Toronto King-Bathurst Transit Oriented Community: South Site | 88.9m | 25s | Infrastructure ON | SvN

Enough with the gimmicky balcony treatments already.
My first reaction was also a retro hotel in Miami.
The podium is insulting. A small section of the corner has been vaguely recreated -- why even bother at this point as the rest of the podium is just so poorly designed.
I live a few doors down and I would really hate to see this everyday in addition to seeing an old building gone forever. I will be sure to fight this design.
 
I agree with jje100 that more of the original should remain. I do like the upper section though. The upper part looks as though it could be on Miami beach.

All of the original exterior should remain, save what's truly necessary for access purposes - and couldn't they have levitated the "addition" more to create a decent level of separation between the old and the new? Sheesh.

AoD
 
I tend to dislike balcony gimmicks, but this one looks good to me. Unless I'm reading too much into the rendering, it looks like the balconies are separated by concrete sections. That plus the curves of the balconies makes the building look like today's take on an Uno Prii design. The height and massing also seems appropriate for the area.

That said, the existing building is one which significantly contributes to the atmosphere that has made King West so successful. Despite liking the design of the tower, on the balance I do not believe this development should go forward as protecting heritage structures here is too important. Given the site constraints, I do not see how the existing building could be adequately respected while constructing condos above.

This is a better direction for Diamond Schmitt than many of their recent residential designs. I hope they can recycle the design on a more appropriate site.
 
they'll get your comment deleted - as per usual when people point this out
 
I tend to dislike balcony gimmicks, but this one looks good to me. Unless I'm reading too much into the rendering, it looks like the balconies are separated by concrete sections. That plus the curves of the balconies makes the building look like today's take on an Uno Prii design. The height and massing also seems appropriate for the area.
<snip>
This is a better direction for Diamond Schmitt than many of their recent residential designs. I hope they can recycle the design on a more appropriate site.
I agree here regarding the "more appropriate site", but I'd add more appropriate base too, as that top section not only has nothing to do with anything in the area, it has nothing to do with the lower part of the building: it's just been plopped on top with no reference to anything.

42
 
My issue with this development is on two main aspects. First is the loss of a historical building, and the precedent it can set for the future. Especially in an area that's success has been built on the foundation of revitalized former warehouses for adaptive multi-purpose usage. Secondly, is the loss of entertainment space. The value of the Hoxton, Banknote, and EFS can be interpreted on various scales. But overall, they are well frequented places that contribute to the area's liveliness. Such combination of retail/venue space is highly unlikely to be replaced in the future for this immediate redevelopment.
 
663 KING ST W
Ward 20 - Tor & E.York District

►View All Properties

Proposal for rezoning related to a 19 storey mixed use building with 3 levels of retail and 2 levels of underground parking, a total of 247 residential units

Proposed Use --- # of Storeys --- # of Units ---
 
This is within the area affected by the one year moratorium. I don't believe that a demolition permit has been applied for, and if not, then yes, this would be affected. As the Star story notes though, the moratorium could be appealed to the OMB, but that appeal itself could take long enough that no one may bother to appeal.

It is also possible, of course, that there were no plans to demolish on this site in the coming year. I strikes me as most likely that their plans for demolition would be much further down the road, to be considered as the outcome of the proposal becomes clearer.

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https://nowtoronto.com/music/the-hoxton-to-close-at-the-end-of-january/

The Hoxton to close at the end of January

Nightclub and concert venue the Hoxton will host its final party on January 28.

The venue’s co-owners, Richard Lambert of the Social Group and promoter Embrace, have decided not to renew their five-year lease.

Although they had the option to renew, the developer that owns the building at 69 Bathurst plans to redevelop eventually.

“When you can’t do anything with the space – you can’t renovate, you can’t spend money – then you can’t build a future,” Lambert tells NOW. “If you’re not going to be there for more than a year or two, it’s just not worth it.”
 

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