Yeah, the SE corner townhomes are wretched, and a huge wasted opportunity to improve the area further. The developer originally requested a zoning change to allow for several highrises in the teens. Didn't get it though...
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Loggia Condos (Queensway & Islington, Brandylane, 2x 10s, SMV Architects) COMPLETE
- Thread starter yyzer
- Start date
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notyouagain
Guest
I share your rage. Truly disgusting. How is it possible for the planning department to do such a fine job with Logia condos and then screw up by approving these army barracks?
There are no serious architectural controls available to planning departments yet if the builder wants to build within what zoning allows.
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notyouagain
Guest
Yes, that's a problem but why are townhouses fronting Queensway being permitted? Do we not have minimum density zoning?
maxt797
Active Member
The townhouses directly across (north side) from the army barracks (i like the way you described them, Notyouagain) are still fronting queensway but at least have retail in the ground (home-office-business concept). When they built them few years back i thought it was bad (instead of a nice condo/office tower with a mall downstairs and street-facing retail) but now i know it can get much worse (and it did) and thse ones are not that bad after all!
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notyouagain
Guest
I know what you mean. I was also disappointed with those townhouses but they now seem inspired in comparison with what they did across the street. By the way, what ever happened to the design review panels? What's taking it so long to roll this out city-wide?
maxt797
Active Member
so i tried to capture the "barracks" madness while driving by this afternoon... sorry was rushing and didnt bother to stop so its not the best quality... even things like dreadful hydro meters are facing the Queensway and not the back where the garages are.. it really makes me mad!
Loggia - east building
the while building across the intersection are the "home-office-retail" townhouse concepts that look like top-notch design comparing to maddness across.
the rest speaks for itself
Loggia - east building
the while building across the intersection are the "home-office-retail" townhouse concepts that look like top-notch design comparing to maddness across.
the rest speaks for itself
alklay
Senior Member
Agreed. Those are pretty bad (design wise and planning wise). Why does such crap get built here in Toronto?!!! (Stupid question)
yyzer
Senior Member
dziogo, those are indeed brutal. 
casaguy
Senior Member
Truly wretched. Who's responsible for such an embarrassment?
Mike in TO
Senior Member
Changes to the Planning Act in Bill 51 came into effect on January 1st that have provisions for minimum density zoning. Although many areas of Toronto have not had their zoning updated since the 1960s and 70s. The Toronto planning department is stretched so thin that they don't have the resources to regularily update a variety of planning documents.... although Bill 51 also requires Official Plans to be updated every 5 years and the zoning to be brought into conformity with OPs a maximum of 3 years after an OP is adopted.
This will hopefully fix a lot of problems in Toronto and across the province with outdated planning documents and guidelines. It drives me nuts when applications are proposed on transit lines or downtown and the NIMBYs come out saying it doesn't conform to the zoning... except that the zoning was last updated sometime in the late 60s - so how relevant is a plan for the future created in 1960-something for an application in 2007?
Nice avatar Alklay.
Oh if only Frank Lloyd Wright had designed the townhouses at Queensway and Islington (just to keep it on topic). That would be totally cool though. Why did no-one in this town ever seek to hire him here? I'm moving to Buffalo.
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Oh if only Frank Lloyd Wright had designed the townhouses at Queensway and Islington (just to keep it on topic). That would be totally cool though. Why did no-one in this town ever seek to hire him here? I'm moving to Buffalo.
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Zephyr
Active Member
Imagine taking a walk around the ol' neighbourhood - and getting lost.
"That looks like the same townhouse I passed a moment ago, but the street name is different?" "Is that the back or front of the townhouse?" "Am I still in Toronto ... what am I saying?"
"That looks like the same townhouse I passed a moment ago, but the street name is different?" "Is that the back or front of the townhouse?" "Am I still in Toronto ... what am I saying?"
Urban Shocker
Doyenne
Time heals all things. My place was built in 1907 as part of a group of twelve identical buildings, each composed of two semi's. Now, after generations of renovations, additions, repaintings, recladdings etc. they're all quite distinctively different.
Conrad Black
Senior Member
I was expecting way worse. Like those ones down by the Gardiner and Humber River. Do the electrical meters have to be so visible though?