CityPlace is hardly a destroyed neighbourhood. The last time I was there, it felt like it was coming together quite well. The new schools/community centre will add another nice layer too.
I agree, I can't think of a condo-apartment neighborhood that is too much better than CityPlace (with the exception of ultra luxurious area like Yorkville), Liberty village maybe?
 
CityPlace is hardly a destroyed neighbourhood. The last time I was there, it felt like it was coming together quite well. The new schools/community centre will add another nice layer too.
100% agree (architecture aside). I'd pick this area to live over Liberty Village any-day of the week. You're by the water and close to the core – basically in walking distance to everywhere. I went for a stroll around there and was surprised at how the area has really developed and come to life. I do however wish there was more office space and a bit more retail to replace ground-level townhomes on a few of the main strips.
 
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Parade in particular should have had retail all along Dan Leckie instead of the "live-work" towns.

This development is going to have a huge amount of retail in it though. It'll probably become more of the retail centre for Cityplace and Fort York.
 
100% agree (architecture aside). I'd pick this area to live over Liberty Village any-day of the week. You're by the water and close to the core – basically in walking distance to everywhere. I went for a stroll around there and was surprised at how the area has really developed and come to life. I do however wish there was more office space and a bit more retail to replace ground-level townhomes on a few of the main strips.

Exactly. To me, the biggest problem with both CityPlace and LV is that they're both rather terrifying for pedestrians and cyclists. Their local streets are treated as thoroughfares by drivers avoiding the adjacent arterials, and CityPlace in particular winds up being a mess of congested vehicle fumes.

The LV BIA commissioned a great pedestrian-oriented planning study a few years back that would be transformative (but won't be, because money), and the CityPlace RA would be well served to do the same.
 
I should've specified here; aesthetic wise, Concord destroyed this neighborhood with their bland and soullessly designed buildings for the most part. CityPlace functions 100X better than Liberty Village ever will. LV is just an outright mess.
 
Exactly. To me, the biggest problem with both CityPlace and LV is that they're both rather terrifying for pedestrians and cyclists. Their local streets are treated as thoroughfares by drivers avoiding the adjacent arterials, and CityPlace in particular winds up being a mess of congested vehicle fumes.

The LV BIA commissioned a great pedestrian-oriented planning study a few years back that would be transformative (but won't be, because money), and the CityPlace RA would be well served to do the same.
I don't live in CityPlace but why in the world would anyone drive though CityPlace voluntarily. Turning onto Spadina can take longer than some people's entire commute.
 
From over the course of the weekend, first from Wellington Street at the Garrison Crossing:

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Man, in addition to the cladding being terrible... the proportions of these towers look terrible too. So short and squat. These really make me fear for Canada House. Imagine these things being twice the height and more prominent.
 
Man, in addition to the cladding being terrible... the proportions of these towers look terrible too. So short and squat. These really make me fear for Canada House. Imagine these things being twice the height and more prominent.
I want to believe that Canada House is going to turn out more like Concord's recent stuff in Park Place - which is bland, but not *terrible*. The architectural style and detailing seems much more in line with that than the latest phases of Cityplace which have all been complete disasters.
 
I want to believe that Canada House is going to turn out more like Concord's recent stuff in Park Place - which is bland, but not *terrible*. The architectural style and detailing seems much more in line with that than the latest phases of Cityplace which have all been complete disasters.

If you want to see what Concord is capable of, check out pics of Principal Tower in London. It's a beauty of a building. I'm hoping for something closer in line to that in terms of finishes, but I'm expecting more of what has been built here in the past 5 years instead.

Pics & Info:

 
Parade in particular should have had retail all along Dan Leckie instead of the "live-work" towns.

The live-work units are the only reason Fork York Blvd has an array of different small businesses instead of the same homogeneous retail storefronts with chain tenants that we see everywhere else in the city. I would go as far as to say that the experience of walking along the street level of Luna and Parade is the strongest element of CityPlace west of Spadina. It's actually a nice streetscape and the small businesses (and yes, a few realtors' offices, but that's life in Toronto) create an interesting dynamic. I would like to see more live-work units in this city instead of the standard retail experience we get.
 
I was in Vancouver last week and saw a lot of Concord buildings there. They generally look decent and have better cladding than most City Place towers. The landscaping and public plazas are also superior to City Place’s, although I’m not sure how much of that was funded by Concord (as supposed to the municipal government). Perhaps they had a bigger budget in Vancouver as buyers were willing to pay more?
 

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