Toronto Atrium on Bay Expansion | 114m | 34s | KingSett Capital | Hariri Pontarini

Caltrane, based on the diagram you posted, it would seem that the round ad is to be no more.

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I wish they would cover up the sides of this structure, so we wouldn't have to see the ugly, cluttered wires and metal in the middle. It looks so unfinished with all the insides showing. You don't see that crap on signs in Piccadilly or Times Square. I have no idea why the city allows that here. The bottom half of that tower is usually left empty, so even the front and back of the media tower was just left exposed. How third rate can this city get? It's just frustrating because it's so easy to fix the problem and yet, we don't.
 
I wish they would cover up the sides of this structure, so we wouldn't have to see the ugly, cluttered wires and metal in the middle. It looks so unfinished with all the insides showing. You don't see that crap on signs in Piccadilly or Times Square. I have no idea why the city allows that here. The bottom half of that tower is usually left empty, so even the front and back of the media tower was just left exposed. How third rate can this city get? It's just frustrating because it's so easy to fix the problem and yet, we don't.

We just don't care about image in this city. It probably stems from our Scottish heritage. We're extremely cheap; moreso than any city I know of. Someone from UT should run for City Council. City Hall could use someone with great attention to detail to help shake up the culture of monotony down there.
 
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We just don't care about image in this city. It probably stems from our Scottish heritage. We're extremely cheap; moreso than any city I know of. Someone from UT should run for City Council. City Hall could use someone with great attention to detail to help shake up the culture of monotony down there.
Ya there is a huge lack of pride in this city. It's weird. I think it's changing slowly though.
 
Changing slowly is right - I think it might even be at glacial speed.

Pride is not the only thing lacking in this city - there are few dozen adjectives missing from that list - for fun, try and see what else you can come up with.

Like...?
 
I think the lack of pride is for the most part BS that gets propagated on this forum ... I'm serious ... and its not a bad thing ! That our mayor has done wonders (in a negative way) over the last few years.

Why BS ? For the most part, folks I know who aren't terribly interested 'built form' / 'architecture' / ... (which due make up the majority of the population) love Toronto ... and have so for years ... this is because they really don't tend to notice all the things we do ... that's not to say they wouldn't appreciate it if it existed, but to them its not a fundamental part of what makes 'Toronto great' .

But we need folks who will push for improvements, consonantly, and for anyone who falls into that group Toronto can be frustrating and slow to change.

Fords, contribution to this is the whole downtown vs rest of Toronto, which I guarantee you was a non-issue prior his election. I'm not saying there aren't people who had views along the lines of downtown folks are elitists / ... but that exists in every city in the World, he's only managed to create a huge artificial divide.
 
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Caltrane, based on the diagram you posted, it would seem that the round ad is to be no more.

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Here's my latest Aura Picture

You can see the round ad is toast

I'm so excited to see the new LED video board installation.

Its gonna be huge as all hell.
 
^I agree with taal. We tend to imagine that because we care about something, everyone else will care. The architecture in Toronto is probably at the bottom of most people's list of concerns, even though they may have a love of the city. Think, for instance, what hell it must be to be a Leafs fan!
 
^I agree with taal. We tend to imagine that because we care about something, everyone else will care. The architecture in Toronto is probably at the bottom of most people's list of concerns, even though they may have a love of the city. Think, for instance, what hell it must be to be a Leafs fan!

For Ford Nations types, the Leafs, Jays and Argos is probably all they care about. The only municipal stuff they seem to be concerned with is their taxes, plowed roads in the winter, and garbage collection. Any public realm improvements are gravy; heritage is just an impediment to progress, etc...
 
Can't wait to see the new big screen!
It looks to me like the round ad will remain on the North side?
 
Are there any plans for more media towers in the Atrium/Dundas Square area? Weren't there plans several years ago to put large signs at the Bay/Dundas Atrium area as well?
 
At December's City Council, the Atrium on Bay amendments were passed, as per…

City Council on December 16, 17 and 18, 2013, adopted the following:

1. City Council amend Zoning By-law 438-86, for the lands at 595 Bay Street and 306 Yonge Street substantially in accordance with the draft Zoning By-law Amendment attached as Attachment No. 7 to the report ( October 21, 2013) from the Director, Community Planning, Toronto and East York District.

2. City Council authorize the City Solicitor to make such stylistic and technical changes to the draft Zoning By-law Amendment as may be required.

3. Before introducing the necessary Bills to City Council for enactment, City Council require the Owner to enter into an Agreement pursuant to Section 37 of the Planning Act as follows:

a. The community benefits recommended to be secured in the Section 37 Agreement are as follows:

i. Internalize the TTC Staircase at the northwest corner of Yonge Street and Dundas Street West to the satisfaction of the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning and the Chief Executive Officer of the Toronto Transit Commission;

ii. Make improvements to Edward Street beyond the property line of 595 Bay Street and 306 Yonge Street substantially as shown in Attachment 1 of the report from the Director, Community Planning, Toronto and East York District, titled: "595 Bay Street and 306 Yonge Street - Zoning Amendment Application - Final Report" and dated October 21, 2013;

iii. The provision of a financial contribution in the amount of $350,000 for streetscape improvements on the north side of Edward Street and area, to the satisfaction of the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning;

iv. Improve the below-grade entrance from Dundas Station to 595 Bay Street and 306 Yonge Street to make it accessible to the satisfaction of the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning and the Chief Executive Officer of the Toronto Transit Commission; and

v. Require that the cash amounts identified in Part 3.a.iii. above shall be indexed upwardly in accordance with the Non-Residential Construction Price Index for the Toronto CMA, reported quarterly by Statistics Canada in Construction Price Statistics Publication No. 62-007-XPB, or its successor, calculated from the date of execution of the Section 37 Agreement to the date of submission of the funds by the Owner to the City.



Pertinent documents:

Final report from City Planning:
http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2013/te/bgrd/backgroundfile-63078.pdf

Letter to City Council from the lawyers representing 633 Bay, arguing that the application should be thrown out:
http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2013/te/comm/communicationfile-41186.pdf

City comment on Council's responsibility in regards to earlier agreements between owners of the Atrium on Bay and 633 Bay, stating that the third party agreement does not bind the City in regards to amending zoning:
http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2013/cc/bgrd/backgroundfile-65171.pdf

So, the Atrium can add 5 more floors on each tower and rebuild the ground realm at Bay as far as the City is concerned. I would assume that negotiations between the Atrium's owners and 633 Bay will be underway, or maybe a lawsuit has begun.

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My understanding is that the "agreement" between the Atrium and 633 Bay has been deemed spurious by the Atrium's lawyers, and that they're basically going to proceed and let the 633 Bay corporation file all the paperwork it wants because none of it can amount to anything anyway. And this is going to proceed fast. This was always intended to have an extension, and when the building first went up they left stubbies on the roof to accept the next set of columns. In theory they could start erecting steel up there tomorrow, at least from an engineering perspective. I won't be surprised at all if this tops out by the end of 2014.
 
During my visit to the DMZ today, I was able to look out the west windows and the panels for the circular ad are still there at the foot of the ad tower.
 

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