someMidTowner
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Amidst all this debate, the project has reached grade.
Toronto Park Towns Bayview and Sheppard | 13.41m | 4s | Broccolini | CMV
- Thread starter cruzin4u
- Start date
salsa
Senior Member
pdcstream
New Member
I guess it's about time I replied to:
I happened to have gone past this place a couple of times since then. I noticed that the mini-plazas (or is it one plaza?) to the left and right with the future MEC store and townhouses in the middle are bookmarked with traffic lights. Would this not allow cars to make left turns in and out of this driveway? Was your description, "during peak season, the garden centre would hire 2 paid-duty cops to direct traffic in and out of the store parking lot," referring to before or after these two sets of traffic signals were put in?
Given my length of times in replying , I guess you may have forgotten my reference to transit being conducive to development. While congested highway access to South Core would be a limiting factor to development, the fact that South Core has very good access from various modes of transit is the obvious reason for its recent rapid growth.
I happened to have gone past this place a couple of times since then. I noticed that the mini-plazas (or is it one plaza?) to the left and right with the future MEC store and townhouses in the middle are bookmarked with traffic lights. Would this not allow cars to make left turns in and out of this driveway? Was your description, "during peak season, the garden centre would hire 2 paid-duty cops to direct traffic in and out of the store parking lot," referring to before or after these two sets of traffic signals were put in?
Given my length of times in replying , I guess you may have forgotten my reference to transit being conducive to development. While congested highway access to South Core would be a limiting factor to development, the fact that South Core has very good access from various modes of transit is the obvious reason for its recent rapid growth.
sunnyraytoronto
Senior Member
Wow,... it took you a month to come up with this? Wait, let me get this straight,... prior to that, for over a month, you choose to debate about the traffic issues at this site,... and you're not even familiar with this site!?!?!?!
Dude, you're fishing,... directly east of this site (old nursery) there's a mini-plaza with access to corner with signalized intersection,.... directly west of this site, there's another mini-plaza, then Bessarion Subway entrance, then gas station with access to corner with signalize intersection. Yeah, sure drivers from the old nursery could easily drive through the parking lots of either of these mini-plazas directly to the east or west of the old nursery as long as,... they drive a 4x4 Monster Truck capable of clearing 2-3 feet high retaining wall-barriers!!!
Here's photos of the old nursery site,...
Here's the mini-plaza to the east (right), notice the grade difference between the two parking lots,.... also the hood-windshield level retaining wall (see dark gray car in mini-plaza) and green green fencing on top of that!
See the mini-plaza to the west (left), again, also notice the grade difference between these two parking lots as well,.... also the hood-level retaining wall (in front of see white car - retaining wall runs all the way to rear of site) and green green fencing on top of that! Along with cement parking curbs to prevent anyone from thinking they can drive from one lot to the next along with steep slope that'll surely eat up a bumper or two.
Photo source: http://www.flickriver.com/photos/tags/parktownsmountainequipcoop/interesting/
Notice, not only are there concrete cement parking guard barriers at property line between the old nursery and both mini-plazas,.... but also bumper-hood level elevation differences in parking lot levels requiring retaining walls. Owners of the neighbouring mini-plazas were so feed up with overflowing traffic from the Old Nursery, they did whatever they can to prevent that traffic from using their parking spaces,.... including retaining walls, fencing and concrete parking guard barriers. Why would the neighbouring plaza want vehicles from the nursery tresspassing through their property? It'll use up their parking spaces preventing their own customer access to their stores. And, it'll only put their own customers at risk; thus, being liability issues so better to block off vehicular access to protect themselves.
Hmmm,.... so with new townhouses and MEC drawing in even more drivers VS old nursery,.... do you really think the mini-plaza owners will tear down their barriers? And allow their parking lots to be used by MEC customers,... taking up parking spaces intended for their own mini-plaza customers.
Yeah, SouthCore is great example of transit being conducive to (office) development,... the transit infrastructure you're referring to have been there for 50 years already, but yet SouthCore is finally in building mode now!!! Seriously, TTC Union station subway station opened in early 1950s, GO train to Union Station started in mid-1960's,.... Gardiner Expressway was from 1960's,... all that stuff been there for 50 years,... so why SouthCore in building mode now,.... 50 years later??? Oh, it must be due to the QueensQuay streetcar which opened in 1990,... 25 years ago!!!
Since Sheppard STUBway line opened in 2002,... office space development along Sheppard Corridor with MEC should be rocking by,... 2052!!!,... only 36 more years to go!!!
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pdcstream
New Member
Okay. I haven't been "fishing" for answers for my replies. First of all, online debates can easily be time-consuming, so if the topic is "left turns in and out of MEC store/Broccolini townhouses", such a debate may not be high on my priority list of things to do.
