Toronto Aura at College Park | 271.87m | 78s | Canderel | Graziani + Corazza

kotsy said:
I guess they aren't putting a roof on the crown after all?
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Don't think that was ever apart of the plan.

Great photos of Aura/the skyline from Chaz. It'll provide a great vantage point to see YC Condos and Wellesley on the Park rise to strengthen that view further. Aura looks ok from there I guess. I just don't like how lopsided it looks from there because the east setback is angled away from Yonge street. It almost blends in with the curved side.
 
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urbandreamer said:
Rebrand the Shoppes at Aura to Yonge Market and you might get some traction
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Speaking of a 'Yonge Market', looking at the Aura webcam (which has been a still image of the base for a few weeks), does anyone know what the space in between the College Park building and Aura will be used for? The renders showed a paved landscaped extension of the park, but I think it would be cool if during the summer months have a farmers market or something of that nature down that (huge) corridor. It could add a lot of life to the actual park if it lead people down that road. Could name it Yonge Market?

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http://www.collegeparkcondos.com/webcam.html
 
steveve said:
Speaking of a 'Yonge Market', looking at the Aura webcam (which has been a still image of the base for a few weeks), does anyone know what the space in between the College Park building and Aura will be used for? The renders showed a paved landscaped extension of the park, but I think it would be cool if during the summer months have a farmers market or something of that nature down that (huge) corridor. It could add a lot of life to the actual park if it lead people down that road. Could name it Yonge Market?
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There's already a farmer's market at Ryerson, and (i think?) one at YDS sometimes. Still a great idea to animate the area though, perhaps it could include pop up retail of other varieties. I'd run that by the Downtown Yonge BIA if I were you
 
I was in the basement "mall" on the weekend and was surprised at how vacant it still is. Last May (2013) there was about the same number of stores! Also why are the retail spots so tiny? I swear my bedroom is bigger than some of them... Anyone know if the price/sqft is too high, or is the space just too poor for most retailers to utilize properly?

Also I still wonder why the anchor tenant of a building posting a $3+million penthouse is Marshalls... Other than those gripes, Aura is a solid addition to the area (minus its faux granite)
 
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steveve said:
Speaking of a 'Yonge Market', looking at the Aura webcam (which has been a still image of the base for a few weeks), does anyone know what the space in between the College Park building and Aura will be used for?
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Technically, that space is a city street. Perhaps, that is why it is being shown as a passage to the park.
 
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mcmcclassic said:
I was in the basement "mall" on the weekend and was surprised at how vacant it still is. Last May (2013) there was about the same number of stores! Also why are the retail spots so tiny? I swear my bedroom is bigger than some of them... Anyone know if the price/sqft is too high, or is the space just too poor for most retailers to utilize properly?
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Retail space was sold at $ 800psf in March 2008. Plus spaces are too tiny. Units are too expensive for someone to buy 2 or 3 adjoining units, turn them into 1 unit and operate a profitable business.

There is something called hope & 'greed'. People bought spaces in the hope that they will have a 'captive' market of unit owners above. Plus there was that expectation that the commercial space can always be sold a profit. Quite a few units are for sale from day 1.

A valuable lesson for investors/flippers.
 
steveve said:
Speaking of a 'Yonge Market', looking at the Aura webcam (which has been a still image of the base for a few weeks), does anyone know what the space in between the College Park building and Aura will be used for? The renders showed a paved landscaped extension of the park, but I think it would be cool if during the summer months have a farmers market or something of that nature down that (huge) corridor. It could add a lot of life to the actual park if it lead people down that road. Could name it Yonge Market?
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Hopefully they do something with it. If it is just going to be a paved entrance way to the park then I think that will be very uninviting. The city also needs to fix up College Park asap. They have left it to decay. There's that old building in the middle (which I think used to be part of the skating rink that was there?) which needs to be torn down.
 
Well Canderel has contributed 3.5 million dollars to fix up the park once Aura is done, as part of the Section 37 agreements. I would hope they start by March/April 2015 because this is quite sad to look at every day...

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And heres a concept from the YC Condos site. The space between Aura and the College Park building looks like it will see some kind of pedestrian improvement
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Today I noticed for the first time that much of the hoarding between College Park and Aura is down. It's just paved over with asphalt right now, but walking between the buildings you can appreciate just how much space there is. There's plenty of room to do something interesting. It would be a great spot for a couple patios or some street vendors
 
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Hard to see, but that was the plan there. Two arches as an entry from Yonge. Not sure if that's still happening.
 

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