College Park 444 Yonge/33 College/777 Bay (renovations, Canderel, ground levels, WZMH)

[Natika33]

From the website -

"Originally intended to be an ambitious 38-storey retail landmark..."

"College Park 100 aims to revisit the original vision of Ross & Macdonald and explore the best paths forward towards a more vibrant future, addressing
contemporary challenges of housing, affordability, mobility, public space and programming, and ensuring College Park succeeds as a vital landmark in our city."

So if I am breaking out the key pieces in the second part of my citations, there are three parts to this:

• Retail Spaces: "Revisit the original vision - an ambitious 38-storey retail landmark"
• Residential & Community: "housing, affordability, mobility, public space and programming"
• Tourist Attraction: :"ensuring College Park succeeds as a vital landmark in our city". The word Landmark was used a few times here.

All of these can coexist but not in the current form.

Let's address community, College Park is in a decent place for this, it has two groceries (for two different demographics), a gym, a furniture store, and a winners. It has the actual park, one of the more well used one in DT Toronto. It is situated where you have people from a few walks of life meet. It is literally between two universities,. I felt like it easily clear their goals with regards to housing and community. If they want more housing, I just hope they keep the design language and adds to it.

For Retail, it has a there isn't enough space. Maybe they will revisit the multi-level retail concept again? If there were to do that, they need to reconsider their layout of the retail building. I think they should link Collage Park retail space with the Aura's underground retail space, it would add more retail pathway and improve the much needed access to the Aura retail part. That basically can turn this into a mini-shopping center. Obviously, renovation is needed as the interior are both pretty bad on both.

For being an landmark and attraction, the space has a lot to draw from. I would suggest working with both university to create a museum to showcase History of the area and Toronto at large.

Last and most importantly, redo or undo that 1990 looking food court. I thought I am in an unknown Scarborough mall waiting to be redeveloped when I was there.

I am cautiously optimistic about this project & hope some of the points you raised are addressed (e.g., better connection to Aura's shops). I feel the recent remodel of the food court was a quick fix & a modest improvement over it's dark dreary predecessor, but if they want to spend money to redo it again so soon (and bring in some historical elements!), I'm not going to complain.

I have some reservations about what they'll do to the park though as it's basically my favourite one downtown, even with its flaws. Perhaps that little patch of sad "lawn" should just be permanently made into an official "dog toilet" since that appears to be it's only function now. And I guess the "dip" area will disappear which is a bit of a shame as that could have made into a beautiful sunken garden that one could look upon from the floor to ceiling windows of what is now the gym. I guess we'll see as more details come out.

 

[Northern Light]

I am cautiously optimistic about this project & hope some of the points you raised are addressed (e.g., better connection to Aura's shops).

This would be very challenging to do. The tunnel itself is problematic, but the connection to the heritage stairs is very limiting. The tunnel from Aura comes in below the lowest public level in College Park.

There are ways to address it, but relative to value.....I would recommend against it. I'd rather remove the connection.

My preference for Aura's basement is that someone buy up all the small vendors and use the space as part of a big box retail format.......say IKEA? I love indy retail, but that rabbit warren of a space does not strike me as fixable in its current iteration.

I feel the recent remodel of the food court was a quick fix & a modest improvement over it's dark dreary predecessor, but if they want to spend money to redo it again so soon (and bring in some historical elements!), I'm not going to complain.

The food court should be relocated to the main E-W path across the south of complex, its flooded with natural light, and if the heritage floors and lights were restored, it could really work as a grander variation on a food court.

This would require a re-think of Metro's space. I would shift the public hallway through what is now Tim's and the existing food court, and then slightly enlarge, but also alter the shape of Metro so that food retail could occupy what is now its south wall, facing out to the grand corridor.

I have some reservations about what they'll do to the park though as it's basically my favourite one downtown, even with its flaws. Perhaps that little patch of sad "lawn" should just be permanently made into an official "dog toilet" since that appears to be it's only function now.

I drew up a fairly low-cost fix for the space. Its around in the applicable thread somewhere. I wouldn't object to a total re-think, but only if you have the right team running the design.

And I guess the "dip" area will disappear which is a bit of a shame as that could have made into a beautiful sunken garden that one could look upon from the floor to ceiling windows of what is now the gym. I guess we'll see as more details come out.

The site requires some form of entrance/exit at that location as it stands. The dip likely would be removed, but it requires a pretty big re-think of the interior space and its relationship to the outside. Right people in charge, it could be a drastic improvement.

 

[stevedean]

The pre-construction condo market is at a standstill. The office market is languishing because of remote work.

Are they intending on building multiple rental towers?

 

[Tyrang]

This would be very challenging to do. The tunnel itself is problematic, but the connection to the heritage stairs is very limiting. The tunnel from Aura comes in below the lowest public level in College Park.

There are ways to address it, but relative to value.....I would recommend against it. I'd rather remove the connection.

My preference for Aura's basement is that someone buy up all the small vendors and use the space as part of a big box retail format.......say IKEA? I love indy retail, but that rabbit warren of a space does not strike me as fixable in its current iteration.



