AlbertC
Superstar
As the development boom in Toronto and GTA approaches approximately 2 decades now, one of the more common challenges and areas of focus is how the new building meets the street and whether it's able to replace or produce an engaging streetscape.
Several of the early boom projects in the 2000's have left us with some serious duds like the ones along the Bay corridor scattered between Charles to Dundas. There's also the series of mid-rises built by Pemberton along Queen East in the Beaches area that span multiple consecutive blocks. That stretch remains a notable dead zone and IMO is particularly unforgivable. There's also various ones around the city such as IT Lofts at College & Rusholme which still has yet secure a single tenant years after completion.
On the other hand, there are some notable success stories. I'd consider the Grand Triomphe development in NYCC, which spans along Yonge Street from Byng all the way to the cemetery before Church Ave, to be the greatest example in the city. Altogether there must be around 30 businesses at grade level, which includes ones along the side street Byng, and the cul-de-sac type spaces on Northtown Way. Worth noting though, that majority of these business are Asian (Korean, Chinese, Japanese) eateries, which have a tradition of entrepreneurial resourcefulness in smaller retail spaces and formats.
Some others that come to mind are Five St. Joseph, apart from the restored buildings along Yonge, they also make use of the ones along St. Joseph and even the St. Nicholas laneway now that Bar Volo has opened. Further examples include B.Street condos on Bathurst south of Bloor, along with other examples in Yorkville and King West.
Several of the early boom projects in the 2000's have left us with some serious duds like the ones along the Bay corridor scattered between Charles to Dundas. There's also the series of mid-rises built by Pemberton along Queen East in the Beaches area that span multiple consecutive blocks. That stretch remains a notable dead zone and IMO is particularly unforgivable. There's also various ones around the city such as IT Lofts at College & Rusholme which still has yet secure a single tenant years after completion.
On the other hand, there are some notable success stories. I'd consider the Grand Triomphe development in NYCC, which spans along Yonge Street from Byng all the way to the cemetery before Church Ave, to be the greatest example in the city. Altogether there must be around 30 businesses at grade level, which includes ones along the side street Byng, and the cul-de-sac type spaces on Northtown Way. Worth noting though, that majority of these business are Asian (Korean, Chinese, Japanese) eateries, which have a tradition of entrepreneurial resourcefulness in smaller retail spaces and formats.
Some others that come to mind are Five St. Joseph, apart from the restored buildings along Yonge, they also make use of the ones along St. Joseph and even the St. Nicholas laneway now that Bar Volo has opened. Further examples include B.Street condos on Bathurst south of Bloor, along with other examples in Yorkville and King West.
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