Toronto Bela Square | 112.47m | 35s | DBS | Arcadis

[interchange42]

I have the feeling that there are more projects backed up at the City than ever before, which if I'm right, would have something to do with it too!

42

 

[Marcanadian]

Demolition application before council next week:

http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2018.TE34.21

 

[PMT]

New docs posted July 3 & July 6: http://app.toronto.ca/DevelopmentAp...3810043&isCofASearch=false&isTlabSearch=false

The application has been revised; the tower has been reduced to 35 storeys and an additional 7-storey midrise has been proposed.

 

[Marcanadian]

http://app.toronto.ca/DevelopmentAp...icationsList.do?action=init&folderRsn=3810043

 

[WislaHD]

Genuinely curious as to how horrible those yellow accents will turn out.

Once this is built, I'll look forward to IBI designing something similar for a project on the Waterfront.

 

[Marcanadian]

Genuinely curious as to how horrible those yellow accents will turn out.

They won't turn out at all apparently (not on the tower at least). New rendering:

http://app.toronto.ca/DevelopmentAp...icationsList.do?action=init&folderRsn=3810043

 

[Northern Light]

They won't turn out at all apparently (not on the tower at least). New rendering:

View attachment 179867View attachment 179866

http://app.toronto.ca/DevelopmentAp...icationsList.do?action=init&folderRsn=3810043

So City staff asked about the change in balcony design.

The question/answer is located in the response to comments document.

City's Comment

Previous design of irregular balconies' positioning in the tower create a playful façade that aligns well with
the yellow accents. This concept has been eliminated from the current proposal and the façade in overall
became more rigid and less interesting. Is there any rationale for the change? The previous design, in
our opinion, creates a better composition.

Developer's answer:

The design of the balconies was changed to a more standard approach due to
the need to remove any inequities in the balcony size and perceived
configuration from the rental tenant’s point of view. Such inequities would have
caused our client problems in the rental market with respect to actual rents, and
the best solution was to architecturally change the design to a more standard
stacked approach which is of course the more commonly used method in
residential hi-rise buildings. Although different from the original suggestion it is
nevertheless a design approach used commonly throughout the GTA, and
would be regarded as the norm architecturally in this type of construction.

 

[Amare]

In other words, the project was Toronto'd (ie: made even blander, to blend into the surrounding bland area).

 

[innsertnamehere]

more like it's getting built by an old school family based landlord who thinks more in a rental management perspective than an actual development perspective - resulting in less than prime developments that actually deliver less value.

I mean how hard can it be to charge slightly different rents depending on the floor? A better overall architectural expression would probably more than make up in rents what you lose for balconies being slightly different shapes..

 

[Marcanadian]

Settled at LPAT:

2019 CanLII 48003 (ON LPAT) | CanLII

 

[PMT]

 

[Northern Light]

Work is beginning here.

Passed by today, tree protections zones everywhere.

Some heavy machinery on site.

Checked permits:

 

[Northern Light]

A few pics.

Heavy equipment is gone, for now, but some tell-tale signs of their presence remain.

*note, this is the current public park on which the 7-storey building will sit.

A new, slightly larger park will be built at the north end of the site, fronting Secord, upon project completion.

Also, a tree protection zone:

 

[Northern Light]

Now over to the north side of the site, where I saw something, I'm not sure I can remember seeing before.

A parking area has been converted to an 'interim parkette' to give the area some green space while the existing park is built on.

This is what the site used to look like:

This is what's here now:

For sense of what was done, note the position of the light standard, which has not changed.

This is a view looking the other way, across Secord, to the Elementary school portapack.

 

[Northern Light]

No chance to take a pic; not much to see anyway...........

But the park here has been complete fenced off with fast fencing; I assume some type of work is imminent.

As previously noted, a partial-permit (for shoring) is in hand.