The food court should be relocated to the main E-W path across the south of complex, its flooded with natural light, and if the heritage floors and lights were restored, it could really work as a grander variation on a food court.

This would require a re-think of Metro's space. I would shift the public hallway through what is now Tim's and the existing food court, and then slightly enlarge, but also alter the shape of Metro so that food retail could occupy what is now its south wall, facing out to the grand corridor.



I drew up a fairly low-cost fix for the space. Its around in the applicable thread somewhere. I wouldn't object to a total re-think, but only if you have the right team running the design.



The site requires some form of entrance/exit at that location as it stands. The dip likely would be removed, but it requires a pretty big re-think of the interior space and its relationship to the outside. Right people in charge, it could be a drastic improvement.

I literally just decided to walk through place earlier today after work - even though I walk pass that all the time.

And you are right... I found the Aura shops connections - it is pathetic. The Aura Shops remained me of the old Chinese malls in Markham/Scarborough that are slowly dying. I don't think the connection needs to go, but the whole bottom level needed rethinking. Let's say if some bigger chain like Rec Room moves there like you have mentioned, it would probably work well. The connection will just go "To Rec Room", which I think people will use.

That connection between the East side and the West side is truly horrible. You have to walk all the way around. The two side will really need to have a main hallway for connection, probably through the new foodcourt or the Winners.

I am cautiously optimistic about this project & hope some of the points you raised are addressed (e.g., better connection to Aura's shops). I feel the recent remodel of the food court was a quick fix & a modest improvement over it's dark dreary predecessor, but if they want to spend money to redo it again so soon (and bring in some historical elements!), I'm not going to complain.

I have some reservations about what they'll do to the park though as it's basically my favourite one downtown, even with its flaws. Perhaps that little patch of sad "lawn" should just be permanently made into an official "dog toilet" since that appears to be it's only function now. And I guess the "dip" area will disappear which is a bit of a shame as that could have made into a beautiful sunken garden that one could look upon from the floor to ceiling windows of what is now the gym. I guess we'll see as more details come out.

I also think that park is pretty good as is. There is definitely enough room to do have something there... we will see.

The more I think about it, the more I think this space could be a real landmark. This is the once in a lifetime opportunity to really rethink, I hope they are not stopping short at some of their new renovations, cause those were mostly bad.

 

[AlbertC]

The Shops at Aura having the unique distinction of feeling like a dying mall immediately right after its conception is a kerfuffle that needs to be studied among urban and architectural design classes of what not to do in the future.

 

[LUVIT!]

I walked through Aura's lower level shops just after they opened and I thought to myself "How could this have possibly happened ?' But it did. I never returned.

 

[DSCToronto]

I walked through Aura's lower level shops just after they opened and I thought to myself "How could this have possibly happened ?' But it did. I never returned.

It seems that most of these pathetic Aura stores were bought by real people and I must say feel VERY sorry for them - though it does demonstrate that buyers need to do research! Currently there are SIX units at Aura available on realtor.ca. One at only $80K.

 

[KAR246]

While the Shops at Aura definitely has a lot of issues, I love the small units that allow for more niche stores that probably wouldn't be able to afford a place anywhere else.

I also went there a few weeks ago and there was a trading card store that was completely full. But that is only one store of many.

 

[rdaner]

Will the south entrance to the staton make a difference?

 

[Northern Light]

Will the south entrance to the staton make a difference?

A difference to what?

 

[Tyrang]

It seems that most of these pathetic Aura stores were bought by real people and I must say feel VERY sorry for them - though it does demonstrate that buyers need to do research! Currently there are SIX units at Aura available on realtor.ca. One at only $80K.

I know some people that uses the shops there, most of those shops doesn't need foot traffic. There are a bunch of nails and hair salons that I think the hair dressers bring their own clients through connections. Some hobbyist shops that I think people specifically seeks out (I saw a big group people playing card games in one of the shop). I think the food courts there functions as a kitchen for Uber. So whoever set up shops there and are still there, seems to be able make it works.

But none the less, it is still a dead space. The most hilarious thing is that there is the tiniest stage in the food court, which makes me think that someone wants everything to be in that small space. The space really just needs rethink - you don't need that many store fronts in a tiny area. Both College Park and Shops at Aura really need to get away from the 90s mall look and feel.

 

[rdaner]

A difference to what?

Just wondering if there will be a direct connection between College Station and Aura/College Park that would boost foot traffic?

 

[ProjectEnd]

It won't. The only thing that would seriously increase foot traffic is a flashy below-grade connection right at the corner of Yonge and Gerrard (where the Ikea entrance is today).

 

[abovegrade]

Live/work spaces for musicians and things like recording studios and arts spaces would really make this come alive. 401 richmond is a good example of what's possible.

 

[Midtown Hank]

The pre-construction condo market is at a standstill. The office market is languishing because of remote work.

Are they intending on building multiple rental towers?

Would make sense as owners are very familiar with rental and it fits their profile of owning long term. Also, ability to self finance.