UrbanAffair
Senior Member
Mark F
New Member
Edward
Senior Member
Great pics. Especially like the one from Don Mills.
mrxbombastic
Active Member
great shot. im guessing its looking along sheppard to yonge?
kris
Senior Member
NorthYorkEd
Active Member
Agree. My wife and I moved to NYCC a few months ago and we really like it. For peaceful, tree-lined, and more quiet evening walks you can head up Doris or Beecroft or any of the various parks, and if you want the hustle you can move one street over and surf the crowds up Yonge. We think it offers a great mix of people and amenities and seems to be getting better all the time. It all depends on lifestyle. For us, grabbing a coffee and/or browsing the excellent NYC Library, strolling, then sitting in the square and watching the people go by is a pleasant enough pace. We are relatively new urbanites, so we're still feeling spoiled by the easy walking-distance access to shops and amenities. Also easy enough to jump on the subway at Sheppard or Empress to head downtown and the 401 is just minutes away. It's a great centralized location.
innsertnamehere
Superstar
I think that is part of NYCCs huge appeal. it has all of the creature comforts that many people grew up with, which is chain retail, close to highways, etc, but also has the perfect mix of urbanism thrown in, with walkability, subway access, and the crowds on the street.
Gratty
New Member
People need to realize that NYCC is like one of those homes with great bones & potential for renovation that we see getting transformed every night on the H&G network. In this case the bones are it's access to subways & highways, centre of GTA location, it's public square (with events all summer, skating in the winter), aquatic centre, library, live theatre, shops, dining, parks & open space, Yonge St. as it's spine, etc
If you look closely you'll see the tranformation has already begun with a big leap coming with Hullmark, Emerald Park & Gibson Square. When we first moved here 10 yrs ago, I marvelled at how dead Yonge St. was most summer nights. A decade later the streets are much more alive - and yet the areas still isn't half built up - just imagine the vitality once it's done. That C or D location to Urban Dreamer was slated to have an indoor market (mini-St. Lawrence market), yet another walkable destination for all the condo dwellers.
We moved here (into our McMansion
) for the central location - after seeing a friend buy his dream house in the western GTA only to later find his dream job in the eastern GTA - ending up with nightmare commutes. When we moved here, my wife and I had reasonably accessible jobs in Mississauga & Markham. Today we both work walking distance from home right here in NYCC! Employment opportunities being one more great thing about NYCC. With 2 young kids our quality of life is off the charts thanks to the lack of a commute.NYCC will never be known for great architecture, but then again I'd rather be in an areas that's great to live in and great at street level than great to look at from a distance. Barring a major market collapse, NYCC is well on it's way to becoming such an areas.
isaidso
Senior Member
I suppose that's what separates people who like places like NYCC and those that don't. Those that don't couldn't live in a place they find visually unappealing no matter how many conveniences/amenities it had. People prioritize different things in their lives. For some people, beautiful architecture trumps everything else. It's a prerequisite.
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urbandreamer
recession proof
^Amen
Ppl who live in NYCC likely never walk around the side streets of the Junction--just like ppl who live in the Junction rarely venture north of the 401 into the side streets. I don't mind old Willowdale--but I can't stand mcmansions that are ruining the streets for me.
I'll gladly point out the crappy architecture found in the West End--most of it was built after 1950. That says alot
Ppl who live in NYCC likely never walk around the side streets of the Junction--just like ppl who live in the Junction rarely venture north of the 401 into the side streets. I don't mind old Willowdale--but I can't stand mcmansions that are ruining the streets for me.
I'll gladly point out the crappy architecture found in the West End--most of it was built after 1950. That says alot
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sky1
New Member
It's an old article but I thought I could share.
http://life.nationalpost.com/2012/03/30/street-smarts-i-love-north-york-torontos-second-downtown/
Toronto has a love affair with the condo, with 28,466 new-build units purchased in 2011. Thousands more are planned. Suite size, price, amenities and architecture are important, but more and more, a building’s neighbourhood is being considered the ultimate draw. The eighth part of a lengthy series examining the GTA’s new condo ’hoods.
By Suzanne Wintrob
Though singles, young couples and families are buying into newer buildings where suites average 800 sq. ft., those downsizing from nearby houses are opting for older buildings where 1,500-sq.-fit units feature larger kitchens, as well as living and dining rooms.
