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Church-Wellesley Village

Condo development for the space next to that Orthopaedic place and across the street from the Sunnybrook Health Centre. There's a big red billboard up now. It's been vacant for sooo long. Does anyone remember, by the way, what was there before?

http://www.pureplaza.com/
 
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Changes to Cawthra Park (north side) are now public. A story appeared in Xtra! and minutes from a meeting on January 24th have been released. Cawthra Park needs a refresh to be sure but I'm really not happy with the greenspace being converted to concrete, it's a park not a square. The park needs to be properly graded to help with drainage (it floods in several areas after heavy rain & when the snow melts), improved lighting and blind spots removed for night safety. It also needs a much better entrance off Church Street that what is currently there. What damages the grass is the poor grading plus the grass never quite recovers after 3 days of being stomped on by tens of thousands of people during Pride weekend unless the stars align and we have a wet few weeks that follow. Beer gardens should be sectioned off on the street & parking lots and not held in the park, the park should be retained as a rest area during Pride. My 2¢.
 
dt_toronto_geek said:
Changes to Cawthra Park (north side) are now public. A story appeared in Xtra! and minutes from a meeting on January 24th have been released. Cawthra Park needs a refresh to be sure but I'm really not happy with the greenspace being converted to concrete, it's a park not a square. The park needs to be properly graded to help with drainage (it floods in several areas after heavy rain & when the snow melts), improved lighting and blind spots removed for night safety. It also needs a much better entrance off Church Street that what is currently there. What damages the grass is the poor grading plus the grass never quite recovers after 3 days of being stomped on by tens of thousands of people during Pride weekend unless the stars align and we have a wet few weeks that follow. Beer gardens should be sectioned off on the street & parking lots and not held in the park, the park should be retained as a rest area during Pride. My 2¢.
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I like the first "Trees in Plaza" photo. I wouldn't mind seeing that cut right through on the southern side and turning a bit leading to whatever street that is. Very Euro. But, we're more likely to get something like the 3rd or 4th photo – both of which are hideous; and very Toronto. Lol.
 
It's still a work in progress, community consultations will be held too so I'm very optimistic - mainly because Councillor Wong-Tam is involved.
 
A glad day for Glad Day. The bookshop has been bought by local investors who wish to preserve the store.

Sad faces abounded last December when John Scythe, owner of Glad Day Bookshop, announced that low sales had forced him to put the beloved LGBTQ book store up for sale. Today, an announcement turned those frowns upside down. A group of local Torontonians faithful to the history of the iconic store have banded together to buy the business.

“As individuals, none of us are rich. But collectively, there will be over 20 of us in the end, and we can pull it off,†said Michael Erickson, who spearheaded the purchase, which has yet to be finalized. He wouldn’t disclose the value of the deal.

Erickson is by profession a high-school teacher at Harbord Collegiate, where he specializes in English and Creative Writing, but the rest of the buyers are an eclectic mix of lawyers, government workers, playwrights, musicians, community activists, even former Glad Day employees. Charles Smith, 23, is the group’s youngest investor.

“What unites us is that everyone cares about the preservation and growth of the LGBTQ community, and books and stories are important to us in doing that,†Erickson said, in an interview.
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Good for Glad Day; it seems like they have a lot of ideas for to revitalise the shop so best of luck to them.

On a separate note, there's a new cafe on Church; where the optical store used to be, next to the Churchmouse.
 
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to_l said:
On a separate note, there's a new cafe on Church; where the optical store used to be, next to the Churchmouse.
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Wot! Haven't noticed it walking home every night. When did it open? That building is prime for a café: victorian-ish, cosy, bay window, coffee, newspaper/laptop. Lol.
 
