Funny enough, I can definitely see these in 30-40 years be seen as the equivalent of this:

St_James_Town1.jpg


More different designs, yes, and Canoe Landing Park is a good part of the area, but it's not so far fetched as to think we're building 21st century "commie blocks".

By the way, this doesn't mean I dislike CityPlace, because I don't. I can just see the similarities.
 
I agree. The more things change, the more things stay the same. We don't seem to learn, especially when it comes to city hall demanding more from the developers. The lunatics are running the asylum.
 
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Learn what exactly ? Its almost like your making a blanket statement that dense neighborhoods don't do well long term ? Is it that simple ?

What other resemblance does cityplace have with St. James.


The lack of retail is being addressed to a certain degree in the new developments on the west side of the park, there is a lot of retail there. What else ?


The whole area St. James. is in generally became lower income, St. James. and eastward. It's changing a little bit now to the south with all the new developments (X / Casa ...).
But maybe St. James place is the way it is due to the area its in.

But yes, if the cityplace area expereinces the same thing, then sure ...


Yorkville was once poor as well.
 
I believe that as long as the downtown core remains vibrant Cityplace will never turn into St. James town. If there are always good jobs to be had in the CBD there is no reason why Cityplace won't continue to attract young professionals. The ability to walk to work, plus very good public transit is a key advantage to the area. It's proximity to cool neighbourhoods such as king and queen west is also an attraction for many.

In addition, Cityplace is all condos, not rental apartments. Owners have a much greater interest in ensuring the buildings are kept to a minimum standard.
 
While I don't think Cityplace will go the route of St. Jamestown en masse, a change in the neighbourhood as it ages/mature is inevitable. However, I am skeptical of the argument that proximity to downtown and other attractions will prevent deterioration. Also keep in mind a lot of the units are rented out - they're absentee owners.

AoD
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
Also keep in mind a lot of the units are rented out - they're absentee owners.

AoD
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Doesn't change the fact that there are owners who care about the buildings, and form the boards for these buildings. These owners are young professionals that have moved here because of its proximity to downtown. There is no way they will be allowed to deteriorate like rental buildings do. My building (Luna) has been pretty good at getting 'landlords' to evict their tenants after 3 strikes. Complaints are dealt with promptly and any damage or deficiencies get repaired as soon as possible. Owners, even if they are absentee, arent about to risk their investment by completely ignoring what goes on in the building.

You are right that the neighbourhood will change as it ages, and these changes can already be seen in the buildings East of Spadina, which are mostly owned units now as investors unload their inventory. The same thing will happen in the West end in a few years, and can already be seen as more units are being put up for sale.
 
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I have lived in Luna as well since March 2010. My girlfriend and I own our suite and we make every effort to ensure Property Management enforces a standard. This includes reporting excessive noise from parties on our floor, keeping a neighbour watch type of attitude and doing our best to ensure Luna is a safe and pleasant place to live. While Cityplace is not considered core downtown, it is within walking distance to many downtown attractions. Access to the highway (Gardner-QEW) is just the down the street.

We are happy here. Are there improvement that can be made? Sure, no place is perfect.

Those who think Cityplace is occupied by poor students. Think again. My 2004 Mazda3 is easily the lowest end car in the underground resident parking lot.
 
RedRaptor said:
Those who think Cityplace is occupied by poor students. Think again. My 2004 Mazda3 is easily the lowest end car in the underground resident parking lot.
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I have a few friends who live in Cityplace. I've seen bentleys, Range Rovers, Lambo, etc... People are not poor there. Poor people can't afford $1400 rent.
 
I honestly feel CityPlace is 'hated' by other condo/apartment/renters in Toronto the same way Toronto is 'hated' by the rest of Canada or NYC is 'hated' by middle America. CityPlace is as great a place to live in Toronto as Toronto is a great city in Canada. Is it hipster cool? No. But I've lived in hipster neighbourhoods and they suck.
 
hawc said:
I honestly feel CityPlace is 'hated' by other condo/apartment/renters in Toronto the same way Toronto is 'hated' by the rest of Canada or NYC is 'hated' by middle America. CityPlace is as great a place to live in Toronto as Toronto is a great city in Canada. Is it hipster cool? No. But I've lived in hipster neighbourhoods and they suck.
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LOL....sure we're envious of City Place.....
 
JayBee said:
I have a few friends who live in Cityplace. I've seen bentleys, Range Rovers, Lambo, etc... People are not poor there. Poor people can't afford $1400 rent.
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I know a few people who live in CP, and I've always been under the impression that there are many single or DINK renters with expensive cars, which I always find kind of funny since it's like they've spent what would have been a down payment on a condo on fancy wheels. Renting can obviously be a good option for many for a variety of reasons, of course, but the guy with the $60-80,000 car who rents tends to be an older version of the guy who still lives with his parents and drives a $40-50,000 car. I'm sure the very expensive cars, like the Bentleys, are owned by people who own penthouses though.

For the record, I don't see CP becoming St. Jamestown. It might lose some of its appeal once it starts to age, and its price appreciation might be lower than in other parts of the city over the long term, but it will always be a respectable place to live.
 
I would say a lot of the hatred towards CP is snobbery by the folks who live in the older sections of the city, whether homeowners or renters in older Victorian-era buildings. CP is viewed as the place ppl new to Toronto live. When ppl call it ghetto, I doubt they're implying it's filled with poor ppl. It's like some folks I know that live in Parkdale--hipsters you could say--that would never dream of living on Jameson or associating with those newcomers to Canada that live there.

The same snobbery/fear of the newcomer is playing out in my neighbourhood, with the established locals trying to stop Daniels from building High Park Residences.

Now the hipsters/regular people that live in established 'hoods do have some validity to their argument--it is true that many condo kids come from the 905 and are possibly ignorant of the older Toronto.
 
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