Toronto Bloor Street Neighbourhood Condos | ?m | 32s | Cresford | Northgrave

love the density in a couple of those pics... almost seems a bit like Tokyo!
Casaguy, you will be even more of a star on this forum once you get your nice high perch and have a birds eye view of 1BE going up.... atleast until it goes screaming past into the stratosphere! (and I am a hopeful skeptic about that project)
 
Back to BSN...

Stopped by the sales office this morning... they knew nothing about a height increase (and seemed annoyed I even asked such a taboo question).

Anyways, I snapped a couple more angles of the model. (Which won me an eye roll).

This model used to be pushed into the corner but it has curiously come back out centre stage next to the CASA model... I guess they're hoping to sell another six floors if approved.

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^The angle we're all used to seeing (south and west exposures). That empty spot in the bottom left corner is where that low rise apt building on Charles St. E. will remain.

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^I couldn't quite tell for sure, but it looks like the "grand entrance" will be under this archway.

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^The eastern exposure that will butt right up to the YMCA building.

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Above and below: The northern exposure that faces Hayden Street.

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So apparently Cresford went before the city this morning to ask for a height increase of 6 floors for BSN... Does anyone know if the outcome will be posted on the city's website? ....or any way else to find out (besides calling Cresford?)
 
I consider this "height by stealth". Normally, the public have an opportunity to attend an information meeting and voice concerns. A somewhat modified development is eventually approved and built. If you thought the OMB was a scam, here's yet another "trick" to bypass all the previous approvals and conditions. All you have to do is make a change to the site-specific bylaw. You can even be in the middle of construction. Spin the wheel. You may win permission to build an instant higher hi-rise!

Background:

On June 14, 2003, the Toronto Star announces "The Bloor Street Neighbourhood, a new 16 storey condo project" ("Neighbourhood moves in on Charles St.", P8 ) .

On April 17, 2004, the Toronto Star reports a "20 storey, 310 unit building... is planned..." ("New design, larger suites for Bloor St. E-area condo", P6)

The rendering in the July 10-Aug 7, 2006 Condo Guide clearly shows a 20 storey building, with every 5th floor stepped further back on the portion fronting Charles St.

Yet bylaw 319-92 approves a 26 storey, 236 unit building.

Now Cresford, the developer, is seeking approval from the Committee of Adjustment to build a 35 storey, 363 unit building.

I thought the Committee of Adjustment was for MINOR variances!

And just what is this building morphing into?
 
I think those who loathe it are just more vocal. It doesn't repulse me... but I certainly don't love it. It feels like it should be planted around Scarborough Town Centre though.

It'll be interesting to see how it fits in with its Yonge & Bloor neighbours once it's built. (How high will it be? Who knows...)
 
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jmacmillan said:
I consider this "height by stealth". Normally, the public have an opportunity to attend an information meeting and voice concerns. A somewhat modified development is eventually approved and built. If you thought the OMB was a scam, here's yet another "trick" to bypass all the previous approvals and conditions. All you have to do is make a change to the site-specific bylaw. You can even be in the middle of construction. Spin the wheel. You may win permission to build an instant higher hi-rise!

Background:

On June 14, 2003, the Toronto Star announces "The Bloor Street Neighbourhood, a new 16 storey condo project" ("Neighbourhood moves in on Charles St.", P8 ) .

On April 17, 2004, the Toronto Star reports a "20 storey, 310 unit building... is planned..." ("New design, larger suites for Bloor St. E-area condo", P6)

The rendering in the July 10-Aug 7, 2006 Condo Guide clearly shows a 20 storey building, with every 5th floor stepped further back on the portion fronting Charles St.

Yet bylaw 319-92 approves a 26 storey, 236 unit building.

Now Cresford, the developer, is seeking approval from the Committee of Adjustment to build a 35 storey, 363 unit building.

I thought the Committee of Adjustment was for MINOR variances!

And just what is this building morphing into?
Click to expand...

It's a well established legal and planning principle that the minor test for a variance (one of 4 tests that must be met) is not an arithmetic exercise. It's one of impact and (post-Degasperis decision) context. A one-storey increase could be determined not to be minor, whereas a ten-storey increase could be minor, depending on site-speficic circumstances.

Not sure that I agree with "height by stealth". Newspaper stories, news releases and pictures in the condo guide are not planning decisions. There was a public process involved in the approval of the site specific zoning, and there will be a public process for the requested increase in height.

Personally, I can't get worked up about the height. It's the crappy design that bothers me.

Hopefully, now that site plan control has some teeth (over exterior design), the City will exercise its new powers in an appropriate manner, and we'll see a lot less of buildings like this.
 
Interesting. No the architechture isn't much. And 72, or 80, or however many stories at Bloor and Yonge is not enough, but 27 or 32 stories a block away is too many. OK.
 
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