I love cityplace!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Flux Capacitor]

There seems to be a number of negative posts about CityPlace on this forum.

I love living there so do a many others.

I'm 33, a professional who works in Media.

The location is unbeatable, the amenities are amazing and it well suits my lifestyle.

Just saying...

 

[TOBoy]

+1

 

[taal]

I don't live there, but I know a bunch who do and they all say the same thing.

The only complaint I get is well, regarding dogs - particularly the mess they can cause. But I noted this happened everywhere - even in suburbs - Markham built a couple condos around Warden / Hi-way 7 - guess what, same problem, hopefully to a lesser degree but I have to walk by everyday and it's pretty bad.

Generally these complaints spike in the spring because of the snow melting ... no one really bothers picking it up in the winder for reasons beyond me. It gets better in a month or two.

 

[Eug]

It's not my first choice downtown, as I find the grounds there rather uninteresting, but I don't understand why some here hate it so much.

 

[neuhaus]

It has been a month living at Cityplace and I actually like it -- I am pretty much the demographic here: Professional in my 30's.
However I am renting here but will never consider buying here simply because there are too many renters and the building, which unfortunately takes a beating.

Pluses:
- Excellent amenities.
- Good location (steps to the water, steps to the Entertainment District, streetcars at your door).
- Beautiful views of the city and lake.
- Easy access to highways.

Minues:
- Too many renters and young-party types (definitely avoid renting a unit near a party room or amenities).
- Building maintanience is rather slow.
- Lack of established stores and businesses in the vicinity.
- Interiors were built fast and cheap (though not bad looking).
- Rooms are tiny and many units are not very well designed.

I find Cityplace almost like a slice of suburbia in downtown -- incredibly massive new development with little character and street life, however that will change over time when the entire development is completed and businesses start moving in.

 

[junctionist]

If you live there and like it, take an interest in the park. The city doesn't seem to be removing graffiti, so calling 311 or your councillor might be a good idea. It's a rare designer park in Toronto, so it's a shame to see a rare such public space undermined by shoddy maintenance. The last time I was there was 3 months ago, so things might have changed. Then again, when I visited three months ago, big tags dating from at least the summer were still there. But it's up to locals to call these things in, since I'm not there often enough to see what has been done.

 

[Kenny]

Not all CityPlace buildings are built the same. The newer ones definitely seem nicer.

 

[Eug]

I find Cityplace almost like a slice of suburbia in downtown -- incredibly massive new development with little character and street life, however that will change over time when the entire development is completed and businesses start moving in.

That's my main issue with it. Very uninteresting and in some areas in previous years it was a bit inconvenient for a downtown complex. However, it's not dangerous or in bad condition, etc. so it's fine.

 

[TheKingEast]

Not all CityPlace buildings are built the same. The newer ones definitely seem nicer.

I think it's the opposite. IMO, the buildings East of Spadina are far superior to the new ones on the West. Now, I have not been in Luna or Parade so I can't judge them, but N1/N2, Montage, Neo, etc... seem cheaply built to me.

 

[Tuscani01]

I think it's the opposite. IMO, the buildings East of Spadina are far superior to the new ones on the West. Now, I have not been in Luna or Parade so I can't judge them, but N1/N2, Montage, Neo, etc... seem cheaply built to me.

Im in Luna and have had no major issues with the quality of the build. The windows seem much better than what I had at Quantum, in terms of noise and drafts coming through. The elevators have also been much better than the ones at Quantum, and significantly better than the elevators at Encore @ The Met, where I had to wait up to 15 minutes sometimes for an elevator!

 

[neuhaus]

I'm living at Panorama, which seems to be a wierd annex part of Cityplace (just south of the Gardiner) which is fine with me as it doesn't seem so congested amongst the other highrises.
I chose to rent at Panorama over the other Cityplace highrises is because it is a slightly smaller building, it's relatively new, I get both unobstructed lake and city views, the tower units have wraparound balconies, the design and finishes is nicer, and more modern and I like being closer to the water.
It gets pretty congested when there is a game going on at the east side of Cityplace near Rogers Centre (likewise I would get crazy if I lived at Maple Leaf Square).

2 of the 3 elevators were working for the first month I was living here (the 3rd was apparently out of service for a few months, which made weekends a nightmare when there's a move going on). The elevators are not the smoothest or fastest, and not the best quality (as an architect I was trying to find a manfacturer's sign or label, but to no avail). The elevator doors would take a little while to open and the floor elevator cab is not immediately level with the corridor floor, which causes people to trip if they exit too soon.

Unfortunately there isn't enough owner-occupants in any of the Cityplace buildings to make sure the building well maintained and keeping the property management in check.
I am also annoyed about the many of the renters who don't take care of the building and leaving litter everywhere, leaving junk mail scattered in the mail room, etc.

In general all of the Cityplace buildings are built fast and cheap, even one of the agents at the sales center was not afraid to say that they are the Walmart of condos, which is a pretty good analogy.

There are some very expensive units for sale at Cityplace, which I am baffled on who would spend that kind of money to live in a huge monotomous community. Townhouse units sell for $700,000 to over $1 million, some penthouses go for $1 to $2 million, and the two units on the Parade bridge go for a questionable $4 million each (which happens to be directly above the party room amenity)!
For that kind of money I would rather buy into a more exclusive and upscale building and area.

I am liking my stay at Cityplace and it seems like a lot of people who live here are enjoying it too.

 

[TheKingEast]

Im in Luna and have had no major issues with the quality of the build. The windows seem much better than what I had at Quantum, in terms of noise and drafts coming through. The elevators have also been much better than the ones at Quantum, and significantly better than the elevators at Encore @ The Met, where I had to wait up to 15 minutes sometimes for an elevator!

It seems as though elevators tend to be a big issue in newer buildings. Why is that? I mean, in any building you usually have the odd one that's out of service, but not for months. Also, these are new buildings. Why all these issues with the elevators and it also seems that builders do not build enough elevators. I'm seeing 40 storey buildings with 3 elevators including a moving elevator. That's ridiculous. But it's all up to code so I guess you can't blame the builder.

 

[lochlyn]

What do you mean by it's all up to code? What code could prevent developer add an extra elevator?

 

[lafard]

It's not that code prevents them. Elevators are very expensive pieces of machinery, both the equipment itself plus the architectural considerations for fitting them in. In cityplace type buildings where cost is a major consideration, developers will put in the bare minimum they can get away with according to code, and that's not enough for the taller buildings.

The codes did not anticipate 40+ storey mid-range condo blocks. That's really all it is.

 

[TheKingEast]

What do you mean by it's all up to code? What code could prevent developer add an extra elevator?

What I mean by that is, there is a minimum amount of elevators required by floor/unit or whatever. For example. If you have a 350 unit condo across 35 floors the minimum required # of elevators is 3 (I'm picking a random number here). I know of 44 floor condos that have 3 elevators. If the city thinks that's sufficient, can you blame the builder?

lafard hit on what I was saying. If the bare minimum is not sufficient, but the city is OK with that, can you blame the builder? With this condo boom, I've seen a lot of shoddy workmanship, crappy quality, corners skipped, etc....all up to code/city standards, though so do you blame the builders who comply with the codes, or the city who has set the bar pretty low.