Article in today's National Post....interesting comments about the sidewalk/flowerbeds....
Chaz on Charles
Just south of the busy Bloor and Yonge intersection, the folks behind Chaz on Charles are touting a 39-floor, 420-suite glass tower that will sit atop a five-storey limestone podium.
Longtime developer Jason Fane bought the property in the 1990s and waited for the right opportunity to go after his dream of building towers in Toronto and New York. After a chance meeting with a city councillor several years ago at a Toronto International Film Festival gala, Mr. Fane learned the city was encouraging increased density near subway stations and he knew the time was right. The only question was what look to go after.
“There are a large number of buildings [in Toronto] that, however well they are executed, are just glass shoeboxes turned on end,” Mr. Fane says. “This was a great architectural innovation but it goes back almost 60 years now. We decided to take a different approach and have a more interesting shape.”
Chaz on Charles eschews the traditional rectangular. Rather, Mr. Fane calls it a “complicated” shape that involves 45-degree angles, eight corners, and columns exposed over five floors at different heights. The intriguing design means two-thirds of the units are corner units — or eight per floor. Crowning off the building will be the Chaz Club, a two-storey party zone encased in floor-to-ceiling windows for a spectacular downtown view.
At pedestrian level, the tower will be set back from the sidewalk to encourage a feeling of distance between Chaz and the buildings on the other side of the street. The sidewalk will be widened and flower-filled, making the frontage “feel like a great boulevard,” Mr. Fane says. The top of the five-storey podium will be at the same height as the building next door, “allowing for a five-storey street wall.” A number of three-bedroom condos will be situated in the podium.
For the moment, Mr. Fane is content to continue dreaming about his Manhattan high-rise while he puts his energies into Chaz on Charles.
“People here have difficulty imagining just how bad things are in a lot of other places like Las Vegas, Miami, Greece and Spain,” he says. “Toronto is a happy city. By comparison to just about any place in the world, this is the place to be. “
Rest of article:
http://www.nationalpost.com/homes/Fabulous+facades/3678564/story.html#ixzz12ZHpcNxm