Toronto Bloor Street Revitalization | ?m | ?s | Bloor-Yorkville BIA | architectsAlliance

This is the downside to working with BIA's, the work just ends at some boundary, even if it's mid-block.
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From Church to Yonge, just missing the trees (September).
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Yonge & Bloor, northeast corner.
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I found walking along here today on a sunny & moderately warm day (about 22C?) that it was warmer once I hit the granite area. Not really a problem, just an observation. Once we crossed at Yonge Street and hit the regular sidewalk again it didn't seem as warm anymore.
 
syn said:
It's unfortunate the project has been downgraded to granite sidewalks, some trees and new planters.

I'd love to see City Hall come up with a comprehensive plan to improve streetscapes in the entire city...and a consistent lighting/furniture plan.
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I'm not sure I want my tax dollars to pay for Bloor Street style renovations, or anything close to it especially when there are so many other pressing infrastructure issues to be dealt with. I do think that this project could serve as a blueprint of what a BIA can do to their main thoroughfares and if a neighbourhood doesn't have a BIA, here is incentive for business owners to get together and organize one. Also, I wouldn't want to see every street looking like this, each neighbourhood has it's own charm and character, even if it's a bit run down. Improvements are always good but I definitely wouldn't want to see a generic City plan rolled out to plough over the uniqueness of neighbourhoods throughout the city. I think the street furniture program and new street sign design are good examples of the City keeping their hands off!
 
dt_toronto_geek said:
I'm not sure I want my tax dollars to pay for Bloor Street style renovations, or anything close to it especially when there are so many other pressing infrastructure issues to be dealt with. I do think that this project could serve as a blueprint of what a BIA can do to their main thoroughfares and if a neighbourhood doesn't have a BIA, here is incentive for business owners to get together and organize one. Also, I wouldn't want to see every street looking like this, each neighbourhood has it's own charm and character, even if it's a bit run down. Improvements are always good but I definitely wouldn't want to see a generic City plan rolled out to plough over the uniqueness of neighbourhoods throughout the city. I think the street furniture program and new street sign design are good examples of the City keeping their hands off!
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I wasn't referring to having granite sidewalks in every neighbourhood. But there clearly needs to be some consistent design standards applied to this city.
 
Hank said:
I still think that they should put a statue of Ben Kerr up on that corner.
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Yes!

I would gladly donate to a fund to get a statue erected. Ben Kerr *was* Yonge-Bloor, and it would be a fitting tribute to one of the local characters that gave some character to our city.
 
syn said:
I wasn't referring to having granite sidewalks in every neighbourhood. But there clearly needs to be some consistent design standards applied to this city.
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I didn't mean to imply you suggested granite everywhere, but I can't agree with the City getting involved with consistent design standards.
I like the bus shelters (although I've already seen several defaced & scratched up already - post #255) but I don't like the Tonka Toy garbage receptacles and street signs.
 
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dt_toronto_geek said:
I didn't mean to imply you suggested granite everywhere, but I can't agree with the City getting involved with consistent design standards.
I like the bus shelters (although I've already seen several defaced & scratched up already) but I don't like the Tonka Toy garbage receptacles and street signs.
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The city is already involved. The point is that it needs to be improved. Your examples are a perfect example of why we need some consistent standards. Right now it's a mess.
 
Bloor Street Update - June 21st

Starting at Church & Bloor, moving over to Yonge & Bloor.

I don't know if this section of Bloor Street will be ready for the Pride Parade next weekend, it's going to be really close if they get it done.

Click on the thumbnail to enlarge, then click again on the image for full size.

 
dt_toronto_geek said:
I don't know if this section of Bloor Street will be ready for the Pride Parade next weekend, it's going to be really close if they get it done.
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Ongoing construction will squeeze throngs on Bloor

An ongoing construction project along Bloor St E isn’t expected to cause major problems at this year’s Pride Parade or Dyke March, says both Pride Toronto’s executive director and a City of Toronto staffer.

“It’s a bit of a nuisance,†says Pride’s Tracey Sandilands, “but it’s part of a huge project and we understand that. We have been speaking to the city for quite some time about it now. Our program manager Jordan [Patterson] has been meeting with them and he says that the arrangements have been finalized and that there will always be two adjacent lanes open.â€

The construction, which began work in July of last year, has caused traffic nightmares for months due to reduced lanes on Bloor St between Church St Yonge — the same route travelled by the Dyke March on Sat, Jun 27 and the Pride Parade on Jun 28. Both processions travel west on Bloor St from Church St before turning south down Yonge St.

“We’ll have the road open in time for the parade,†promises Gord MacMillan, director of District Engineering Services for the City of Toronto Technical Services Division. “The work won’t be fully completed, but we’ll vacate the road [of crews and equipment]. And we’ll have the road paved over. The south boulevard will be open, but sections of the north boulevard may be inaccessible at certain points to pedestrians.â€

Sandilands says there was some initial concern about whether there would be enough space for parade floats — some of them large, flat-bed trucks — to safely navigate through what has been a narrow stretch of road, but she says that those fears have now been put to rest.

“We were a little bit concerned about the turning radius of some of the floats,†says Sandilands, “but Jordon has been up to Bloor St with the city engineers and... they’ve measured it and they seem to feel that isn’t a problem. So we don’t anticipate any problem with the floats.â€

The construction project — an approximately $20-million endeavour initiated by the Bloor-Yorkville Business Improvement Area (BYBIA) — involves major reconstruction of Bloor St from Avenue Rd to Church St that includes laying down widened granite sidewalks, new street lighting, trees and flowers in raised planting beds and new street furnishings in a bid to make the area more pedestrian-friendly. Work is expected to be completed this August.

“It’s the BIA’s project and the city is delivering the project for them,†says MacMillan. “The BIA is forwarding the majority of that money to the city to put in an enhanced boulevard.â€

But even though the project won’t be fully completed by the time Pride rolls around, MacMillan says the area should be in suitable condition to accommodate the parade.

“We’ve been working with councillor [Kyle] Rae’s office on this project and we know the importance of the parade to the city. That’s why we’ve ordered the contractors off the roads in time for the parade,†MacMillan says.

But what about the onlookers? Last year’s Sunday parade drew an estimated 1.5 million people, with spectators taking up all available sidewalk space.

Sandilands says that even if there is reduced spectator space along Bloor St E that it shouldn’t cause a significant impact.

“There may be less space for spectators to move around than there had been in previous years,†says Sandilands, “but that’s just for that little section of Bloor St. Spectators can turn down to Yonge and take the whole of Yonge St to watch the parade. There will be space on either side [of Bloor St] for spectators, bt maybe not as much as there has been in the past.â€

Source
 
Someone please tell me the ugly utility poles are going to be removed or replaced.
 
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