Toronto 335 Yonge | 55.2m | 16s | Lalani | Zeidler

Automation Gallery said:
i agree, or even better....... the freeloaders can roll their pennies, put them all together, buy it and turn into a park
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You appear to forget that the city includes all of us. Go right ahead and characterize yourself as a free-loader, but I see no reason why a green space can't be considered for the area. Not every lot has to be automatically considered for your obsessive supertall desires. The city can make errors. It can also improve. It's the one-dimensional right-wing thinking that is exhibited by your post that blocks out this obvious detail.
 
Any parkette on Yonge would need to be deloused every morning. Yonge is great - providing you keep people on their feet and moving...

I agree it would be great if Ryerson bought it and gave to the developer on the North side.

In fact if the city ties the Lalani's up in court long enough they might extract the price they need. I dont think the Lalanis could hold out long enough.
 
Well I happen to believe that an equally stunning building should replace a beautiful building. I would go for a BIG-calibre project of around 60s for this site.

Dundas Square is literally minutes from this site and who says it will remain in its current state forever? Likely in 10 years' time they'll green it over.
 
Automation Gallery said:
i agree, or even better....... the freeloaders can roll their pennies, put them all together, buy it and turn into a park
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The freeloaders are the Lalanis, who tried to get away with sub-par building maintenance, which ultimately cost several tax-paying retailers AND the city (aka YOU and every other taxpayer) quite a bit.

Hopefully Ryerson will take over the site. A experimental site for Ryerson Students (Urban Planning, Architecture, Arts) like the Brooklyn PS1 could be quite interesting. That, and it could double as a complementary plaza for the student centre across the street.

Of course, it's unlikely to happen.
 
Automation Gallery said:
No supertall going in there, but if you want a public parkette, you have to pay for it my friend, nothing comes for free
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Since you didn't bother to understand my earlier post, the city would acquire the land for any public green space. As I am a taxpayer, I and all others would pay for the acquisition of such a public asset. Sad that these things have to be explained to you.
 
Sad that these things have to be explained to you.
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It's sad that so many here don't understand property rights.

I don't like the way you keep your front yard, therefore, the city should 'acquire' your home and turn it into something 'we' all can enjoy....you're ok with that, right?
 
In the event that the city acquires the land - as in buys it. That should be clear.

And yes, the city does have property standards. Most cities in North America do. With regards to property rights, I'm thinking that it's you who possesses the overextended concept.
 
In the event that the city acquires the land - as in buys it. That should be clear.
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Try to keep up. The city is welcome to pay market rate for the land....but many of you think they should get a discount.

With regards to property rights, I'm thinking that it's you who possesses the overextended concept.
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But, of course, you'd be wrong.

I'm thinking you're not familiar with property rights at all, hence your nonsensical response.
 
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doug said:
The city isn't exactly innocent in this and shouldn't be rewarded with a chunk of prime property. They can pay market rate for it if they want it.
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Neither are the lalanis. I dont think the city should pay anything when criminal acts have taken place by the owners...which is pretty obvious at this point.
 
gristle said:
And yes, the city does have property standards. Most cities in North America do. With regards to property rights, I'm thinking that it's you who possesses the overextended concept.
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Exactly. Property rights are limited by the heritage standards by-law which prohibits this sort of demolition by neglect. Unfortunately there are no penalties in the by-law that can be imposed on violators like the Lalanis!!!

They could be convicted of inadequate care for a vacant building. But the maximum penalty there is $100,000 - which won't buy this piece of land or give us back our Reynolds Block.
 
What the city could and should do is limit the use of the site to that which was defined by the Empress building - ie. max floor space ratio of 3 times the lot area or something to that effect. This would limit the value of the site and make it's acquisition much easier. If left to the Lalani's they would trump up it's value by proposing concepts for a tall building.
 
The Star is reporting that Ryerson is in talks to purchase the site.

Ryerson University in talks to buy site of former Empress Hotel

the historic building stood on the edge of the downtown campus until it was destroyed by fire last year.

“It’s such an important corner to Ryerson,” Julia Hanigsberg, the university’s vice-president of administration and finance, said Monday.

The building at Yonge and Gould Sts. was demolished after the six-alarm blaze in January 2011. Gravel was placed on the site, which was fenced off and has housed construction equipment for the Student Learning Centre, which Ryerson is building across the street.
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A bit of laughter for this quote though:

Al Lalani Jr., who is not an owner but is related to the owners and is the contact for leasing through the Downtown Yonge BIA, said his family is speaking with Ryerson about a partnership, but not necessarily a sale.

“This is a sentimental piece of property to my (family) and we do not intend to sell at the moment,” he said in an email. “We are still working to establish a signature development on this site.”

Hanigsberg, however, said Ryerson is in talks to purchase, not just a partnership.
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A parkette on that small plot of land sounds like a nice idea, but in reality, like much of the public spaces, they are used as nothing more then a place for the homeless to sleep, and are often neglected and vandalized. I know that sounds horribly negative, I love green spaces as much as the next person, but if living downtown for over 20 years has taught me anything, it's that public spaces are all too often abused. I'd rather see a beautiful tower then a run down parkette filled with graffiti and trash. I'm by no means supporting a supertall, not enough land for it anyways, with Aura in the northern back drop, a tall tower would would be overbearing, but perhaps something to match the new Ryerson building going up directly accross from it? Just a thought :)
 
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