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Waterfront: West Don Lands (DTAH)

greenleaf said:
Today:
It kinda reminds me of the description of Fitzgerald's Valley of Ashes in the Great Gatsby.
Click to expand...

Great picture (looking south from King Street) but actually most of the earth moving (and removing and moving again) is taking place south of the Eastern Avenue bridge. The large berm for the park looks as though it is basically finished and they are now busy bringing in earth and clay to build up the section running from the Eastern Avenue bridge south to where the park starts - you can see fire hydrants sticking up about 8 feet so I assume they have about 6 more feet to fill in.

They are also now working on the concrete footings for the pedestrian bridge which seems to be going to connect to the existing pedestrian bridge going up from St Lawrence Street to the Eastern Avenue bridge. (Yes, I cannot quite see WHY this new bridge is necessary either...)
 
Which is my opinion isn't good because it will create facilities all over the place leading to a less cohesive future Olympic bid. Good for the West Don Lands I suppose as long as the buildings are built well.
 
In the east end, a hot pocket
Parliament/Queen area has 15,000 new units booked and prices are rising with demand

“It is the largest area of Toronto for future new development, and because of the city's commitment to the Docklands and waterfront it is certain to include terrific new parks and great public transit.

If Toronto wins its bid for the 2015 Pan American Games, then the area will really heat up, says John Berman, a partner in the redevelopment of the Distillery District at Mill Street and Parliament Street.

“One of the first things to be built will be 6,000 residential suites to house the athletes,†he says. “That will go up right next to the Distillery District.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/real-estate/in-the-east-end-a-hot-pocket/article1198082/
 
Gotta love those 'Docklands'!

Automation Gallery said:
In the east end, a hot pocket
Parliament/Queen area has 15,000 new units booked and prices are rising with demand

“It is the largest area of Toronto for future new development, and because of the city's commitment to the Docklands and waterfront it is certain to include terrific new parks and great public transit.

If Toronto wins its bid for the 2015 Pan American Games, then the area will really heat up, says John Berman, a partner in the redevelopment of the Distillery District at Mill Street and Parliament Street.

“One of the first things to be built will be 6,000 residential suites to house the athletes,†he says. “That will go up right next to the Distillery District.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/real-estate/in-the-east-end-a-hot-pocket/article1198082/
Click to expand...

I have never heard that term before -- is this just REALLY sloppy editing?
 
I thought the same thing. Maybe the writer just got back from a trip to London, England and "Docklands" was still in their head.
 
It is kind of amazing to thing that if we had been awarded the Olympics, the entire waterfront project would have been done by last summer.

I'm getting really wary of this project turning into the kind of sea of concrete that exists in the "neighbourhood" surrounding the SkyDome.
 
unimaginative2 said:
I'm getting really wary of this project turning into the kind of sea of concrete that exists in the "neighbourhood" surrounding the SkyDome.
Click to expand...

I think, or at least I hope, that your prediction will not come true. Unlike the CityPlace/Bremner/Queens Quay area, the West Don Lands has a nearby, historic built form to add context to the scale and size of development. Investments in the Distillery District and Regent Park have shown (or will show) how mid-rise and point towers can co-exist. Also, the WDL seems to want to extend the St. Lawrence neighbourhood east, unlike the CityPlace neighbourhood that seems to try and extend the Financial District west.

I am worried that once this area gets built it will all look the same. One of the major limitations of the recent boom is that all development looks the same and thus sterilizes the neighbourhood.
 
unimaginative2 said:
I'm getting really wary of this project turning into the kind of sea of concrete that exists in the "neighbourhood" surrounding the SkyDome.
Click to expand...

I've only been inside an apartment in that "sea of concrete" once, for a UT forum gathering a few years ago. The owner had a lovely view north across Front Street and seemed justifiably pleased with his home and location. While living up in the clouds isn't my cup tea - and it was surprising that City Place got built at all after the success of the St. Lawrence district as a residential model for the downtown - I can see how it fits into the get-up-and-go lifestyle of the youngish crowd that lives there. I think it's a perfectly valid alternative.
 
Urban Shocker said:
I've only been inside an apartment in that "sea of concrete" once, for a UT forum gathering a few years ago. The owner had a lovely view north across Front Street and seemed justifiably pleased with his home and location. While living up in the clouds isn't my cup tea - and it was surprising that City Place got built at all after the success of the St. Lawrence district as a residential model for the downtown - I can see how it fits into the get-up-and-go lifestyle of the youngish crowd that lives there. I think it's a perfectly valid alternative.
Click to expand...

Heh heh. I do hope the gathering was a pleasant experience for you! It's a nice building, no doubt, and the location is good, but I can tell you that the walk south is a lot less appealing than the walk north. It's not the buildings that I have a problem with, though they have their issues. I'm talking about the way the sidewalks and streets are designed down on Bremner. The street is incredibly wide and, unless there's a game on, quite windswept and unappealing. When I talk about a sea of concrete, it's not the style of the buildings. It's the style of the sidewalks.
 
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I enjoyed watching you sprinkling salt on your white carpet to take out the red wine stains.

Yes, parkland would have been much nicer. Towers in the park ... it has a nice ring to it. They could have parlayed a TD Centre-derived approach ( where workers sit out in the plaza in the good weather - chatting to friends, listening to live music, having lunch ... ) into something that worked with the sleek towers. Think what could be done if the concrete sidewalks are converted to mostly green space - productive vegetable and fruit gardens and markets, for instance. Very Mayor's Tower Renewal in nature.
 
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