Toronto Leaside Common | 29.98m | 9s | Gairloch | BDP Quadrangle

Bill wouldn't do window wall at grade. But your point is taken - would be nice to break this up a bit more.

Maybe the design above-grade could be kept the same, but simply have different brick colours follow the unit rows.

Maybe 3 colours?

Trying to picture it in my head, don't want to just make a screwed up looking zebra.

But I like the overall design a lot; just need to make it look a bit less massive/monolithic.

At grade, find 2 units in each section that would be targeted to be restos/coffee shops that could take advantage of windowed frontage, keep it for those units.

Then find a uniform way to bring some solid texture in at grade for the remain units, where we would likely get window-wrap anyway.
 
Updated as a larger project... great location for transit-oriented development...

"Since the original Zoning By-law Amendment submission last summer, the owner has acquired five more properties, four to the south and one to the north, expanding the subject lands from 1718 through 1734 to 1710 through 1736 Bayview Avenue."

 
They replaced the retail units with Live-Work units?

What a great disappointment. The great hope I had for this site was connecting the commercial retail of Bayview Avenue with the intersection at Eglinton and Bayview.
My take is that work-live units are more in demand due to the current situation. With so many retail units opening up on main streets as small businesses struggle, at the same time so many more people are working from home who may want to host clients. They are better served by ground floor units with direct sidewalk entrances rather than condo suites accessed down long hallways. There are a number of buildings in the GTA now with live-work units that do present a nicely varied face to the street with welcoming signage. The sidewalks in front of these buildings might not be as lively as they would be were there a Rabba on the main floor (or similar), but if those less demand for those shops, well, the live-work units do fill a need!

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Site Plan Approval application submitted:

Development Applications

Updated project description:
Site Plan Application to permit the proposal for 5 additional lots to the north and south of the subject site have been acquired by the Owner. The expanded subject site now includes the properties municipally known as 1710, 1712, 1714, 1716 and 1736 Bayview Avenue. The revised proposal continues to propose a 9-storey (31.5 metres including the mechanical penthouse) mid-rise development fronting onto Bayview Avenue. The overall site area has increased from 2,504.2 square metres to 3,974.2 square metres and the frontage on Bayview Avenue has increased from 65.7 metres to 103.4 metres. As a result, the gross floor area (¿GFA¿) has increased from 10,879 square metres to approximately 16,931 square metres, and the number of residential units has increased from 123 to 216. The previously proposed ground floor retail space has been replaced by 12 live-work units fronting Bayview Avenue.
Previous proposal: Zoning By-law Amendment application for an 9-storey, 31.3 metre high mixed-use building totalling 10,879 square metres of gross floor area. The proposal consists of 123 dwelling units, retail at grade, and 77 parking spaces in a two-level underground parking garage. The proposed floor space index is 4.34 times the lot area. See Rental Housing Demolition application 20 153939 NNY 15 RH.
 
Bayview needs lots of this. Did anyone see Jaye Robinson's show about this project at NYCC? Great logic...I’d like more consultation, so I want to cancel/defer the staff scheduled community consultation.
 
Site Plan Approval application submitted:

Development Applications

Updated project description:
BDP Quadrangle: 9 storeys

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Coloured east elevation:

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Material sample board:

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Hopefully this height and density continues piecemeal all the way to Eglinton on both sides of the streets. There is a land assembly taking place to the north of this site, so reason to be hopeful I suppose.

That being said, it is critical that this project gets the relation with the ground-level right.
 
Doubt Disney would let a barely-known local developer whose webpages for some of their projects are broken and redirect to Chinese sites, use their name.

On a side note:
They really seem to like having their projects look like they ran out of paint and just gave up. Here's a render for another one of their projects at 3200 Dundas that I found on their website. Should be a safe estimate of what they're planning for here, and I can't say I like it.
3194-3206 Dundas St w_v1 (1).jpg
The current proposal at 103 metres, expanded from the original proposal of approx. 64 metres, while making sense to build intensification near the LRT, is considered monolithic. There's minimal clear separation in building massing in the middle at the driveway to the underground parking, so from the streetscape, you have a massive wall presence. Aside from what the Quadrangle architect says about the design fitting into the neighbourhood in the last community meeting, Quadrangle can do much better for the neighbourhood and future owners. Just look at what Quadrangle put together for Etobicoke: https://www.bdpquadrangle.com/portfolio/reina
Beautiful building. Why wouldn't you design something more appealing for this key neighbourhood presence? As buyers into the neighbourhood, you deserve better. At least Gairloch is favourable to outdoor amenity space with the rear pedestrian laneway and added greenscaping instead of the City wanting a paved stretch, and harming existing greenscape behind the building to the west. Lastly, the developer/architect is using the COVID-19 excuse to take away retail at grade, replacing with "work/live" units. Retail at grade adds to existing Bayview retail. Future buyers should be insisting on retail at grade - they will benefit most from that.
 
Project being marketed as Leaside Common:



Commentary from Heather Rolleston at BDP Quadrangle:



"You don't see a lot of brick in the city used in this way. The façade has movement and a unique texture that makes the building feel luxurious. It's akin to a woven blanket that welcomes you in," says Heather Rolleston, Principal and Design Director at BDP Quadrangle.

Behind the walls of this glazed "reveal" section, residents would be treated to a concept space known as The Nest, a series of shared open spaces linking the two halves of the building with community hub amenities.


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Looks amazing. Hopefully the Leaside NIMBYs don't tear it a new one.
 
Based on Gairloch's social media channels, Leaside Common had their sales launch event on site yesterday. These units should sell quickly.
 

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