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The first traces of Spring 2023 brought a breath of fresh air to Toronto's development industry in March, as a number of compelling proposals came forward to add some excitement to the month. While we still remain in a slow stretch for new proposals, amongst the few have been some big ones, including announcements of major cultural attractions, while construction continued to deliver good progress pics of the most popular active projects across the GTHA, making some flashy headlines along the way. Here is the March roundup of the most popular news stories, more searched Database Files, and busiest Forum Threads on UrbanToronto!
Our Top 10 Most Read News Stories:
Our list of the Top 10 most read New Stories of the month begins at number 14, with an article that brought our readers outside their usual jurisdiction to take an in depth look at one of the Country's marquee projects, the BMO Centre Expansion in Calgary. Equally as impressive as the rousing design of the 565,000ft² convention centre addition was the structural engineering that made it possible.
14. Building A Landmark: Calgary's $500 Million BMO Centre Expansion
In the Top 10 list, we can see the impact of the uptick in new proposals, with readers demonstrating a high level of interest in planning articles. In particular, projects like the proposed 'supertall' at 19 Bloor West, and the multi-tower community at 2400 Dundas West were popular among the UT audience, but interest in construction held strong, with an article about early demolition work on the site of phase 1 of Frank Gehry's Forma claiming the top spot.
10. Downsview Airfield Redevelopment Slated to Begin with The Hangar District
9. AGO Shares Initial Design for $100 Million Expansion Project
8. Midtown Resubmission Triples Proposed Building Size
7. CreateTO and TOLive Announce Winning Submission for St Lawrence Centre Design Competition
6. Exterior Finishes Advance as The One Surpasses 25% of Approved Height
5. Occupancy Underway at Universal City in Pickering, Work Continues on Later Phases
4. High-Rise Redevelopment Proposed Beside UP Express's Bloor Station
3. Atrium on Bay Expansion Receives Design Review Panel Support
2. Proposal for 94-Storey Condo Would Give The One a 'Supertall' Neighbour
1. Demolition Prepares Site for Frank Gehry's Forma Phase One Construction
Our Top 10 Most Searched Database Files:
Just outside the Top 10 most searched Database Files, 19 Bloor West arrived on the scene with gusto to claim the 11th spot in the month of March. The 94-storey proposal becomes the tallest application of the year so far, surpassing the 75-storey 646 Yonge proposal by nearly 48 metres.
11. 19 Bloor West
Meanwhile, the Top 10 proper saw some of the more familiar projects return to their usual ranks after the shuffling that took place last month. 160 Front West and The Well reclaimed their spots in the Top 5 while Forma saw a notable boost in popularity, now that the project is approaching the start of construction. Also of note is the ranking of Phase 1 and 2 of Sugar Wharf Condominiums, both claiming spots in the Top 10 for the first time.
10. Concord Sky
9. M2M Condos
8. Sugar Wharf Condominiums (Phase 1)
7. CIBC SQUARE
6. Sugar Wharf Condominiums (Phase 2)
5. Forma
4. The Well
1. The One
Our Top 10 Busiest Threads:
Finally, in the Top 10 busiest Forum Threads list, we are starting off with a double mention, featuring two projects that narrowly missed the Top 10, claiming spots 12 and 13. Both the Finch West LRT and the Union Station Revitalization are key elements of the ongoing transit infrastructure improvements taking place across the City, which remains one of the most closely monitored areas of the UT Forum month in and month out.
13. Finch West LRT
12. Union Station Revitalization
Meanwhile in the Top 10 list, we can see that transit has once again featured heavily, with three different projects ranking within the Top 10; the Davenport Diamond Grade Separation has been of particular interest over the last few weeks as GO Transit prepares to initiate regular train service on the new elevated rail path tomorrow. The top three, however, remain solid, with The One enjoying yet another month at the top of the list.
10. GO Transit: Davenport Diamond Grade Separation
9. Forma
8. Ontario Line
7. Concord Sky
6. CIBC SQUARE
2. The Well
1. The One
We will be back at the beginning of May for a recap of April's top news stories, Database files, and Forum threads!
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UrbanToronto has a research service, UrbanToronto Pro, that provides comprehensive data on construction projects in the Greater Toronto Area—from proposal through to completion. We also offer Instant Reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that tracks projects from initial application.
