Mongo said:
You've got to love Urban Toronto. Here we have the possibility of a very tall, iconic building that might very well be even better than One Bloor East across the street, and people are already whining about how they would prefer smaller, less ambitious projects at the corner of Bloor and Yonge.
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It's Urban Toronto, not Toronto Skyscapers - and besides the complaint isn't necessarily height per se but the "grain" of the development. Not to mention it should be judged on its merit - just because one throws out "iconic" doesn't meant anyone should be sold on this proposal without a hint of a rendering.

AoD
 
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No one knows exactly how many plots the developer has bought and what the development plans are (height of the building, multiple buildings etc.). It's ok to speculate but making criticisms based on speculation is premature.
 
TDotTeen said:
Geez I hope they didn't buy all of those properties. Am I the only one tired of seeing massive developments which take up the whole block? I find it much more interesting and attractive when there are multiple narrower buildings side by side, creating a more varied streetscape. Toronto has way too many mega-developments in my opinion.
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The issue isn't whether it's 1 giant tower or 2 smaller towers, but how it's designed at grade. We still haven't mastered the art of building human scale on the first 1-3 floors and a massive tower above. All too often, the developer simply builds a giant podium with lots of doors at grade then passes it off as human scale. Buildings need more detail, colour, texture, and visual interest at street level. One giant pane of glass with a retail door every 25 feet just doesn't cut it.
 
Mongo said:
You've got to love Urban Toronto. Here we have the possibility of a very tall, iconic building that might very well be even better than One Bloor East across the street, and people are already whining about how they would prefer smaller, less ambitious projects at the corner of Bloor and Yonge.
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Agreed! It comes down to design. The two 'infill' towers Crystal Blue & Uptown are disasters. In fact we could use a few more big projects midtown.
 
Sorry if my comments came across as " whining" to some. I definitely didn't mean to whine. In fact I am very excited by this development and that is precisely why I am concerned. Also I completely understand that all of the info here so far is speculative, which is why I said "I hope." Of course it is too early to know what the devloper's plans are, and to complain would make no sense.

Also my concerns about monolithic structures dominating single blocks has very little to do with height. Many of the new supertalls being built in Manhattan take up single lots much smaller than much shorter structures in toronto (and many other cities to be sure). I think this is a better model to follow than the large-footprint development we see here, but maybe that sentiment isn't echoed by others here.

Finally I understand that a small lot doesn't guarantee a good building (see crystal blue and uptown) but that wasn't the point I was trying to make. I think smaller lots combined with good design can create an interesting and engaging urban fabric, which we seem to lack in our newer developments here in toronto.

Ps. None of my comments were meant to be negative. I was merely commenting on what I see to be a dominant trend in toronto development as of late. Sorry if my comment came across as overly negative.
 
TDotTeen said:
Sorry if my comments came across as " whining" to some. I definitely didn't mean to whine. In fact I am very excited by this development and that is precisely why I am concerned. Also I completely understand that all of the info here so far is speculative, which is why I said "I hope." Of course it is too early to know what the devloper's plans are, and to complain would make no sense.

Also my concerns about monolithic structures dominating single blocks has very little to do with height. Many of the new supertalls being built in Manhattan take up single lots much smaller than much shorter structures in toronto (and many other cities to be sure). I think this is a better model to follow than the large-footprint development we see here, but maybe that sentiment isn't echoed by others here.

Finally I understand that a small lot doesn't guarantee a good building (see crystal blue and uptown) but that wasn't the point I was trying to make. I think smaller lots combined with good design can create an interesting and engaging urban fabric, which we seem to lack in our newer developments here in toronto.

Ps. None of my comments were meant to be negative. I was merely commenting on what I see to be a dominant trend in toronto development as of late. Sorry if my comment came across as overly negative.
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There is no need to apologize to anyone for being "overly negative." Your concerns are valid and hopefully the developer and architects will pay careful attention to the design of this project's base, recognizing the site's importance in the landscape of Toronto. It would be a shame if Bloor & Yonge is not both socially enhanced and aesthetically improved by this new project. I would argue that even maintaining the status quo should not be deemed "good enough" for this site. We have seen enough condo developments in this city that give nothing back to the street. It is understandable you would be concerned about how a large-scale development would work at this vital corner of Toronto, even if it makes the skyscraper fan boys on here feel sad.
 
flonicky said:
They didn't. The height fanboys can't discuss any qualities besides "TALL".
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That is a slam on those who do not agree with your opinions (expressed in insulting language, to boot). Do you have any actual proof to support this allegation?
 
I have a long history of posts on this forum criticizing destruction of fine-grained human scale developments by "block-busting". However, in this instance I am somehow not as concerned. This site has more of a nodal than neighbourhood quality to me. I see large-scale interior spaces as entirely appropriate given the existing built forum (very little of which has redeeming quality). The site also sits at a major transportation cross-roads. I also feel there is a big difference between a large-scale development that is parceled together organically from existing properties and mega-developments on green or brown fields. Somehow developments that are organic in origin just feel and work better than their greenfield cousins. I'm not presenting this point as an excuse for tall buildings (which I am neutral on). I am just trying to explain to myself why for instance I feel OK with this lot assembly while for instance being against the lot assembly originally proposed by Mirvish on King Street (the original three tower proposal).
 
Mongo said:
That is a slam on those who do not agree with your opinions (expressed in insulting language, to boot). Do you have any actual proof to support this allegation?
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There was nothing wrong with the way that person expressed their opinion and they were backed into apologizing for being 'negative'.
 
flonicky said:
There was nothing wrong with the way that person expressed their opinion and they were backed into apologizing for being 'negative'.
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Do you often talk about yourself in the third person? I was talking about YOUR dismissive if not insulting comment.
 
Mongo said:
Do you often talk about yourself in the third person? I was talking about YOUR dismissive if not insulting comment.
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Glass house, meet stone:

Mongo said:
You've got to love Urban Toronto. Here we have the possibility of a very tall, iconic building that might very well be even better than One Bloor East across the street, and people are already whining about how they would prefer smaller, less ambitious projects at the corner of Bloor and Yonge.
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To all parties:

I trust that it is sufficient to terminate this back and forth from this point forward?

MoD
 
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We have a front page story up with a couple more details that people will be interested in!

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