Toronto Discovery at Concord Park Place | ?m | 28s | Concord Adex | BDP Quadrangle

Scarberian: Can. Tire has two big warehouses in Brampton. I don't think they have used the Sheppard Ave. property for much in recent years. They have been trying to sell it, off and on, for at least 7 or 8 years. It would not have been an easy one to sell. Very few companies have pockets deep enough to pay for this land and proceed to develop it.

I hope the standards of design will end up better than at Cityplace. I realize Cityplace isn't finished yet but I have been somewhat disappointed that the streetscape has been so barren and it doesn't seem to have much of a neighbourhood feel. It has a "bleak" look to me. (Hope that changes as development continues west of Spadina.)
 
The taller pair looks good, only because they look nothing like the actual Chrysler building.
 
Hopefully Concord has learned something from Cityplace West and designs a project that's well thought out at street level too.
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In North York? Beside an Ikea? I don't think so.

What incentive is there for developers to create a decent street level anyway?
 
Good question. But then one has to wonder if some developers actually understand that they are making poor streetscapes.
 
The Canadian Tire store did a pretty good job of meeting Sheppard for a suburban location like this. Hopefully the small stretch of Sheppard that this project covers will do the same. Off of Sheppard they can do what they want IMHO. At least the density will help the Sheppard line.
 
I mentioned in another forum that the city should use some of the development charges collected from this project to help fund the Sheppard extension.

Anyway, I was wondering, I've seen people mention a westward extension of Sheppard to Downsview. How much would such an extenison cost and how useful would it really be?
 
"I mentioned in another forum that the city should use some of the development charges collected from this project to help fund the Sheppard extension."

Unless they set up special charges, the city is free to use development charges from any project to fund transit projects. In the end, isn't all revenue the same?

"Anyway, I was wondering, I've seen people mention a westward extension of Sheppard to Downsview. How much would such an extenison cost and how useful would it really be?"

I seem to bring the topic up about twice a week :)

I don't see why it would cost much more than $1.0 billion if started today - the total length would be under 4km. You could get away with just the one stop at Bayview (Wilmington/Faywood would be redundant if the Bathurst platform is placed west of Bathurst and if the Downsview platform is placed east of Downsview, and Senlac would merely turn the Bessarion vs Ellesmere dual into a brawl) and no bus terminals are needed...the Bayview bus can be accessed via a transfer on the street and any other routes like YRT might prefer to connect with the YUS line somewhere. The tracks continue a short distance west of Yonge already, and most of the rest would be a simple cut and cover job. One problem is how to cross the West Don...I don't know if a bridge or a tunnel would be better, or how much one would cost vs the other.

Sheppard must be extended to Downsview for the Spadina line to reach its potential. It might relieve the Bloor line quite a bit and could steal tens of thousands of daily rides from major east/west routes like Steeles, Finch, Wilson/York Mills, etc., that suck up a gazillion buses. A Sheppard line from Downsview to STC would see at least 100,000 daily riders almost immediately, and perhaps 150,000 within 10 years (time enough for people to adjust to rejigged bus routes, transit-friendly commuters to move in, towers to be put up in redeveloped areas, etc.). It's hard to say exactly how many people would switch to the Sheppard line for long trips, but Sheppard/Yonge station was triple-platformed for a reason. It's a no-brainer...it should have been built along with the Yonge to Don Mills segment.
 
Imagine this along with the Don Mills/Sheppard proposal a while back, could have been good times
 
"One problem is how to cross the West Don...I don't know if a bridge or a tunnel would be better, or how much one would cost vs the other."

I've taken the 84 and considered this. The current Sheppard road bridge over the West Don dips down a fair way into the valley, it doesn't go straight across. I would lay subway tracks along the current road surface and build a new road bridge over top; a cheaper version of the Bloor Viaduct. Get what I'm saying? It wouldn't be too difficult; I don't think tunneling below the valley would be feasible.
 
What incentive is there for developers to create a decent street level anyway?
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It's not so much a carrot as it is a big stick, but the City of Toronto Act and the Bill 51 amendments will give the City, for the first time, control over urban design in the site plan process.

It will be interesting to see how the City exercises these new powers, especially on projects such as these.
 
On the flip side, the location isn't downtown. Hence, if Concord did a replica Cityplace at Y&S, it wouldn't be so bad - for that area. I'd prefer green glass condos to Daniel's NY Towers (including Empire, Rockefeller) and Amica anyday.
 
Take a look here the Bessarion-Leslie Context Plan put together by city planners a couple of years back. It says 'Development in the Bessarion-Leslie area will be consistent with the following urban design guidelines. They provide a framework for development in the area and are to be read in conjunction with the urban design policies in the Official Plan.'
 
I guess they will go through with putting all the parkland right next to Bessarion station to provide a buffer zone between the condos and the houses to the west, even though those houses are occupied by people who are mostly begging for the area to be redeveloped. If a project was announced or even if someone or the city showed interest, 50 'for sale' signs would be up within a month.

"I'd prefer green glass condos to Daniel's NY Towers (including Empire, Rockefeller) and Amica anyday."

That's nice, but the people who actually live there do like them. I've heard people rave about Amica...

edit - and, yes, I think the Canadian Tire land fronting the 401 should have condos with metal roofs...blind the drivers with glare and maybe they'll be tempted to switch to the subway :)
 
So which lands exactly are these? And does it contain the lands on Provost just south of McDonald's on the east side?
 
^ I'm not sure if we will know this until the deal closes, apparently in about a month. Can. Tire is retaining a small part of the site.
 
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