to expand...

It's hard to believe that at one time Toronto was at the forefront of urban design. The decade from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s was replete with innovative buildings. In addition to Ontario Place and the Science Centre, we had New City Hall, the CN Tower and Royal Bank Plaza, which was leading edge architecture for its time. If I recall correctly, the subway system of the time was also one of the best in North America, but has since been surpassed by many other systems. Not to mention the writings of Jane Jacobs.
 
CN:

One of the main "issues" is that the section of the waterfront at OP isn't publicly accessible - and in that sense of the word is served as a barrier. Plus the lump sum admission to OP just discourages casual visits. Any changes should move away from the above two situations.

AoD
 
I for one am sad to hear Ontario Place is closing. I have a lot of fond memories from childhood and still enjoy going. I took my niece there last summer with a family friend and we really enjoyed it.

Hopefully the park remains a place friendly for people of all ages when it reopens. I also hope the Cinesphere is retained, or at least integrated into the new plans.
 
syn said:
I for one am sad to hear Ontario Place is closing. I have a lot of fond memories from childhood and still enjoy going. I took my niece there last summer with a family friend and we really enjoyed it.

Hopefully the park remains a place friendly for people of all ages when it reopens. I also hope the Cinesphere is retained, or at least integrated into the new plans.
Click to expand...

I hope it's a little more adult friendly when it opens because right now, there is nothing there for adults. Over the years, they slowly removed almost all the adult attractions and just focused on attractions for kids under 12. Even teenagers thought it was lame. It definitely needs an overhaul but it does need to remain a public park.

Just last year, when I was there in September, they were building a new public promenade, with a huge landscaped area. They also renovated the inside of the Cinesphere with all new seating, screen and projection system so obviously the closing of Ontario Place was NOT planned out. Why would they spend millions of dollars to expand the water-play area and the Cinesphere and never even let the public use them? It makes no sense at all.
 
CanadianNational said:
Well, the club district was a bit of a forced artificial creation. I remember when there was nothing down there (except the Barracks!). The city more or less made the decision to allow clubs to spring up there - while making it difficult to get licenses for new dance floors in neighbourhoods in the rest of the city. Living near the Church and Wellesley neighbourhood where the need to disco is paramount, the ban has been sorely felt.

For a city that prides itself on fine-grained Jane Jacobs-style mixed-use neighbourhoods, the creation of one big entertainment area at the expense of new neighbourhood places all around the city was a surprisingly clumsy move, IMO. Also, as a gay guy, the entertainment district on a weekend was not a place I would go had there even been new gay clubs there.

Especially now that there's practically nothing left of the entertainment district but condos, I'd like to see the city re-open the file on dance floors and clubs and allow new licenses to be issued all around the city - taking into account noise, crowds, etc., of course. Having allowed all the construction down there, I think they're responsibly obligated to.

On that note, and getting back on topic, I wouldn't want to see the Ex Grounds or Ontario Place being built up as a monolithic club district, either. It would entail a lot of divergent construction, for one thing - and who would do it? However - it's a great area with room for interesting projects that Toronto currently lacks - a planetarium, a big year-round water park and wave pool for example. What I'd really like to see is Toronto innovate again and do something that has not been done before - like we were doing in the '70's, when we first built the Science Centre and Ontario Place.

By the way - fun list, Action Jackson. If just some of your proposals were acted on, it would be a big boost to the area. I can't really imagine a feasible dome over the central lake, and I wouldn't touch the cinesphere. Nor would I move the central marina (though I think a few of the small, run-down geometric structures there could be considered for replacement). But there would be a lot of room to do all these things if, say, a pier or new landfill was put in to extend the park south-westward out into the lake. Personally, I'm for a heavy decking-over of Lakeshore Boulevard between Ontario Place and the Ex to allow 'natural' lakefront access. Very expensive. But, it could be done by building structures over it instead of just empty space - mid-rise live-work kinds of places that would bring and keep people there, while providing interest year 'round. Much like the glass-blowing studios at Harbourfront.
Since Ontario Place was paid for by the government, I think it's not unfair to suggest that the parkland itself be turned back over to the people, and that it be free to enter, with attractions on a 'pay per' basis. It's wonderfully landscaped, and has mature trees, and is a much-needed spot of green by the lake. I wouldn't want to see it built up. I think looking at ways to preserve the existing green space should be a top priority.

BTW I like AoD's suggestion that Waterfront Toronto get involved. I'd like to see what solutions they might come up with for the area.
Click to expand...

great points... as a fellow "gay guy" I agree, especially about going out in the ED. Although in Miami this sort of thing worked (having most of the clubs in one area), but then again that's a different city.
 
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