Toronto Backstage On The Esplanade | 116.73m | 36s | Cityzen | P + S / IBI

p5 - the tracks being removed are stub track sidings. Extending them would literally be pointless as they would run right into buildings. ;) They were probably used before to store spare cars and such back in the freight days. GO Transit is building their new storage tracks toward the east end of the Toronto terminal so there will be more than sufficient capacity for storing trains. All expansion of the GO Tracks at Union Station is being done to the south.

Mysteryman - yes, there are a few +15's in town, and they're all horribly ugly, the Bay-to-Eaton Centre bridge over Queen comes to mind. But done right, they can be very tasteful and can add a lot to the streetscape. Some pedways/+15s in Edmonton and Calgary come to mind. Also, although not going over a street, the pedestrian bridges across the alleys on the CHUMCity buildings are quite nice.

Since this is going to be a bridge that will be integrated with the architecture of the L Tower I doubt it will be a low-quality POS bridge. It'll probably be open and glassy as to minimize its visual effect.

theman - the site is small now, but once they remove those two stub tracks, the site becomes larger than it is now

all in all, i think we'll definitely need to see some renderings before we pass judgement. all i've seen are elevations and sections, and you can't tell what impact the building will have from those really.
 
The tracks being removed led in to the CP Express building, which was demolished to build the GO bus terminal. If they left the tracks they could one day build over top the bus terminal platform to add 3 more tracks to Union quite easily.
 
While the tracks wouldn't be useful for a 10-12 car GO monster train (as they wouldn't be through or enter the current train shed), they'd be ideal for DMUs or EMUs say on the Stouffville Line.

It's true - a great opportunity for the future is being wasted by the Cabbageheads (and they do little to make me label them otherwise).
 
So I sent this idea to someone (who has to remain un-named) very high up at the TTC...

Perhaps a good way for the TTC to make some money would be to sell the McBride Building (I think that's the name of it) at Davisville to a developer (possibly including the air rights over the Davisville yard) and moving TTC head office to this "transit tower."

I really think it makes sense to have all these transit agencies in one buliding. If nothing else, it forces them all to talk to each other. As it stands, if you call GO Transit now for route help, they are forbidden to tell you about any TTC routes and vice versa.

...and I got the following response back:

"Strangely enough we are discussing your exact plan this week. It just may happen!"
 
^^ The TTC has been trying for years to work out a deal with developers for the Davisville Train yard and other sites. From notes/articles I've read they've just had an aweful time with these plans. Perhaps this new tower will be enough of an incentive for them to act differently and make something happen. If so, it would be really encouraging news.

However, I'm not convinced the co-locaiton will lead to more cooperation. One can only hope...

Back to the tower, there is one missed opportunity in this development that hasn't been discussed yet. And that is moving the central bus station down to the Union Station district (away from Dundas/Bay). While I'd personally prefer this site become a modest size building, I wonder what locations remain to bring the bus station down to this commuter's hub?
 
It'd bring the TTC within a block back to where it started, so interesting idea. There's enough TTC functions over at Hillcrest that I wonder how much actually happens at the McBrien building.
 
Back to the tower, there is one missed opportunity in this development that hasn't been discussed yet. And that is moving the central bus station down to the Union Station district


It hasn't been discussed because A. the site is simply too small for a bus station and B. even if it were, the poor access would be a logistically nightmare

The proposal for a station on the site of the former OPP office building is a much better option eventhough its a few blocks away and I'm rather fond of the building
 
It hasn't been discussed because A. the site is simply too samll for a bus station and B. even if it were, the poorly accessible site would be a logistically nightmare

I know. But there is becoming fewer and fewer sites available to relocate the bus depot and one of these days a developer is going to have to think about groundfloor-basement bus depot and above ground tower (probably commercial or hotel or something).

But any word on when/if we'll see a rendering?
 
It seems like a good time time re-post Mongo's satellite shot as it helps answer a number of questions in this thread:

Here is a Google map of the area:

map1.jpg


Bill

Wait a minute... where the hell is this building going? Bridge across Esplanade??!!

I assumed it was on the west side of Yonge (behind the Fed building)... are you saying it's south of L Tower/Sony on that little patch... jammed up against 25 The Esplanade??

If so, holy shitskabob. And to think 42 was worried about a parking structure there...

This sounds way more promising to me than what we first heard about a simple parking structure. We didn't know at the time either that what would get built would take a bite out of the embankment that the now disused three stub end tracks are on. Visit it, and the site looks tiny because of the embankment, but with the building going a distance into that embankment, what earlier seemed unusable now makes much more sense.

Any word on a connection to PATH? Will the L Tower be connected to path?

There's no building directly connected to PATH that will be directly across from this one. The easiest way to connect it? Maybe extend some interior walkway space across the top of the GO Bus Terminal from Union Station. In any case, it can't happen without some serious efforts to the west.

The tracks being removed led in to the CP Express building, which was demolished to build the GO bus terminal. If they left the tracks they could one day build over top the bus terminal platform to add 3 more tracks to Union quite easily.

But where would the new platforms at Union be? They're built up to the southern edge of the Great Hall as it is.

While the tracks wouldn't be useful for a 10-12 car GO monster train (as they wouldn't be through or enter the current train shed), they'd be ideal for DMUs or EMUs say on the Stouffville Line.

It's true - a great opportunity for the future is being wasted by the Cabbageheads (and they do little to make me label them otherwise).

They're really only taking a small amount of track out. Check the area within the red outline again.

In regards to the architecture and in particular the design of the bridge that will cross The Esplanade and those potentially blocked views of the nose of 33 The Esplanade - it really is all just speculation on our part at the moment as to how it will all shake out. Until we see renders, what is promising is that it is the same developer who has employed Studio Libeskind to design the L Tower, who is also going to be building the GO Tower: Castlepoint may not have gotten Libeskind to design this project as well, but it won't be done without acknowledging it: I am certain that they will want these buildings to work in concert with each other. We might as well relax until such time as the renders come out before we all go mental decrying all the lost opportunities, etc.

42
 
But where would the new platforms at Union be? They're built up to the southern edge of the Great Hall as it is.

To the side, where the CP Express building was. Access could be via the Track 1 platform or a new bridge over Yonge. They would have to be stub-end tracks, but I wonder about the future when we might wish that we had saved those 3 extra tracks for service.
 
Okay - that's a fair plan, which would allow for more trains on the eastern lines, and which would require ShonTrons' proposed gap in the building's floors. Seems perfectly reasonable to me.

42
 
I realize if you own the land, that's a good place to build sumptin'.

But this new building will obscure 80% of the western view of 25 The Esplanade. Not that it is a work of art (my first ever condo), but I always got a kick out of seeing its flatiron shape. It was much photographed as well... which speaks to losing a little bit of urban drama, which seems to happen a bit too often. As for the folks who live in the "nose" below 30 storeys (rather spectacular 180 degree views)... I suspect they are slashing their wrists. Unlucky break.
 
Mysteryman - yes, there are a few +15's in town, and they're all horribly ugly, the Bay-to-Eaton Centre bridge over Queen comes to mind.

It's not bad for what it is--at least it minimizes the disfigurement to the Bay--and besides, all the renos/transformations/mutilations over the past decade (including the 20 Queen entrance makeover next door) make any remnant of the Eaton Centre "founding aesthetic" worth cherishing, the bridge not excluded...
 
Judging by the googleMap there is simply no room for the L-Tower to co-exist with Sony Centre. Unless a big chunk of the original is being removed or the L-Tower is being cantilevered over top. Guess I'll check the L-Tower thread.
 

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