You seem to miss my point about the traffic signals bookending the mini-plazas. The traffic signals are timed so that they turn red at the same time and that allows cars to make their left turns in or out of the MEC-Broccolini driveway because oncoming traffic would be stopped. There is no need to drive onto the neighbouring mini-plazas.
As for South Core, I'm sure you're aware that the focus of development had for many decades been around the already existing financial core to the north, but real estate available for development is becoming increasingly scarcer near this financial core, which is why South Core has only more recently started being heavily developed. I thought this was widely understood already.
As for development around the Sheppard stubway, I've pretty much stated previously that, as it is, I don't expect serious commercial development to take place...not until at least the Sheppard subway becomes meaningfully extended and connected.
You seem to miss my point about the traffic signals bookending the mini-plazas. The traffic signals are timed so that they turn red at the same time and that allows cars to make their left turns in or out of the MEC-Broccolini driveway because oncoming traffic would be stopped. There is no need to drive onto the neighbouring mini-plazas.
As for South Core, I'm sure you're aware that the focus of development had for many decades been around the already existing financial core to the north, but real estate available for development is becoming increasingly scarcer near this financial core, which is why South Core has only more recently started being heavily developed. I thought this was widely understood already.
As for development around the Sheppard stubway, I've pretty much stated previously that, as it is, I don't expect serious commercial development to take place...not until at least the Sheppard subway becomes meaningfully extended and connected.
sunnyraytoronto
Senior Member
First of all,... The signalized intersections at Sheppard & BurbankDr along with Sheppard & BlueRidgeRd are NOT and will NEVER be "timed so that they turn red at the same time and that (would) allows cars to make their left turns in or out of the MEC-Broccolini driveway because oncoming traffic would be stopped".
Now, even IF your bookended intersections (Sheppard & BurbankDr and Sheppard & BlueRidgeRd) actually do turn red at the same time,.... you still have moving traffic in between the two intersections!!!! Since there's about 200m between these two signalized intersections, it'll take a vehicle about 20 seconds to drive that distance in relatively non-congested traffic. Given that the red signal phases at the two intersections are likely in the 20-25 second range (since they're small streets),... the vehicles in between these two intersections should have enough time to get to the next intersections and create a gap for traffic from MEC-Broccolini (old nursery) site to exit onto Sheppard,... if Sheppard was NOT congested!!!
The problem is Sheppard Ave is one of the most congested arterial roads in the city!,... From previous posts of top 10 worst intersections for traffic congestion,.... 6 intersections along Sheppard Ave!!!
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/201...fies_top_10_most_congested_intersections.html
Sheppard is so congested there'll be cars trapped between these two signalized intersections in red signal phases,... slowly moving congested vehicles with nowhere to go!!!
Here's GoogleEarth screen shots taken just east of Sheppard & BurbankDr,... notice how signals phase are set along with traffic flow:
Sheppard & BurbankDr has RED signal phase for Sheppard traffic,... and it's fresh RED as BurbankDr traffic is entering intersection.
Turning 180degree to face east, the Google StreetsView vehicle seems to be the last eastbound vehicle to make that light.
Zooming in,... notice Sheppard & BlueRidgeRd has GREEN signal phase for Sheppard traffic,... and it's fresh GREEN as Sheppard westbound traffic is entering that intersection. Notice: in front of the MEC-Broccolini (old nursery) site, as there's about to be a gap in eastbound Sheppard traffic, the westbound Sheppard traffic gap will soon be eliminated!,... by westbound Sheppard traffic.
See what's happening here in front of MEC-Broccolini (former old Nursery) site,... as they look for their left turn, there's a gap in westbound Sheppard traffic but generally no gaps in eastbound Sheppard traffic for them to turn into,..... With Sheppard traffic getting green signal phase at Sheppard-BlueRidgeRd intersection, as eastbound traffic moves along, by the time there is a gap in eastbound traffic in front of MEC-Broccolini (old nursery) site, the westbound Sheppard traffic is in front of the site and there's no longer a gap in westbound Sheppard traffic,...
Why does this happen???? Because eastbound Sheppard traffic movements get priority over eastbound Sheppard traffic movement? Huh? Why??? Because the top two worst traffic intersections (#1 Sheppard & Bayview and #2 Sheppard & Yonge) are directly east of this site,.... they want to move traffic away from congestion hot spots!!!
1. Bayview Ave. at Sheppard Ave. E.
2. Yonge St., Highway 401 to Sheppard Ave.
And you can't have eastbound Sheppard traffic moving when two consecutive intersections like your bookended intersections of Sheppard & BurbankDr along with Sheppard & BlueRidgeRd both have red signal phases for Sheppard traffic at the same time!