“They’re willing to renovate these older buildings that were built in the ’80s or ’90s,” explains Mark Oulahen, a realtor with Re/Max Realtron’s The Oulahen Team that specializes in the North Yonge Corridor. “They’re more open to the practicality of buying something that they can do themselves, vs. some younger clients that just want to buy it finished and maybe can’t afford the renovations.”
Lisa Kay has lived in the Yonge and Sheppard area for almost 20 years. She has moved around several times, settling last summer in a three-bedroom townhouse in the Avondale community, a popular collection of condo towers and townhomes near Yonge and Highway 401.
“I like that the neighbourhood is evolving,” says Ms. Kay, a 45-year-old mother of two teenagers who works for a general contractor at Finch and Highway 400 and uses the freeway regularly to shuttle between client appointments. “There will be more restaurants coming in. We’re close to the theatre and skating,” she says. “The movies are great for my kids. It’s really a great area. It has a very urban feel without being downtown. And it’s a very safe area, too.”
Roman and Julia Marants concur. The young couple grew up in Vaughan and their families still live there. He works in Etobicoke as a chartered accountant and she works downtown as a pharmacist. When they decided to buy their first home, a 700-square-foot condo near Yonge and Sheppard proved ideal.
“We didn’t want to be too far from our families, but at the same time we liked the area,” says Mr. Marants, 29. “It’s a very young area and close to everything. It’s not as busy as downtown but still there are lots of things to do … It’s a central spot. I’m not really a city person, so I don’t like all the cars and beeping you find [downtown]. It’s quieter here, but still very accessible.”
It helps that the subway is a seven-minute walk from their home “so it saves on one car,” he says.
With the area’s detached homes on standard 50-foot lots selling for $1.2-million, people like Ms. Kay and the Marantses are opting for condominium living with easy subway access. To their delight, the North Yonge Corridor between the 401 and Steeles offers a wide selection of new addresses. With so many places to eat, drink and be merry, the area is constantly buzzing with residents, visitors, office employees and construction crews finding plenty to do.
“What makes North York interesting — whether it’s the North York Centre or the Sheppard corridor — is that it really is the centre of the region now,” says Leo DeSorcy, manager of urban design in North York District for the City of Toronto’s planning department. “We were at the northern fringes when North York was laid out in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. But now with the development north of us in Markham and Vaughan and all of the development east and west within the greater GTA, if you kind of make a geographical centre it is Yonge and the 401.”
But whatever the demographic, those living there find it quite appealing. One of the things Ms. Kay especially loves about the Yonge-Sheppard area is its cultural diversity, evident in the numerous nationalities walking about and the different ethnic restaurants dotting Yonge Street. Because she and her kids like Asian food, she stocks her kitchen with ingredients from several nearby Korean and Japanese grocery stores or takes a short drive to Galati Market Fresh or the 20,000-sq.-ft. Sunny Supermarket at Leslie and Finch. Soon, she’ll add Whole Foods Market to her favourite hangouts, given its impending move to the 60,000-sq.-ft. retail space at Tridel’s two-tower, 682-unit Hullmark Centre at Yonge and Sheppard.
The area’s multiculturalism is also reflected in the events and festivals held throughout the year at Mel Lastman Square. Named after the man who reigned over North York as its mayor for 25 years, the square comprises 20,000 sq. ft. of open space, a garden court, an outdoor amphitheatre, fountains and a reflecting pool. Heather Atherton, the City of Toronto’s supervisor of community recreation for Wards 23 and 24, says many of the family-oriented programs attract people from all over the city yet they “are very representative of the neighbourhood.” She points to the annual Hispanic Fiesta, Korean Harvest Festival and Iranian Fire Festival as prime examples.
During winter, the square’s outdoor ice rink also attracts locals, as does the farmers’ market from June to October and the annual Canada Day fireworks. Swimmers and those new to the sport flock to Douglas Snow Aquatic Centre’s Olympic-size swimming pool for laps, lessons, leisure swim, aquafit classes and whirlpool therapy. Families also head to the new Edithvale Community Centre on Finch Avenue for athletics, fitness, dance, crafts, youth and seniors programs. The North York Central Library is a popular hub for book lovers and students. And the lush parks offer attractive tennis courts, baseball diamonds and trails.
Since every urban centre must have an entertainment district, this uptown downtown boasts two movie theatres, concerts and dancing in Mel Lastman Square, and live performances at the Toronto Centre for the Arts. The latter contains three impressive halls — a 200-seat studio for small performances, the 1,036-seat George Weston Recital Hall modelled after recital halls in Europe and the 1,727-seat Main Stage that’s just wrapping up Shrek The Musical and getting set for a production of West Side Story.
