Toronto TeaHouse 501 Yonge Condominiums | 170.98m | 52s | Lanterra | a—A

no doubt many of the tenants in this stretch are a bit seedy and low budget. I too have at times thought this stretch looked out of place but now that I take a long look at it, I actually dont mind it, the two storey portion especially. I agree with the comment about it looks like a place that should have a Papaya Hut... the slanted setback on the second storey does read as vaguely Polynesian in influence to me and I really like that detail. Looking at it now, what is really missing is simply density/height. I'd like to see the existing frontages kept, perhaps refurbished but some taller towers built behind and above, perhaps sitting at a diagonal to the street to add some interest to the overwhelming amount of right angle stuff we get here.
 
Well, it's a strange strip--like an absolutely bedraggled funky-70s alteration of a row that looks, from the rear, to be much primevally older than the Yonge Subway excavation...
 
Ramako said:
What nightlife? I don't remember the last time anyone I know went clubbing, bar-hopping or even dining on Yonge Street. Yonge's wheelhouse is retail. The only thing these condos are going to do is make all that retail go higher end.
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I perhaps used the wrong word when I wrote "nightlifing" when I had in mind a bunch of kids out blowing off steam. Have you ever happened by this stretch on a nice weekend night? I have, but purely by accident - it is thronged. My point is that further blandification of this stretch is going to discourage legit bars / taverns / restaurants from even considering setting up shop on the (presently disgusting) Yonge stretch. In fact, I even expect that if this project includes at-grade retail, some dollar store will rent a slot.

.. You suggest that all those new residents will result in higher end retail fronting on Yonge? I'll argue with that. Eaton Centre will find ways of winning all the time; those new residents will get vacuumed into the indoor world that has been created. Eaton Centre has a leg up on absolutely every retail chance on Yonge. In fact, I can't think of a single major retailer on downtown Yonge - and I don't expect the situation to change. I believe the only hope for making Yonge truly fun is to make it a restaurant and pub area again. That will take an initiative. (Plus firing the Yonge/Dundas BIA people who allow Dundas Square to look like a grade-level parking lot half the time).

I am onside with all who suggest narrowing Yonge and getting trees et al, but fat chance with this current "potholes and sewers" mayor.
 
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Is the parking lot directly behind it still part of the Green P, or is that privately owned? If it's private and owned by the same landowners, that certainly gives them a lot more room to work with. I hope the towers are offset more towards the rear of the property, so that they don't overwhelm the street.

If they also managed to buy out the theatre behind there as well, they could do a pretty interesting L-shaped development.
 
gweed123 said:
Is the parking lot directly behind it still part of the Green P, or is that privately owned? If it's private and owned by the same landowners, that certainly gives them a lot more room to work with. I hope the towers are offset more towards the rear of the property, so that they don't overwhelm the street.

If they also managed to buy out the theatre behind there as well, they could do a pretty interesting L-shaped development.
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It's definitely not Toronto Parking Authority parking so I'd suspect it's privately owned - and part of the deal, less the laneway that runs through there.
 
dt_toronto_geek said:
It's definitely not Toronto Parking Authority parking so I'd suspect it's privately owned - and part of the deal, less the laneway that runs through there.
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That's what I figured, but I just wanted to make sure. Should make for some interesting engineering with the subway directly underneath. It'll be pretty cool to see when the excavation is completed and there's a concrete box running right through the middle of the site.
 
marcus_a_j said:
It might be similar to how the excavation for Exhibit will be. I would expect a few levels of parking integrated into the podium.

You can see how the subway tunnel defines the excavation at the Hullmark Centre site (northwest corner): http://www.ucitonline.com/hullmark/
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Yeah, there certainly is precedent for this type of development. Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the Wellesley station platform extend south to nearly Maitland? I remember getting on at Wellesley, and the station exists itself are way towards the north end of the platform (same with College station, now that I think of it). Could there possibly be an opportunity to integrate this development into the south end of Wellesley station? I know they were planning a 2nd exit for Wellesley in the Green P lot.
 
That would be amazing if they did it. Wellesley isn't terribly busy but it could use the second exit, and it would be a great selling feature for the building. Even an automatic entrance would be handy. Maybe in exchange for a parking/density trade off from the city?
 
whatever said:
That would be amazing if they did it. Wellesley isn't terribly busy but it could use the second exit, and it would be a great selling feature for the building. Even an automatic entrance would be handy. Maybe in exchange for a parking/density trade off from the city?
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If it gave the City their 2nd exit requirements, I'd imagine they'd let them do it for free. The developers get the premium of direct subway access, and the City saves money by not having to build the 2nd exit themselves. I'd say that's a pretty good win-win right there. Although I could see the developer asking for a few more floors to make up for the increased cost of building such an exit. Tack on a few more floors with premium units and that sucker is paid for, and then some.
 
Sorry, but Wellesley's stairs and escalators are two thirds of the way south at platform level. The second exit is planned to go at the north end of the station, surfacing at Dundonald Street.

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TonyV said:
. (Plus firing the Yonge/Dundas BIA people who allow Dundas Square to look like a grade-level parking lot half the time).
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That would be the people who run the square privately, not the BIA, thanks.
 
I'm just a bit sad to see the seventies style go (brick, diagonal siding...). It may be time for a 'Save our Seventies' architecture campaign: the front of these buildings, that McDonalds across from the ROM... anyone remember the original Village by the Grange look?
:: looks at watch/calendar ::
It's been forty years... right on schedule for the 'danger period' of architectural preservation.

But if those fronts were merely alterations of much older buildings, then I can understand it.
 
Well, it's an alteration of a not-much-older building of presumably negligible consequence. But in this case, it's so bizarrely bedraggled that I can't see much of a grassroots case for it (though a surprising degree of that diagonal-wood-sided 70sness remains amidst the grime and encrustation).

There was more of a grassroots case for a different "alteration of a much older building" across the street: the now-gone Syd Silver frontage.
 
adma said:
There was more of a grassroots case for a different "alteration of a much older building" across the street: the now-gone Syd Silver frontage.
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No doubt..

androiduk said:
sydsilver.jpg
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