Toronto Lower Simcoe Ramp | ?m | ?s | City of Toronto

DSC said:
What they did @ Lake Shore and Leslie/Carlaw appears to be they did not demolish the support pillars and planted a few vines. Frankly, not too exciting!
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They put a bunch of photos of the work they did on the pillars and added a multi-use trail. My point is that they found something to do with the pillars instead of just pretending that nothing was ever there.
 
hawc said:
So I took a drive down there tonight and it's funny... it feels like something's missing.

In other words, the area/buildings that grew up immediately around the ramp(s) were pretty ugly and understandably 'turned their backs' on the ramp. So now that it's gone, instead of some hidden beauty being uncovered, there's just kind of an ugly hole.

Of course this will obviously all be beautified in time and I'm sure it will be great. But right now it's like if you ripped out the Allen Expresway you'd be like, huh, this is kinda ugly down here in this trench.

It's gonna need some prettying up for sure.
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Probably because everything built facing the ramp has been built with the consideration that the ramp would be there for awhile.

It's not that bad, just sterile like other parts of the central waterfront- I think that once some proper streetscaping is put in, the street will look much better.

I doubt the street will ever be vibrant because of the superblock typology and that you have the asses of all the buildings opening out onto Simcoe- but it definitely won't be soul-sucking as it was before.
 
jje1000 said:
Probably because everything built facing the ramp has been built with the consideration that the ramp would be there for awhile.

It's not that bad, just sterile like other parts of the central waterfront- I think that once some proper streetscaping is put in, the street will look much better.

I doubt the street will ever be vibrant because of the superblock typology and that you have the asses of all the buildings opening out onto Simcoe- but it definitely won't be soul-sucking as it was before.
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It'd be nice if there was some sort of animation plan for the park - maybe even a food stall or cafe or something in the summer months.
 
amnesiajune said:
It would be cool if they did something with what's left of them, sorta like they did on Lakeshore west of Leslie.
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Had the same thought.

Also would be cool if they kept the lower part of the ramp up to a height of ten feet or so as a sort of lookout with some railings, platforms to sit on, and greenery for ornamentation.
 
ADRM said:
It'd be nice if there was some sort of animation plan for the park - maybe even a food stall or cafe or something in the summer months.
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I think there's a huge opportunity to create a urban plaza-style park here instead of your typical park-esque space.

Something structured like Bryant Park (large paved areas to congregate in, lots of smaller paths around a central space, perimeter food stalls, copious amounts of non-fixed seating) would be great.
 
jje1000 said:
I think there's a huge opportunity to create a urban plaza-style park here instead of your typical park-esque space.

Something structured like Bryant Park (large paved areas to congregate in, lots of smaller paths around a central space, perimeter food stalls, copious amounts of non-fixed seating) would be great.
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Totally agree. I don't think a small patch of park is going to do too well here, given that the much nicer waterfront parks are literally across the street. A plaza with a fountain in the middle, with lots of seating and a place for food vendors would fill a niche that doesn't exist anywhere else nearby. It would become a magnet for South Core workers like Berczy Park is already doing for Bay St.
 
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The idea of a plaza makes great sense here. While we are at it, all remnants of the off-ramp can go. I see no need to memorialize the relatively short period of time when this plot of downtown land supported an off-ramp. The remnants are industrial and unfriendly. Maintaining a portion of the ramp for viewing, as suggested above, would separate the park and block the view for many angles in the park. For those who are interested, the Gardiner is a mere 100 meters away if you really need to see a highway support.
 
I would:

  • take the whole thing down
  • put a plaque up telling the story of the days it was a ramp
  • in recognition of how many young folk now live in the area, turn the park into a skateboarding park....call it Ramp Park
 
amnesiajune said:
They put a bunch of photos of the work they did on the pillars and added a multi-use trail. My point is that they found something to do with the pillars instead of just pretending that nothing was ever there.
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I think the space in the new park would be used better if the old pillars were not still there but I agree it depends on what they actually DO with them. I have not yet seen plans for the new (still small) park.
 
DSC said:
I think the space in the new park would be used better if the old pillars were not still there but I agree it depends on what they actually DO with them. I have not yet seen plans for the new (still small) park.
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They should have a WT led design competition that offers a carte blanche. Keeping the old pillars should NOT be a precondition.

AoD
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
They should have a WT led design competition that offers a carte blanche. Keeping the old pillars should NOT be a precondition.

AoD
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Not saying I disagree, but with the T columns kept I think it could've worked out fairly well. Perhaps even becoming a quintessential Toronto photo spot. Just the curving height change pattern added interest, but the City would naturally commission artwork on them a la Richmond/Adelaide ramps. Imagining the end result I can't think it looking low-rate in any way.
 
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