Neda Moussavi lives up the road from the theatre, though admits she works too many hours to take advantage of everything the neighbourhood offers. Instead, she socializes at work. Ms. Moussavi has worked at Alegno Italian restaurant for 16 years, initially as a waitress and the last seven years as the owner. When she’s not overseeing the wood-oven pizzas, fish, meat and pasta dishes or running around the neighbourhood to buy supplies, the 52-year-old delights in chatting up her customers. Though the area has changed dramatically over the past few years in terms of intensification, she says, it’s the people who give it a dose of small-town feel.
“I’ve seen kids growing up from five or six years old and now they’re 16 and come themselves,” she says. “The parents know me, so if the kids want to celebrate their birthday, they come and then the dads pay with their credit cards. The area is like a family. If you’ve been there for a while, people know you. It’s like being at home.”
If Mr. Lastman is watching, there’s “nooooo” doubt he’s tremendously proud of Toronto’s other downtown.
http://life.nationalpost.com/2012/03/30/street-smarts-i-love-north-york-torontos-second-downtown/
Toronto has a love affair with the condo, with 28,466 new-build units purchased in 2011. Thousands more are planned. Suite size, price, amenities and architecture are important, but more and more, a building’s neighbourhood is being considered the ultimate draw. The eighth part of a lengthy series examining the GTA’s new condo ’hoods.
By Suzanne Wintrob
Though singles, young couples and families are buying into newer buildings where suites average 800 sq. ft., those downsizing from nearby houses are opting for older buildings where 1,500-sq.-fit units feature larger kitchens, as well as living and dining rooms.
“They’re willing to renovate these older buildings that were built in the ’80s or ’90s,” explains Mark Oulahen, a realtor with Re/Max Realtron’s The Oulahen Team that specializes in the North Yonge Corridor. “They’re more open to the practicality of buying something that they can do themselves, vs. some younger clients that just want to buy it finished and maybe can’t afford the renovations.”
Lisa Kay has lived in the Yonge and Sheppard area for almost 20 years. She has moved around several times, settling last summer in a three-bedroom townhouse in the Avondale community, a popular collection of condo towers and townhomes near Yonge and Highway 401.
“I like that the neighbourhood is evolving,” says Ms. Kay, a 45-year-old mother of two teenagers who works for a general contractor at Finch and Highway 400 and uses the freeway regularly to shuttle between client appointments. “There will be more restaurants coming in. We’re close to the theatre and skating,” she says. “The movies are great for my kids. It’s really a great area. It has a very urban feel without being downtown. And it’s a very safe area, too.”
Roman and Julia Marants concur. The young couple grew up in Vaughan and their families still live there. He works in Etobicoke as a chartered accountant and she works downtown as a pharmacist. When they decided to buy their first home, a 700-square-foot condo near Yonge and Sheppard proved ideal.
“We didn’t want to be too far from our families, but at the same time we liked the area,” says Mr. Marants, 29. “It’s a very young area and close to everything. It’s not as busy as downtown but still there are lots of things to do … It’s a central spot. I’m not really a city person, so I don’t like all the cars and beeping you find [downtown]. It’s quieter here, but still very accessible.”
It helps that the subway is a seven-minute walk from their home “so it saves on one car,” he says.
With the area’s detached homes on standard 50-foot lots selling for $1.2-million, people like Ms. Kay and the Marantses are opting for condominium living with easy subway access. To their delight, the North Yonge Corridor between the 401 and Steeles offers a wide selection of new addresses. With so many places to eat, drink and be merry, the area is constantly buzzing with residents, visitors, office employees and construction crews finding plenty to do.
“What makes North York interesting — whether it’s the North York Centre or the Sheppard corridor — is that it really is the centre of the region now,” says Leo DeSorcy, manager of urban design in North York District for the City of Toronto’s planning department. “We were at the northern fringes when North York was laid out in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. But now with the development north of us in Markham and Vaughan and all of the development east and west within the greater GTA, if you kind of make a geographical centre it is Yonge and the 401.”
