Toronto Smart House | 82.6m | 25s | Urban Capital | a—A

Here's what should go here: 25 story aA-designed red brick condo building with a solid streetwall, setbacks at the 20th and 25th floors. Think Mozo meets podium of Market Wharf. High ceiling small retail here would work nicely, or a beautiful mid-high end bar/cafe catering to the opera house set.

(On watch: Former CityTV parking lot--insert 15 storey condo.)
 
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urbandreamer said:
Here's what should go here: 25 story aA-designed red brick condo building with a solid streetwall, setbacks at the 20th and 25th floors. Think Mozo meets podium of Market Wharf. High ceiling small retail here would work nicely, or a beautiful mid-high end bar/cafe catering to the opera house set.

(On watch: Former CityTV parking lot--insert 15 storey condo.)
Click to expand...

Let's add the parking lot at the corner of Queen and Soho. How has that one managed to stay undeveloped for so long? There must be a reason.
 
^ The parking lot at Queen and Soho was sold last summer. The purchaser is a small company who I am not familiar with. I don't know if they are planning a development, or just intending to operate the parking lot as an investment. A small slice of this parking lot is actually owned by the City (legally being part of Soho Street). If we see an application to the city to purchase this land, it would be a tip-off that a development is coming.
 
Personally I hope the Queen & Soho site is turned into a public square with a few levels of parking underneath. A square would make that section of Queen St even better and a be a fantastic addition to the Entertainment District.
 
From Urbanation:

Camrost-Felcorp planning 23-storey condo on property west of Simcoe St, with 98' of frontage on Queen St West:
Click to expand...

queenwest.jpg
 
It kinda looks like the developer took my comment re: Market Wharf seriously--sorta similar treatment of the balconies, so wonder if it's by aA or a knockoff?

But why can a bank building at King and Sherbourne have a condo above it yet the one here cannot? #cityplanners are nuts!
 
I assume the CANCELLED portion of the title refers to a previous proposal for the site? No chance of offices in this one added to area above the old bank building?
 
The CANCELLED is gone from the title now, and yes, that's why it was there. The address this is proceeding under now is 219 Queen West. The 23-storey proposal would be 76 metres high. Not approved yet. It is aA.

Here's a slightly higher-res rendering.

219QueenWExt400.jpg
 
I guess it's nice to see a parking lot being filled in and the scale of the building makes sense as part of the stepping down from the financial district to the lower-rise areas to the west. I wouldn't want to see this as a precedent for other parts of Queen, and the hundred foot frontage won't likely make for a terribly engaging streetfront environment, but there's not much going on right on that section of the street anyway.
 
From city planning today.

219 QUEEN ST W

OPA / Rezoning 11 237631 STE 20 OZ Ward 20
- Tor & E.York Jul 13, 2011 --- --- --- ---

Rezoning application to permit the redevelopemtn o the lands for the purposes of a new 24 storey mixed use building containing 212 resdiential dwelling units complete with 984m2 of office space, 294m2 of retail space, and 67 parking spaces located in a below grade parking facility, of which 54 spaces would be for residents.
 
I think 24 storeys is an acceptable height here, being right across from the 170' Canada Life Tower. 24 floors will obviously be taller, but it's a logical step up to the taller Boutique and Shangri-La highrises to the south. It would create a sort of gateway effect with Canada Life to the Queen West heritage district, as the two towers give way to the lowrise heritage strip.
 
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