marsh said:
Any ohter comments from the community consultation meeting? What's the time frame on this development? Thanks
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I've got a few pieces that I scrapped from the article due to length and relevancy. But to your question, there is no clear time frame for this development yet. This is going to be a complex development from a bureaucratic perspective, so it's really hard to pin down any firm details. A few people asked the developer at the community meeting, but nothing firm was given.

The building itself would take about 30 months to complete. That's not atypical for most development of this size, although there are still a lot of unknowns that won't be answered until approval is granted for Lanterra* to start construction.

As for the public park, that's a big question mark. Nak Design has pitched a concept, but they're going to be looking for feedback from the community. I believe (not confirmed) that some UTS students are looking to do a design charrette on the park too. There are a lot of questions about what the park will ultimately be. Given how enthusiastic Councillor Wong-Tam and the local neighbourhood association are for the park (and putting aside the question of the building), I suspect that there will be a push to have it opened ASAP. There was a stated desire for shady trees, park benches, a water feature, and a doggy run, and then there's the question of whether or not to re-adapting the condo office (rather than tearing it down) so who knows at this point.

Some comments that didn't make it into the article:

  • One resident suggested that Breadalbane Street should (like part of Gould St on the Ryerson campus) but closed off to car traffic, in order to create a solid connection between the new park on the north side, and the one next to the YMCA on the south side. I think it's safe to say that residents were divided on this idea.
  • The same resident also suggested a scramble intersection (like the ones at Yonge/Bloor and Yonge/Dundas) for Yonge/Wellesley. Didn't get a read either way on that one.
  • Some residents asked that the developer consider more family units (they have not figured out a floor plan as of the meeting, so no numbers to give there), and one resident suggested a playspace for children who live in the building.

It's worth stressing once again that this was a pretty cordial meeting all things considered. It will be interesting to see how the various actors respond to this proposal in the upcoming months.

- Eddie

*EVERY time I wrote that "Lanterra" in the article, I'd have to stop myself from writing "Pantera" instead. I don't even listen to metal!
 
innsertnamehere said:
amazed they are launching so fast. I would think that they would launch 501 Yonge first.
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They get to collect rent at 501 while they do the sales for this property, which is basically a dust bowl. Makes sense, to proceed with this lot first, and then follow up with other properties that are still generating revenue later on, than having two giant dustbowls sitting on Yonge Street.
 
In this one case, I like the 'single tower in a large park' setup. The density all around justifies it.
 
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This site actually could do well with a small library looking out onto the park. I know there's the Reference Library up at Bloor, but this spot is exactly equidistant from all other nearby libraries and could be well-poised to serve the new population that came in with the condo boom.

Otherwise, I hope they actually put retail facing out onto the park in order to blur the edges a bit. It sucks when a park ends in a faceless wall.

The laneways running behind Yonge could also be utilized in a unique fashion.
 
"11 Wellesley’s iconic wavy design breaks away from the conventional boxy architecture seen in many new downtown condos."

That's a real quote from the website's marketing tagline. Of all the things to say about it, it *must* be a good design because it's wavy!
 
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