Toronto Theory Condos | 101.49m | 30s | Parallax | Arcadis

interchange42 said:
Maybe they're not trying yet, because they know there's no chance of getting 33 storeys here, and the real design won't arrive until they know what they are going to be approved for.

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Parallax and P&S keeping the Toronto development process classy. (I have no patience for this crap.)
 
interchange42 said:
Maybe they're not trying yet, because they know there's no chance of getting 33 storeys here, and the real design won't arrive until they know what they are going to be approved for.

42
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Their track record tells us that they don't even try when they design even taller buildings and in better locations.
 
Of course the architect is important, but I agree with others who have been stressing the importance of the developer's input, esp. in regards to the budget, of course. The Delta is not the only good P+S design, but it's the pretty-much-no-one-disagrees go-to to show that the firm is capable of exceptional work. Parallax, the developer in this case, did quite a good job with Downtown Condos on Wellington (design by Sweeny &co), so I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt at this point.

ProjectEnd said:
203-college-renderings.jpg


Parallax Investment Corporation with Page + Steele.
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Here on College, most certainly the budget will be lower as this will be a student housing building. We don't know if it will operate like one of the Knightstone student rental buildings yet, or whether it will an investor student-aimed condo like Grid Condos. If it's the first type (and therefore there won't be sales), we may never see high-quality renderings, but if it's the second type, we will see high-quality renderings at some point, but for the time being when they are looking for many more storeys than they'll end up being allowed, these are not the big-budget, lots-of-detail marketing renderings. These have been put together relatively quickly and they represent more of a massing proposal than they would a final design with the required angular planes worked in and the materials all worked out.

In the end, it's pretty tiresome to see throwaway "Architect Yuck" posts long before we know just what's going to be built. Once we really know, sure, yuck away, but remember to blame the developer too please! In the end, they determine the budget.

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A community consultation for this building is now underway. There have got to be 80 people here in the hall a couple of blocks away from the site at 25 Cecil Street. If there's anything out of the ordinary at the meeting, I'll report.

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What did the community say about this project? We're they moreso against or for the project?
 
I had to leave about 15 minutes before the end of the evening, but up until that point it went as could be expected questions-wise, but if there was anything worth singling out, it was a 5 to 10 minute talk by Max Allen, a CBC broadcaster and the Vice President of the Grange Community Association who assured everyone that what was being presented was not what would eventually be built, and that the community and City would succeed in getting a more suitable building from the consultation process. That didn't stop those in attendance from asking questions about the details, but I think it succeeded in putting people at enough ease so as to be reasonably respectful while voicing their disapproval, the standard litany (and I don't think out-of-place) 'too big, too tall, too dense'.

Planning wasn't finished their review yet, so didn't present, but pretty much everyone knows that they want this building substantially smaller, and negotiations will likely be underway in the coming weeks.

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interchange42 said:
I had to leave about 15 minutes before the end of the evening, but up until that point it went as could be expected questions-wise, but if there was anything worth singling out, it was a 5 to 10 minute talk by Max Allen, a CBC broadcaster and the Vice President of the Grange Community Association who assured everyone that what was being presented was not what would eventually be built, and that the community and City would succeed in getting a more suitable building from the consultation process. That didn't stop those in attendance from asking questions about the details, but I think it succeeded in putting people at enough ease so as to be reasonably respectful while voicing their disapproval, the standard litany (and I don't think out-of-place) 'too big, too tall, too dense'.

Planning wasn't finished their review yet, so didn't present, but pretty much everyone knows that they want this building substantially smaller, and negotiations will likely be underway in the coming weeks.

42
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Good. The 15-25 storey buildings further down the street really do feel out of place as is and a 30+ storey building would be even worse. It's good to see this'll be worked down to a more reasonable height for the area, I still agree with what agoraflaneur said when this development was first proposed. Too big and completely out of place in this area.
 
Appealed to the OMB. From Joe Cressy's website:

Dear neighbours,

In August 2015, Parallax filed an application for an aggressive development at 203 College Street, for a 33 storey mixed-use residential tower at the southeast corner of College Street and Beverley Street. Like so many in our community, I agreed that the application was inappropriate and out of character for the area. Unlike most of the other development applications in Ward 20, this application was filed without any formal community consultation prior to the submission.

In response, I organized a public meeting in October 2015 for the community to raise concerns directly with the applicant and City Planning. At the meeting, our community demonstrated strong opposition to the proposal – opposition to the height and density of the building, the unit composition, and the potential for increased noise and traffic, among other concerns.

Since that initial meeting, there have been ongoing conversations between my office, residents (including the local Residents' Association), City Planning staff, and the developer regarding the proposal, in an attempt to work towards a more suitable application. Despite this, the developer has decided to circumvent community consultation and the City Planning process, and has appealed their application to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB).

I am committed to defending the interests of our community and vigorously opposing this application at the OMB. As many of you know, a fundamental flaw in our planning process is the existence of the OMB, which prevents our local communities and the City from guiding decisions on development. We must fight to keep this control in local hands and that starts with abolishing the OMB.

I remain committed to ensuring good planning principles and robust community consultation as a top priority when considering any proposed development in our ward.

I will continue working with City Planning and our local community to strengthen our collective vision for this area. One concrete piece of work currently underway is the College Street Study. This planning framework will help us protect this unique area from inappropriate development.

I will keep you updated on the OMB proceedings and thank you for staying engaged.

Sincerely,

Joe​
 
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