Tewder
Senior Member
Yonge Street was begun, in 1796, to link the town of York to the north - a military road to Lake Simcoe through the richly agricultuaral hinterlands, not in order to take people down to Lake Ontario. The site we're discussing - where the landfill meets the lake - dates from the early 1930's when Yonge was extended south. That's some 130 years later.
Yonge Street is Toronto's 'main' street. It makes complete sense to continue its importance down to the lake with a public site. Putting a glass box of rich people there is not a 'better' alternative.