Toronto Sun Life Financial Tower & Harbour Plaza Residences | 236.51m | 67s | Menkes | Sweeny &Co

[Northern Magus]

CN:

I guess this says a lot about me, but when I look your renders, the first thing I think is: wicked for tobogganing.

Neat idea, thanks for sharing it.

 

[p5connex]

Count me out..I appreciate your idea sharing as much as anyone, but not sure I am understanding your proposal..sorry, my eight cents..

Pfive

 

[urbandreamer]

Make it much taller...and charge admission to the ski hills of Toronto Centre!

 

[AKS]

Count me out..I appreciate your idea sharing as much as anyone, but not sure I am understanding your proposal..sorry, my eight cents..

Pfive

The idea is a hill or park extending south of the skydome to HTO park. The hill would cover the parking lots north and south of the gardiner and bury the gardiner under it. There could be cafes and such at the top of the park area so people can enjoy views over looking the islands and lake while eating snacks. It will also make it a nicer walk from the city to the lake area. Under the hill where the parking lots north and south are located, you could probably have parking (similar to underneath round house) or use as storage for salt in the winter. Or you could have shops (less likely IMO).

It would be a great place for tobogganing in the winter and sun tanning, strolling in the summer.

 

[M____J1]

 

[ichigo]

I'd like to see those two plots of land in front of the Skydome turned to a mixed-use structure whose main function would be to act as a land-bridge park over the Gardiner expressway. It would allow a wonderful place to relax and view the harbour from (as there are no raised ground areas to permit scenic observation). It would allow people to hike right over the Gardiner, and could be a tourist attraction in it's own right.

Within it would be room for plenty of parking. Massive clubs, theatres, restaurants, retail and mixed uses could all be contained within it's quite large size. It could hold the John Street Pumping Station, basically untouched. Heck, it's so big it could be used to store salt and snowplows as well.

It would give an entertainment complex to a part of Queen's Quay that could use it, and take care of the question of what to do with the empty parking lot on the north side of Queen's Quay. It would give enjoyable and adventuresome access from the water to the skydome and back. It could give amenities to the south side of Bremner in front of the dome. Trees, small plazas, steps, plateaus and pavilions could be atop it. It would preserve the view into the city, and do so in a novel and pleasing way.

At the very least some pedestrian bridges are clearly needed.
The Gardiner expressway is like a wall between the lakeshore and the city. Building it this way was bad urban choice, don't you think so?

Concerning public transportation (pedestrian bridges, subways, etc...), a lot of things are needed right now and should be done,
but as long as "cut spending, lower taxes at all cost" is the accepted mantra, it remains difficult to do anything.

 

[digitec]

I think pedestrian bridges aren't an issue. Don't forget that the Gardiner Expressway is not actually like a brick border, their are numerous streets that run under it, and there's plenty of walking space. Bridges over the Gardiner will impact us as taxpayers, and it will look ugly if you think of it. But good thinking.

 

[torplanner]

The problem with the Gardiner is not that it is elevated; the problem is that it is hollow.

 

[Platform 27]

The problem with the Gardiner is not that it is elevated; the problem is that it is hollow.

Or, in other words, the problem is not the Gardiner, the problem is Lake Shore Blvd.

 

[torplanner]

I was thinking more of those areas where the Gardiner is not overlapped with Lakeshore. The city has shown a significant disinterest in actually using non-roadway lands under the Gardiner for park space and other passive uses. Or hell, stick buildings underneath it and stick stores in there or something. There is a lot of wasted real estate under there. There are many ways to animate the underside .. with the bonus of that space being largely weather protected.

 

[Big Daddy]

Or, in other words, the problem is not the Gardiner, the problem is Lake Shore Blvd.

I believe the Gardiner and the Lakeshore are not such a big problem. The REAL problem is the railway tracks. Highways you can walk under, streets you can cross. But there are only a couple of tunnels to get across the railway tracks - hence , "north core" and "south core" will never likely meet.

I say bury the tracks. Toronto's version of the "Big Dig".

 

[Up&Away]

I agree with you Big Daddy. All one needs to do is look at the Gare Montparnasse in Paris to see what can be achieved. They have offices, housing, a park with numerous tennis courts all of which are built directly over the train tracks. We could have had a giant park covering those rail lines instead of the grass and glass roof that will be part of the Union Station Redevelopment.

 

[Northern Magus]

I was thinking more of those areas where the Gardiner is not overlapped with Lakeshore. The city has shown a significant disinterest in actually using non-roadway lands under the Gardiner for park space and other passive uses. Or hell, stick buildings underneath it and stick stores in there or something. There is a lot of wasted real estate under there. There are many ways to animate the underside .. with the bonus of that space being largely weather protected.

Development can and should be done both under and over them. As for that stretch, I've always thought it would be the perfect location for gas stations.

My biggest criticism of the Gardiner is its height: another 10-20 feet and more sunlight will come underneath it.

 

[Xray_Crystal_Junkie]

Ya but if that were the case, just imagine how much more massive and unwieldy the condo podiums lining it would become to ensure the first level of residential was elevated above it. No thanks. (And they'd probably do a good job of blocking out all that newly acquired sunlight).

 

[Northern Magus]

Ya but if that were the case, just imagine how much more massive and unwieldy the condo podiums lining it would become to ensure the first level of residential was elevated above it. No thanks.

That would easily be remedied through building codes, and all intersections would benefit greatly since they could not be blocked as you erroneously suggest.

But to each their own I suppose.