Undead
Senior Member
Blame the real estate bubble.
- Thread starter ten_eighteen
- Start date
UrbanDan
Active Member
I believe that this is a perfect area for much more density as it is so well connected (Go, Up, line 2...) and close to High Park, Bloor West Village and (relatively) Downtown. I would definitely like to see higher towers around this transit hub. On the other hand, major improvements of the public realm is so desperately needed.
AlbertC
Superstar
This project is being marketed as "The Sterling Automotive":
www.thesterlingautomotive.com
Condominium | The Sterling Automotive
Lamb Development Corp.'s Latest Toronto Condominium The Sterling Automotive. Register for the most up to date information and releases.
www.thesterlingautomotive.com
vic
Senior Member
Hmmm.... Not on Sterling, and not part of the Tower Automotive property. Shrug.
adHominem
Senior Member
Maybe it's a tribute to the several auto repair shops it's taking out?
I think this is a lost opportunity for some commercial on the ground floor along the laneway. Not retail necessarily, but workshop space or galleries or at least live/works or something. There's potential to build on the galleries and small workspaces in the area to make a cool little mews along here, and lord knows it's a type of space that's disappearing from the city.
Ward8
Active Member
I agree. At minimum the units should be accessible from the laneway and not from an internal hallway (hard to tell from the renders). If they're going to market it as "sterling automotive" they could always include garage doors on the laneway street level units. Not as garages, but in lieu of patio doors. It would make retail/live work conversions easier. At the moment it's definitely a monotonous blob at ground level.
Johnny Au
Senior Member
Northern Light
Superstar
Preliminary Report for this one to the January 12th meeting of TEYCC.
Report here:
Of note from the report:
The application, as currently proposed is not supported by staff based on the issues outlined in this report.
The following preliminary issues have been identified:
The application as currently submitted is not acceptable to City Planning staffand cannot be supported in its current form given the aforementioned issues that relate to site organization, built form, height, massing, density, the extension of Ruttan Street, and adjacency issues related to Neighbourhoods,among other matters.Staff will continue to work with the applicant toaddress the issues outlined in this report in order to proceed to a positivefinal report.
Report here:
Of note from the report:
The application, as currently proposed is not supported by staff based on the issues outlined in this report.
The following preliminary issues have been identified:
The application as currently submitted is not acceptable to City Planning staffand cannot be supported in its current form given the aforementioned issues that relate to site organization, built form, height, massing, density, the extension of Ruttan Street, and adjacency issues related to Neighbourhoods,among other matters.Staff will continue to work with the applicant toaddress the issues outlined in this report in order to proceed to a positivefinal report.
ADRM
Senior Member
See you at the Board!
concrete_and_light
Active Member
I really don't know what they were thinking not doing this. The potential is clear and redevelopment here could enable an incredible space if done well. It seems like a tremendous lost opportunity, like they aren't even really paying attention to make something good for the neighbourhood (which would also be good for the people who end up living there).
Luckily it seems the city very much agrees ("treatment and animation of the ground floor uses" and "inadequate interface of the proposed built form with the adjacent public realm") and I hope that we get a better result out of the process.
The above render of the building's south end is really actually quite cool I think, but even more just makes the benefit of having that space be commercial or live/work even more glaringly obvious. Why isn't the end a cafe unit? It would be perfect! Why don't they make the space around the side into a public square style space with stores or live/work spaces along the edge. That would be the great!
Activation like that there would be very natural and fit in with and compliment the adjacent buildings which also have live/work uses, turning a redevelopment into a positive thing for the community instead of mostly a negative threat pointing towards the redevelopment of other vibrant but threatened spaces nearby. Hopefully the developer picks up the ball that is this opportunity, runs with it, and just takes this obvious win.
UtakataNoAnnex
Senior Member
The city really doesn't like this building. It almost seems personal...
karledice
Senior Member
It's a mess but better than what is there now. This isn't the most glitzy part of town so this would be better than anything around it even
concrete_and_light
Active Member
This is how we end up with a self-perpetuating cluster of bad buildings. So many buildings in this area completely neglect the streetlevel or are actively hostile, but then if everyone follows that low standard that's been set, it never changes and just gets worse until the entire area is built out and sucks for a generation.
And I get what you're saying and don't take offence at it (I live in the area), but buildings serving their community well shouldn't be only reserved for glitzy parts of towns. I agree that there have been some ill-advised buildings built around this, but we shouldn't let that determine the area's future. I also don't know that I agree that it's better than what's there now — what's there now is some buildings that support small businesses and could adapt to facilitate more fine-grain urbanism in the future.
This area will also be extremely close to the new Lansdowne GO station and another bicycle path as part of the Davenport Diamond and is already close to the Railpath, Lansdowne TTC, and tons of connectivity at Dundas West station. The Junction Triangle also has a highly unique urban form that could flourish if tended well. We should 100% be investing in making this area better than it is now and not just following the low standard set by previous developments.
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karledice
Senior Member
Ok that is a good point, I only mentioned it's better than what is there in terms of architecture, which is a parking lot and some non descript bland building
You're right needs retail to support small business
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daniel_kryz
Active Member
Definitely agree. The design language is actually pretty elegant, but it just doesn't contribute to the community in any way. If done right, this neighbourhood can be become a model for mid-rise neighbourhoods (see T3 Sterling Road). At the end of the day, places are more important than buildings.