But whatever the demographic, those living there find it quite appealing. One of the things Ms. Kay especially loves about the Yonge-Sheppard area is its cultural diversity, evident in the numerous nationalities walking about and the different ethnic restaurants dotting Yonge Street. Because she and her kids like Asian food, she stocks her kitchen with ingredients from several nearby Korean and Japanese grocery stores or takes a short drive to Galati Market Fresh or the 20,000-sq.-ft. Sunny Supermarket at Leslie and Finch. Soon, she’ll add Whole Foods Market to her favourite hangouts, given its impending move to the 60,000-sq.-ft. retail space at Tridel’s two-tower, 682-unit Hullmark Centre at Yonge and Sheppard.
The area’s multiculturalism is also reflected in the events and festivals held throughout the year at Mel Lastman Square. Named after the man who reigned over North York as its mayor for 25 years, the square comprises 20,000 sq. ft. of open space, a garden court, an outdoor amphitheatre, fountains and a reflecting pool. Heather Atherton, the City of Toronto’s supervisor of community recreation for Wards 23 and 24, says many of the family-oriented programs attract people from all over the city yet they “are very representative of the neighbourhood.” She points to the annual Hispanic Fiesta, Korean Harvest Festival and Iranian Fire Festival as prime examples.
During winter, the square’s outdoor ice rink also attracts locals, as does the farmers’ market from June to October and the annual Canada Day fireworks. Swimmers and those new to the sport flock to Douglas Snow Aquatic Centre’s Olympic-size swimming pool for laps, lessons, leisure swim, aquafit classes and whirlpool therapy. Families also head to the new Edithvale Community Centre on Finch Avenue for athletics, fitness, dance, crafts, youth and seniors programs. The North York Central Library is a popular hub for book lovers and students. And the lush parks offer attractive tennis courts, baseball diamonds and trails.
Since every urban centre must have an entertainment district, this uptown downtown boasts two movie theatres, concerts and dancing in Mel Lastman Square, and live performances at the Toronto Centre for the Arts. The latter contains three impressive halls — a 200-seat studio for small performances, the 1,036-seat George Weston Recital Hall modelled after recital halls in Europe and the 1,727-seat Main Stage that’s just wrapping up Shrek The Musical and getting set for a production of West Side Story.
Neda Moussavi lives up the road from the theatre, though admits she works too many hours to take advantage of everything the neighbourhood offers. Instead, she socializes at work. Ms. Moussavi has worked at Alegno Italian restaurant for 16 years, initially as a waitress and the last seven years as the owner. When she’s not overseeing the wood-oven pizzas, fish, meat and pasta dishes or running around the neighbourhood to buy supplies, the 52-year-old delights in chatting up her customers. Though the area has changed dramatically over the past few years in terms of intensification, she says, it’s the people who give it a dose of small-town feel.
“I’ve seen kids growing up from five or six years old and now they’re 16 and come themselves,” she says. “The parents know me, so if the kids want to celebrate their birthday, they come and then the dads pay with their credit cards. The area is like a family. If you’ve been there for a while, people know you. It’s like being at home.”
If Mr. Lastman is watching, there’s “nooooo” doubt he’s tremendously proud of Toronto’s other downtown.
mkerian
Active Member
Hm, I think this comment belies your previous one. It's one thing to criticize architecture, and it's another to ask how us NYCCers can put up with "appalling streetscape" and "garbage lined streets". Also, your picture was of Yonge street, not of the Willowdale "mcmansions", which are another issue entirely.
But whatever. I'm glad to see my sentiment echoed by many others. [Edit - Including the National Post!]
I can't imagine how much NYCC will grow and transform in another 10 years. With Hullmark and Emerald as the gateways to the community, and other developments that fill gaps (former Centrium) this community's trajectory is only pointed up.
But whatever. I'm glad to see my sentiment echoed by many others. [Edit - Including the National Post!]
I can't imagine how much NYCC will grow and transform in another 10 years. With Hullmark and Emerald as the gateways to the community, and other developments that fill gaps (former Centrium) this community's trajectory is only pointed up.
^Amen
Ppl who live in NYCC likely never walk around the side streets of the Junction--just like ppl who live in the Junction rarely venture north of the 401 into the side streets. I don't mind old Willowdale--but I can't stand mcmansions that are ruining the streets for me.
I'll gladly point out the crappy architecture found in the West End--most of it was built after 1950. That says alot
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Edward
Senior Member
NYCC is great experiment in suburb turned urban. Only issue I have is the ring roads that artificially push growth into a narrow area along Yonge. Imagine if downtown Toronto could only grow along Yonge.
datamouse
Active Member
Indeed. I can see the point of preserving old Willowdale but I'd like to see more of a transition zone from the high rises of Yonge to the single family homes on the other side of the service roads.