Downtown Yonge

[dt_toronto_geek]

Builders cast their gaze toward Yonge
Daily Commercial News, November 26, 2010
After two weeks of fighting, the Yonge BIA brigade has reduced the historic Yonge strip to rubble. Rumours indicate Concord Adex has intentions to rebuild. Tentative name: Concord Young Street Strip. Phase 1 launch 1 April 2011.

How am I to sleep after reading that?!

I kind of agree with James Robinson in the article above. BIA's can be good for an area but they can be just as much a curse. I do like his thoughts about restoring the storefronts back to their original state, or if nothing else some respectful TLC. It won't happen on some properties but if the business owners between Alexander & Charles formed their own BIA with a different mandate it could be workable and save some of the building fronts that either look like crap and/or have pieces of the structure literally collapsing to the ground.

 

[SP!RE]

So those store-owners don't want their taxes going to advertising the area and increasing foot traffic to their shops? They don't want free graffiti removal? They don't want potential streetscape improvements simply because they disagree with the billboards at Dundas Square?!

I'm not hearing any compelling arguments from these dissenters in the article posted above...

 

[urbandreamer]

^Don't you get it? Store owners want Concord Adex to take over their pathetic lives!

 

[androiduk]

The small black light standards on the right are being temporarily replaced by wooden poles until new lights are delivered.

 

[Torontovibe]

Did anybody notice that they are tearing out those planters that they built just a few years ago, along Dundas, just outside Best Buy, in The Eaton Centre. They are being replaced with the much nicer, black planters, closer to Yonge Street. So now Dundas will have the black planters, with the seating on the sides, all along the sidewalk from almost Yonge to Bay Street. It will be much improved. They just need to fill those planters with lush vegetation, like on Bloor.

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

Did anybody notice that they are tearing out those planters that they built just a few years ago, along Dundas, just outside Best Buy, in The Eaton Centre. They are being replaced with the much nicer, black planters, closer to Yonge Street. So now Dundas will have the black planters, with the seating on the sides, all along the sidewalk from almost Yonge to Bay Street. It will be much improved. They just need to fill those planters with lush vegetation, like on Bloor.

I saw that last weekend too, that's a good thing to provide consistency along that well traveled stretch plus as you note they look so much better than what's there. The old (what, 3 years old?) "tree islands" with the interlocking bricks in front of Ryerson/Best Buy/Canuk Tire were already beginning to sink and look unsightly, plus they served very little use except as bike lock-ups around those tiny trees.
I also noticed that Joey's has hoarding around the property now, the linked fences are gone. At the risk of reviving that tired old thread it could, in the end, mean nothing.

 

[taal]

I saw that last weekend too, that's a good thing to provide consistency along that well traveled stretch plus as you note they look so much better than what's there. The old (what, 3 years old?) "tree islands" with the interlocking bricks in front of Ryerson/Best Buy/Canuk Tire were already beginning to sink and look unsightly, plus they served very little use except as bike lock-ups around those tiny trees.
I also noticed that Joey's has hoarding around the property now, the linked fences are gone. At the risk of reviving that tired old thread it could, in the end, mean nothing.

Joey's is meh! Not sure why everyone is getting so excited over it - go check it out ... it's already open in the shops at don mills.

 

[CanadianNational]

As of May 11th 2011.
Rough mass and height renderings of skyscrapers planned or under construction on Yonge - between College and Bloor, Jarvis and Bay.

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[sodapop]

great renders! i dont know why people think 501 yonge is out of context, it will fit in with the neighborhood perfectly in afew years, along with 880 bay, aura, burano, five and so many more

 

[DTowner]

Does anyone know how the HELL that skank shoppe NYC Outfitters (or whatever) got to open shop next door to the HMV at Yonge & Dundas? It's horrible and cheap-looking. I thought they were trying to revamp the area. They allowed THAT to open? They even have those guys outside hustling people to come in (which is very tacky and low-grade).

 

[adma]

I notice that in the old St Marks Spa premises on Yonge near Wellesley, some kind of hostel-or-whatever has opened up with disturbingly Rob Ford-esque colours in its sign. (If someone can take a picture, you'll see what I mean.)

 

[Jonny5]

The northbound lanes of Yonge are presently closed from Gerrard to College. How is traffic holding up here during rush hour?

 

[adma]

Well, I noticed the "Queen's Quay revitalization" effect of the ex-northbound lanes turned into a de facto sidewalk...

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

i dont know why people think 501 yonge is out of context, it will fit in with the neighborhood perfectly in afew years, along with 880 bay, aura, burano, five and so many more

You really think that 80 or 90 feet of concrete or some misguided canvas to hide a parking garage rising directly above the sidewalk for a whole block and then two 450+ foot towers above that mess along this low-rise section of Yonge Street is appropriate? Building off Yonge works, especially when heritage buildings are saved and restored preserving the charactor of this strip, see FIVE.

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

Did anybody notice that they are tearing out those planters that they built just a few years ago, along Dundas, just outside Best Buy, in The Eaton Centre. They are being replaced with the much nicer, black planters, closer to Yonge Street. So now Dundas will have the black planters, with the seating on the sides, all along the sidewalk from almost Yonge to Bay Street. It will be much improved. They just need to fill those planters with lush vegetation, like on Bloor.

The job is complete and the landscapers were busy today planting shrubs, plants and such - it looks phenomenal! I'd go out on the limb and say it looks almost as good as Bloor Street, the deep green mature trees along this stretch of Dundas help a lot. I think a reasonably priced urban lesson could be learned from this small area of Dundas between Bay & Yonge Streets.

The northbound lanes of Yonge are presently closed from Gerrard to College. How is traffic holding up here during rush hour?

Traffic was a little slow but moving using one north and one south lane around 5:30 today. The sidewalk restoration on this stretch of Yonge Street is a very welcome job to see finally getting done. Hopefully it gets done all the way up to Bloor Street, it's all a giant mess of concrete & asphalt on top of more concrete & asphalt.