That too, I'm sure, but I think spatial considerations are also in their minds. With a complex new building housing various uses on different levels they have questions about whether or not they'll have an equally large uninterrupted space on a single level.
 
Automation Gallery said:
Lol:D So its already doomed before a shovel hits the ground...
Cant believe the vendors are happy with that stinky eyesore they're in...i think the bigger picture here is that they know its probably going to cost them a bit more for a table/spot in the new venue
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AG, that info was available from the onset. Vendors in the market expressed concern as well. To have less square footage of the sales floor is a very legitimate concern and has nothing to do with the cost of a table ( an odd conclusion to jump to). It is not too much to ask for a new space to remain as functional as it was previously as well as to expect there to be sufficient space for growth (the SLM neighbourhood is not getting any less dense; you cannot expect to add thousands of people to a neighbourhood without increasing amenities.) It is important to look at and think about the bigger picture.
 
File it under 'rumours', I suppose, but a couple of sources I've spoken to recently at the Sunday Market say that nothing in the way of construction will happen until 2014.
 
I have had conversations with farmers at the Farmers market on numerous occasions and many of them say the same thing; the building is almost invisible to new patrons, the site lacks adequate facilities for vendors, this includes parking and transit of goods to and from facility, and ultimately the building lacks an identity.

They feel that if the building were more open, more attractive, and better connected in terms of everything from visibility to the main building to access by all modes of transit/traffic, that they would have a lot more success at bringing their foods to us city dwellers and in-turn make a better living for themselves. John Rowe, a mainstay farmer and a family friend for years, mentioned that whatever they do, it will be beneficial to all who use it. The fact that the building will have underground parking, the fact that the building will be alive 7 days a week - be truly multifunctional - and civic in all its program, or the fact that it will create and add to the new identity for the entire market area, is a win-win situation for all.

One thing he did mention however, being on the board, was that his suggestion was to build to the south and have a direct connection at L2 into the what is now the South building; don't build a new parking structure or even excavate for parking, but incorporate the parking garage down the street on the esplanade that has over a thousand spaces I believe, and sits empty a lot. I disagree, however - not to mention the fact that the land on which the market now stands is actually land belonging to the farmers of ontario.

Regardless, I have been enjoying the markets on both sides for years and I am definitely looking forward to this new facility. Sure it will lack some of the dingy, dirty and grimy farm smell, but if the idea is to get more people to buy and eat local and promote local farming, this is probably one of the best ways to do it..hopefully.

p5
 
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p5connex said:
- not to mention the fact that the land on which the market now stands is actually land belonging to the farmers of ontario.

p5
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I have never heard that the farmers of Ontario own the land, do you have any evidence of this?
 
No evidence- in fact it is city property..so i stand corrected..however:

It is a long standing agreement between the city and the farmers of ontario, that this block, also known as market block shall remain a market space.
Not evidence but some insight..

"...1803 proclamation from Peter Hunter was published in the Upper Canada Gazette, establishing a public market on the 5.5 acre block to be held regularly on Saturdays (Firth 1962:128). The area became known as the Market Block. In 1814, the market received supplemental regulations in an Act of the Quarter Sessions of the Home District."
 
The recently approved Capital Budget says:

Funding of $60.636 million[plus$$ from Parking and Courts] is included in the 10-Year Recommended Capital Plan for the redevelopment of St. Lawrence Market North which will result in a multi-purpose, multi-storey facility containing a public market at grade and compatible ancillary uses on a mezzanine overlooking the market hall, three levels of Provincial Offences Act traffic courts above grade, and three levels of parking below grade.

Money starts being spent in 2014 and is finished in 2016 (See : http://www.toronto.ca/budget2012/pdf/cap12_an_fred.pdf)
 
So it wins a design competition and still goes to the DRP for revision? Odd.

Not that I'm complaining. I thought the final design was rather offensive.
 
Every good artist deserves good feedback to make their work even better. Whether the DRP will provide good feedback is debateable, but the process is important.
 
I'm not sure that great art was ever created by committee...
 
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