This is why the old nursery hired 2 paid duty cops to direct traffic in front of this site during the busy season!!!! Which is what I stated over 2 months ago,.. but if you want to keep debating, fine,....
Like I said, you're fishing for answers.
Huh,.. are you actually saying development actually occurs primarily at more desireable locations first,.... relative to other conducive factors like transit???? Really,.... BTW, that's called sarcasm.
Commercial office space along Sheppard???? Dude, they're already eliminating commercial office buildings along Sheppard in favour of condo towers! Just look a couple blocks east at other side of railway track near Leslie!
Sheppard STUBway will never be extended westward,.... Sheppard STUBway will only be extended eastward when pig flys,... ie: Rob Ford is re-elected as mayor or Rob Ford 2 (Doug) is elected as mayor.
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sunnyraytoronto
Senior Member
From Monday,.... sustainable,... roof with solar panel and skylights,..... looks like only 3 sets of those triangular solar panel - skylight roofs,.... should have 5 in total.
http://urbantoronto.ca/news/2013/07/broccolinis-park-towns-and-mec-come-sheppard-bessarion
http://urbantoronto.ca/news/2013/07/broccolinis-park-towns-and-mec-come-sheppard-bessarion
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sunnyraytoronto
Senior Member
Top fins seems to be mostly covered and ready for next phase,......
Original rendering shows the front corner (in yellow here) to be natural horizontal stone work,..... but the current yellow stone-like material at this front corner looks like rock-climbing material,.... seriously, not just in colour but also in texture and holes for anchors rocks,..... or could also be for some kind of irrigation living wall thing,.... or how about living wall with waterfall and rock climbing! Ok, they are probably still sticking with their original renderings,.... but I can still dream!!!!
Yeah, sign says MEC Open THIS Fall 2016
Original rendering shows the front corner (in yellow here) to be natural horizontal stone work,..... but the current yellow stone-like material at this front corner looks like rock-climbing material,.... seriously, not just in colour but also in texture and holes for anchors rocks,..... or could also be for some kind of irrigation living wall thing,.... or how about living wall with waterfall and rock climbing! Ok, they are probably still sticking with their original renderings,.... but I can still dream!!!!
Yeah, sign says MEC Open THIS Fall 2016
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drum118
Superstar
May 23
This MEC is going to have solar panels on its roof that are slopping.. The roof will see sunlight 365 days a year when its out.
This MEC is going to have solar panels on its roof that are slopping.. The roof will see sunlight 365 days a year when its out.
sunnyraytoronto
Senior Member
Covered with stonework now,.... I guess to rock-climb it, I'll have to buy some rock-climbing gear,... at MEC. Hey, they're pretty smart!
sunnyraytoronto
Senior Member
Nearby pedestrian sidewalk is busy,... and messy,...
Our two legged friend leaving Bessarion TTC Subway Station,.... heading towards MEC which is not open yet,..... they probably want to line up for the Canada Goose down jacket!
Enjoying a little swim on a hot day,.... while watching humans stuck in lane restrictions due to construction crane on roadway,....
Our two legged friend leaving Bessarion TTC Subway Station,.... heading towards MEC which is not open yet,..... they probably want to line up for the Canada Goose down jacket!
Enjoying a little swim on a hot day,.... while watching humans stuck in lane restrictions due to construction crane on roadway,....
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PMT
Senior Member
sunnyraytoronto
Senior Member
sunnyraytoronto
Senior Member
MEC opening signage says MEC OPEN FALL 2016,... looks to be on schedule likely for late November opening,.... just in time for holiday shopping!,... and boxing week sales,... whichever you prefer.
Interior has finished walls, vents and lighting like MEC downtown,.... maybe need some more wooden trims along walls and usually MEC has polished cement floors or hardwood flooring,.... and glass-metal railings,... Thus, main interior stuff seems done but still need the polished wooden trimming bits that make it look more outdoor natural wilderness,... like an MEC. Then, interior will just need shelving and inventory,....
Image of rear loading dock area and underground parking entrance
Oh, and if anyone bought the townhouse in the back,.... here's the progress,...
Interior has finished walls, vents and lighting like MEC downtown,.... maybe need some more wooden trims along walls and usually MEC has polished cement floors or hardwood flooring,.... and glass-metal railings,... Thus, main interior stuff seems done but still need the polished wooden trimming bits that make it look more outdoor natural wilderness,... like an MEC. Then, interior will just need shelving and inventory,....
Image of rear loading dock area and underground parking entrance
Oh, and if anyone bought the townhouse in the back,.... here's the progress,...
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