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Shops at Don Mills (redevelopment, Giannone Petricone/Pellow + Associates )

I do really like that outdoor square sitting area. If it becomes a busy area with a lot of people about, I'd love to sit there for an afternoon with a coffee and laptop (do they have wifi?).

If its not busy well...it would be a nice thought.

no WiFi, yet
 
There was an article in the Globe and Mail today, mentioned on Spacing:

Ms. Mowbray says that as a retail consultant she would like to see a different mix of housing with perhaps condos on two or three levels above the shops. She also says the retail mix may focus too much on fashion and may not offer enough food alternatives.

"But I definitely think this is the coming wave in shopping centre development," she says.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/real-estate/remember-shopping-on-main-street/article1263195/
 
City Planning Request for Directions Report

City Planning Request for Directions Report to be considered by Scarborough Community Council on September 15, 2009:

http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2009/ny/bgrd/backgroundfile-22203.pdf

Summary

The application seeks permission for a mixed-use development in the southerly and westerly portions of the Don Mills Centre. The proposal consists of a series of mixed use buildings along The Donway West with heights ranging from 12-26 storeys. The buildings would contain 1,387 residential units, 1,261 of which represent new construction while 126 would be created through the conversion of the existing 13-storey office building at 75 The Donway West. The ground and some second floors of the buildings would contain 7,530 m² (81,052 sq. ft.) of retail and office space. The application includes a 2-storey, 3,268 m² (35,176 sq.ft.) publicly accessible community centre next to a 0.38 ha (0.4 acre) public park.

On July 10, 2007, the applicant appealed the Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendment application to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) due to Council’s failure to make a decision within the prescribed time frames set out in the Planning Act. Further pre-hearings are scheduled for July 15, 2009 and August 19, 2009 on this appeal.

This report seeks Council’s direction to attend the hearing to oppose the proposal in its current form. Staff are recommending that discussions continue between the City and the applicant, including the local resident association, on a revised proposal that better conforms with the provisions of the Central Don Mills Secondary Plan. However, should Council elect to support the application in its current form, it is recommended Council direct staff to undertake a Secondary Plan review.
 
Which office building is being converted?
I'm not fond of such conversions ... will the space be replaced in a new office building / scattered throughout the project?
 
Which office building is being converted?
I'm not fond of such conversions ... will the space be replaced in a new office building / scattered throughout the project?

look on page 34 + 38 of this PDF ... there's one building labelled "75 Donway West" which is existing on site today ... all the other towers are proposed :)

http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2009/ny/bgrd/backgroundfile-22203.pdf

  • A1 - 12s
  • A2 - 12s
  • B1 - Reflections @ Don Mills, 12s
  • B2 - 2x 26s
  • C - 75 Donway West ??, 13s
  • D - 16s
  • E - 16s
  • F - 14s
 
Hmm adding density to the area would help the mall attract full time customers.
 
No, my doctor is still very much located in that building, though they have been told that when their current lease expires they have to move.

Yea I didn't think so ... The city is quite insistent on replacing all rental buildings that are demolished, do the same rules not apply for offices - given, if they're vacant / half empty that's a different story, but I don't think that's the case here. They should be building a replacement tower for this!
 
Community council undecided on community centre offer

You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone opposed to a $17-million community centre proposed by Cadillac Fairview at the Don Mills Centre.
But opinion on the project in the community remains divided.

At a meeting of North York community council Tuesday, Sept. 15, the company said it would build the community centre, which would be operated by a non-profit organization, in exchange for approval to build 1,387 condominium units in buildings ranging from 12 to 26 storeys.

If the city doesn't accept the plan by Oct. 7, the company will withdraw its offer of a community centre and instead take its chances at getting the condos approved at an Ontario Municipal Board hearing next April.

In the end, councillors did not make a decision, leaving it to Toronto council to deal with the issue at its Sept. 30 meeting.

But both support and opposition to the manner in which the offer has been made were voiced at the meeting.

Terry West, president of Don Mills Ratepayers Inc., said a survey commissioned by the ratepayers' group shows 85 per cent of respondents favour the mixed-use development in exchange for the community centre.

Cadillac Fairview has reduced the height and densities since the plan was first proposed, West pointed out.

If councillors reject the plan and proceed to the OMB hearing, "you are being very unfair to the community of Don Mills and also, may I add, to the taxpayers of the City of Toronto," he said.

David Croutch, past-president of the Don Mills Civitan Community Service Club and current president of the Civitan Hockey League, also supports the proposal.

He also said the club is interested in discussing with Cadillac Fairview the possibility of building a two-storey, multi-pad arena to replace the Civitan's aging facility at 1030 Don Mills at the south end of the Don Mills shopping centre site.

Resident Jonathan Mosley, an urban planner, said the heights of the condo buildings aren't ideal but they are worth it to get a much-needed first class community centre for the community.

"It is the best plan that could be had," he said. "You don't get anything for nothing."

But others are upset with Cadillac Fairview's "take it or leave it attitude."

"I get really uneasy about an easy compromise, even though speaking this way, I feel like I'm speaking against motherhood," said Rein Kuris, a member of Don Mills Friends.

"I think we're giving away the store for just a few shiny trinkets."

Councillors are also divided.

Don Valley West Councillor Cliff Jenkins said residents were upset when they lost their gathering place after the indoor Don Mills Centre was torn down.

"Now, we have an opportunity to replace that and more. It is an opportunity that is, unfortunately, time limited," he said, adding the vast majority of constituents contacting him support the proposal.

But Don Valley East Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong said there hasn't been enough debate on changing the character of the area.

"I haven't heard anyone say they want the centre of Don Mills to become a tall building district," he said. .

http://www.insidetoronto.com/news/l...y-council-undecided-on-community-centre-offer
 
Yea I didn't think so ... The city is quite insistent on replacing all rental buildings that are demolished, do the same rules not apply for offices - given, if they're vacant / half empty that's a different story, but I don't think that's the case here. They should be building a replacement tower for this!

IMO, I d like to see the same rules that apply to rental buildings be applied to office buildings as well. Toronto needs cheaper office space to draw business back else it will only be a matter of time before i have to travel to the suburbs for my dentist appointments. :mad: Sadly, I think I' m in the minority.
 
IMO, I d like to see the same rules that apply to rental buildings be applied to office buildings as well. Toronto needs cheaper office space to draw business back else it will only be a matter of time before i have to travel to the suburbs for my dentist appointments. :mad: Sadly, I think I' m in the minority.

Dentists? Retail? No, I don't think we need to be worried about that - these business need to locate need their clientele - as long as there are people in Toronto that will not change.

Commercial businesses on the other hand are what we need to be attracting back / away from the suburbs.
 
Don Mills tower proposal rejected

A controversial 26-storey condo development planned for the Don Mills area of Toronto is on hold after city council voted down a proposal by Cadillac Fairview Thursday evening.

The company wants to build two new residential towers in the Don Mills Road and Lawrence Avenue area. The developers had hoped to make the project more appealing by offering to contribute $17 million for a new neighbourhood community centre, but area residents were divided on whether the towers should be approved.

More.............http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2009/10/02/toronto-don-tower.html
 

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