gristle
Senior Member
The application is for 17 floors. This is more than that. Is everyone sure this is the right rendering for the area?
Not much to praise about this. Generic design pulled from a binder. Does nothing to draw upon the rich character of Spadina. Not every developer can afford a design like The Morgan, but come on...
I know some people will feel that highrises marching up Spadina will kill the atmosphere of the street but I had pointed out about 6 months ago that Spadina all the way up to College seemed like an area that was being overlooked by developers. I think a certain degree of gentrification is appropriate for this street to bring it into the 21st century.
It is NOT character, even a third tier Chinese city doesn't look like that more. That's more like China stuck in the 1980s. I have been to Chinatowns in London and Montreal, both are much smaller but turn out to be much cleaner and nicer yet still maintains the characters.
It's happening at a gradual pace. New businesses and hotels and cafes are moving in and restoring neglected warehouse buildings, and more historic properties are open for lease right now.The street needs to be cleansed and gentrified, big time!
This building certainly does nothing to acknowledge its context. A different design, with a 5-7 story brink podium, would do wonders.