urbandreamer
recession proof
^Probably smokers.
They'll find somewhere else to sit.
Why are we debating this anyway--it's going ahead.
They'll find somewhere else to sit.
Why are we debating this anyway--it's going ahead.
Toronto Yonge Eglinton Centre | ?m | 37s | RioCan | P + S / IBI
- Thread starter Petra
- Start date
UrbanAffair
Senior Member
I also have enjoyed that square my whole life...really all it needed was more seating!! I never found places to sit aside from sides of planters and the rare bench. It always was better during street parade time cause they would fill it with beer tents and tons of people would be using it...
Don't know what to say about the winter though, guess its less useful then.
Don't know what to say about the winter though, guess its less useful then.
tkip
Active Member
That square was always a dreary place to hang. Only on sunny afternoon breaks do you find some people hanging out....
UrbanAffair
Senior Member
dreary by winter yes, but it was always lively in the summer. I hope they can make it work once the expansion is finished. There wil be a little bit of square left correct?
deerparker
Active Member
Aroma has added a few tables outside their cafe on the square. Too little too late now, but an idea of the potential of the existing square had it been given some attention.
SP!RE
°°°°°°
As we dream of & aim to begin adding new public spaces to major intersections/areas in the city, there is no excuse for this. Redeveloping the towers is a good idea, and revitalizing the square would also be a good idea-- necessary in fact. But it's very easy to build a big tower and very hard to undo it.
I don't care how much green space is nearby-- an urban public space could be very nice at Yonge and Eglinton if it were redeveloped into something worthwhile. And if not necessary yet at this corner, it will be in the future when the area is even busier. As I said-- it's hard to create these spaces later.
I am not swayed by the glitzy shine of new glass... this is an inexcusable project.
I don't care how much green space is nearby-- an urban public space could be very nice at Yonge and Eglinton if it were redeveloped into something worthwhile. And if not necessary yet at this corner, it will be in the future when the area is even busier. As I said-- it's hard to create these spaces later.
I am not swayed by the glitzy shine of new glass... this is an inexcusable project.
Yoshimura
Active Member
UrbanAffair
Senior Member
Don't mean to be rude, but
I don't dream & aim of that.
Speak for yourself.
Well you may not, but many on here probably do, and its good public planning to have squares. Yonge and Eg is the centre of midtown Toronto and will be for a long time. What a great place to have a vibrant square..Spire is right, very hard to build later. Europe has them by the myriad and they are mostly very very successful. Squares as meeting places are important in human history, and when done right, and great places that are needed to knit human population together in urban centres.
spaced
Active Member
Replacing a public square with a mall. Really? I want to say this sounds like an issue you may hear from the suburbs or in some backward thinking town but I can't think of one instance where this has happened. Many of these cities are adding public space or re-developing theirs. I don't care how ugly the square is or how it may be currently underused, the removal of a public square is asinine.
urbandreamer
recession proof
There is plenty of room available in the area for "public space." All those rental slabs nearby have acres of unused space.... Even the Minto towers have that silly interior courtyard--private space it may be now, but 40 years from now...?
I hate public space myself!
I hate public space myself!
Tuscani01
Senior Member
Everyone keeps referring to the loss of public space that would occur with this expansion... its not a public space. Its private property. More shops would bring in more money for the owner, and would be welcomed by people who live around Yonge-Eglinton. This spot does not need to be a public space, and its not like this will be the last chance at getting a public space at Yonge-Eglinton. The north east corner has potential to be redeveloped, and there is also the old TTC bus station to be redeveloped.
Having been in the space many times, (pretty much live there now) I can say it is only used by those who work in the offices for their smoke breaks or lunch breaks. The amount of traffic at Yonge-Eglinton makes this an unpleasing space to be in otherwise. RioCan has already agreed to making the roof of this new expansion an accessible green roof and I think that compromise is good enough. We get a new 'public' space, which will offer an escape from the craziness at Yonge and Eglinton AND new amenities in the area.
From the project document:
"The emerging policy for the Yonge-Eglinton area, as embedded in OPA 63, provides for open space to accompany intensification. A public park of between 2000-2500m2 in size
and publicly accessibly, private open space connections are to be provided in the southwest quadrant. OPA 63 also encourages an open space to be provided on the northeast corner of the Yonge Street-Eglinton Avenue East intersection when lands in the northeast quadrant are comprehensively redeveloped."
The official plan calls for open space in the areas I mentioned, so building it now because we cant later is not something to worry about.
Having been in the space many times, (pretty much live there now) I can say it is only used by those who work in the offices for their smoke breaks or lunch breaks. The amount of traffic at Yonge-Eglinton makes this an unpleasing space to be in otherwise. RioCan has already agreed to making the roof of this new expansion an accessible green roof and I think that compromise is good enough. We get a new 'public' space, which will offer an escape from the craziness at Yonge and Eglinton AND new amenities in the area.
From the project document:
"The emerging policy for the Yonge-Eglinton area, as embedded in OPA 63, provides for open space to accompany intensification. A public park of between 2000-2500m2 in size
and publicly accessibly, private open space connections are to be provided in the southwest quadrant. OPA 63 also encourages an open space to be provided on the northeast corner of the Yonge Street-Eglinton Avenue East intersection when lands in the northeast quadrant are comprehensively redeveloped."
The official plan calls for open space in the areas I mentioned, so building it now because we cant later is not something to worry about.
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junctionist
Senior Member
It really shows how spineless municipals officials were in the 1960s before the urban reform movement. The trade off for a public street was a cheap open space at Yonge and Eglinton that the City didn't even take ownership of.
Protest is coming to Yonge and Eglinton today and Urban Toronto will be live blogging the event. Local residents are protesting plans by Yonge-Eglinton Centre's owner RioCan to replace open space on the corner with a three storey shopping mall. Basically this will be an extension of the existing mall. City Councillors will be voting on the proposal this week. RioCan is also planning to reclad and add floors to the existing two office towers.
This is what the corner looks like right now.
And this is what the existing office towers look like.
And here is a rendering of what RioCan plans to do.
Local councillor Karen Stintz is supportive of the project because she's in favour of increasing density close to the subway. That's ironic considering she was originally elected due to her anti-Minto Midtown stance, which brought two major condo towers to the area.
Blogging from the protest:
11:45: Media is here and some folks are being interviewed. Rest of the square is as quiet.
This is what the corner looks like right now.
And this is what the existing office towers look like.
And here is a rendering of what RioCan plans to do.
Local councillor Karen Stintz is supportive of the project because she's in favour of increasing density close to the subway. That's ironic considering she was originally elected due to her anti-Minto Midtown stance, which brought two major condo towers to the area.
Blogging from the protest:
11:45: Media is here and some folks are being interviewed. Rest of the square is as quiet.
12:00: Protest begins. Three media trucks are here as are the police. Are there enough people to fill theatre one in the SilverCity?
12:15: Getting exciting. Here's looking at you Paris 1968!