DTowner said:
Wot! Haven't noticed it walking home every night. When did it open? That building is prime for a café: victorian-ish, cosy, bay window, coffee, newspaper/laptop. Lol.
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Not really sure; just noticed the storefront last night.
 
dt_toronto_geek said:
It also needs a much better entrance off Church Street that what is currently there. What damages the grass is the poor grading plus the grass never quite recovers after 3 days of being stomped on by tens of thousands of people during Pride weekend unless the stars align and we have a wet few weeks that follow. Beer gardens should be sectioned off on the street & parking lots and not held in the park, the park should be retained as a rest area during Pride. My 2¢.
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Not sure how I feel, but I think with parking lots disappearing in the Village, I can sort of see some reasoning for making it more Dundas Square-like as it would provide a central spot for some more Pride functions. Either that or some events will eventually need to move to Allen Gardens (or Queen's Park as they've already tried).
 
No parking lots have been lost yet, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time. For the sake of Pride - three days of the year - I'd really hate to lose the green spaces in Cawthra Park to concrete. Most people during Pride want to be around the action on or near Church Street, I don't think Allen Gardens or Queen's Park would work for that reason except for special events (i.e. Cyndi Lauper). Permits should be extended for street closures further up Church Street - and used to their fullest extent, perhaps to Bloor Street with more activities planned at that end to help move people further north and spread the crowds out a bit. I live right behind Cawthra Park in a tower-in-the-park type building. Hundreds of people use our front, back and side lawns every day as a rest area, a place to eat etc. which is fine but it clearly indicates that areas for people to relax and take a "time-out" for a while are needed.
 
dt_toronto_geek said:
No parking lots have been lost yet, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time. For the sake of Pride - three days of the year - I'd really hate to lose the green spaces in Cawthra Park to concrete. Most people during Pride want to be around the action on or near Church Street, I don't think Allen Gardens or Queen's Park would work for that reason except for special events (i.e. Cyndi Lauper). Permits should be extended for street closures further up Church Street - and used to their fullest extent, perhaps to Bloor Street with more activities planned at that end to help move people further north and spread the crowds out a bit. I live right behind Cawthra Park in a tower-in-the-park type building. Hundreds of people use our front, back and side lawns every day as a rest area, a place to eat etc. which is fine but it clearly indicates that areas for people to relax and take a "time-out" for a while are needed.
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Cawthra Park also offers welcome shade during those prides that are super sunny and +40 degrees.
 
dt_toronto_geek said:
No parking lots have been lost yet, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time. For the sake of Pride - three days of the year - I'd really hate to lose the green spaces in Cawthra Park to concrete. Most people during Pride want to be around the action on or near Church Street, I don't think Allen Gardens or Queen's Park would work for that reason except for special events (i.e. Cyndi Lauper). Permits should be extended for street closures further up Church Street - and used to their fullest extent, perhaps to Bloor Street with more activities planned at that end to help move people further north and spread the crowds out a bit. I live right behind Cawthra Park in a tower-in-the-park type building. Hundreds of people use our front, back and side lawns every day as a rest area, a place to eat etc. which is fine but it clearly indicates that areas for people to relax and take a "time-out" for a while are needed.
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I basically agree, just trying to think bigger picture. Speaking of, I know it'll be a condo eventually, but the surface lot at Church & Wood, in a perfect world, could make for a lovely square.
 
to_l said:
Not really sure; just noticed the storefront last night.
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It's a crèpe palce. Ugh. Not as 'cosy' as I envisioned/hoped, but still better than a cash-advance place or some random skanky clothing shop like those NYC places. Hopefully, they serve booze!
 
JasonParis said:
I basically agree, just trying to think bigger picture. Speaking of, I know it'll be a condo eventually, but the surface lot at Church & Wood, in a perfect world, could make for a lovely square.
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Brilliant! I wonder if Wong-Tam would be receptive to acquiring the Church & Wood or Church & Maitland lots? Everyone in the area complains about the lack of green space/public space and either of those properties (especially Wood & Church) would lends themselves well to that purpose. By late next year she'll be rolling in section 37 funds and although she has great aspirations for all areas of her Ward the Church-Wellesley area is very close to her heart. Maybe this is worthy of a discussion with her, surely she'd know if either property is available and what the asking price would be.
 
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