ehlow
Senior Member
Personally I think it looks cool with the trains going by on the elevated structure.
Toronto GO Transit: Davenport Diamond Grade Separation | ?m | ?s | Metrolinx
- Thread starter vic
- Start date
Jonny5
Senior Member
I once looked into renting an apartment at Christie and Pendrith Streets. It was more than 600 metres north of the tunnel. In the second floor apartment. I could hear every train that passed by. Every one. I declined to rent it because of that. That had nothing to do with shoddy maintenance.
I also have stayed at a friend's townhouse in Burlington that is about 800 metres south of the tracks and could hear the roar of every GO Train diesel engine that passed. That was with windows closed and in a townhouse that did not face the tracks.
salsa
Senior Member
Brent Cehan
New Member
Here's the City Planner's rendering of two locations. Do you really want to argue that these look better? What rendering of the "Monster Bridge" doesn't look like instant urban decay?
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AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
Actually I thought the bridge look better than the neighborhood in the city's photomontage.
AoD
AoD
ehlow
Senior Member
That doesn't look that bad..
crs1026
Superstar
One issue is the four story height. The City has held most of the new development in the area to three stories. Even the new townhomes at Wallace and the Weston Sub were held to that. If the bridge option goes ahead, it is likely that a Committee of Adjustment or even the OMB would not consider height to be a limiting factor on building proposals any more - even if that height is laid down in the Official Plan. So any request for a variance within some distance of the line might easily succeed. It could be a gamechanger for the whole area.
The issue that Council will have to grapple with is whether the neighbourhood has to 'take one for the team'. I would predict that they will try to extract all sorts of concessions and goodies first - but there is some reality that the neighbourhood will be impacted - although not in the dramatised way the opposition is portraying. We will just see lots of new taller buildings replacing houses. With densification, that may happen anyways, but the City loses the control.
- Paul
The issue that Council will have to grapple with is whether the neighbourhood has to 'take one for the team'. I would predict that they will try to extract all sorts of concessions and goodies first - but there is some reality that the neighbourhood will be impacted - although not in the dramatised way the opposition is portraying. We will just see lots of new taller buildings replacing houses. With densification, that may happen anyways, but the City loses the control.
- Paul
nfitz
Superstar
Their own renderings! Classic.
Best NIMBY group ever. Break out the popcorn!
Best NIMBY group ever. Break out the popcorn!
MisterF
Senior Member
The size of public infrastructure has nothing to do with how high privately developed buildings can be built.
nfitz
Superstar
It most certainly does. A developer will take the 3-story restriction next to the 4-story bridge to the OMB, and the OMB will agree with them that the 3-story restriction doesn't apply, because it makes no sense next to a 4-storey structure. We've seen this happen time and time again.
MisterF
Senior Member
Contrary to public belief, the OMB doesn't automatically side with developers.
44 North
Senior Member
In terms of artistic merit I think the community's renderings are pretty well done. Though I'm actually surprised they didn't include the catenary/masts and noise walls to drive their point home. Although the City did include these, they did a poor job of it (the vanishing point was all screwy). And I think it's funny that they added graffiti, which I wouldn't rule out as a possibility. Reminds me of an animated gif I posted here awhile back.
Do we know if Metrolinx will be lining the structure with trees?
Do we know if Metrolinx will be lining the structure with trees?
crs1026
Superstar
The commitment on the GTS was three trees planted for every one removed. I'd give ML the benefit of the doubt and assume that they will do at least that here.
The residents' rendering is a bit over the top by suggesting that a row of mature trees would be razed and left that way.
- Paul
nfitz
Superstar
No, but they typically follow common sense and overthrow city limits on building size, when it's adjacent to something taller.
vic
Senior Member
When they raze the trees, it's not likely they'll re-plant in the exact same place...that wouldn't make any sense, as they would have to chop them down /prune them when they reach a certain size again. Or they can move them farther from the corridor...into the soccer field. Even re-planted in the same place, it would be decades before they reach the same size.
It's likely they would find alternate locations for the trees. Similar to the Georgetown corridor....many trees were chopped and they promised to replace large trees 3:1, but not in the corridor / in the way of their walls. I haven't seen any re-plantings yet (though the work isn't finished either...)