Milaisacat said:
My two cents: I think that the Dominion Public Building should be purchased to serve as the Toronto the terminus for high speed rail, with the actual track and platforms located in a tunnel beneath the station and connections provided to tie it into the Union Station complex. The feasibility of using the building for a high speed rail terminal is another matter, of course, but it's just too practical an idea to not seriously explore.
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It's a problem we'll never have to worry about dont worry, HSR will never happen in this country.

Or at least certainly not for 100 years at the minumum.
 
A new zoning application was submitted to remove the proposed hotel, modify the office space and add new main floor retail on Front St.
Residential is the same. Parking reduced from 3 levels to 2.

From the cover letter;
“• Rebalance permitted uses within the approved building envelope, and more specifically to reduce the amount of required non-residential gross floor area (“GFA”) and increase the permitted residential GFA; and
• Modify the north elevation of the Dominion Public Building to support the re-use of the building’s ground floor as retail space.

The proposed land use change is driven by Larco’s determination that the previously proposed hotel is not viable.

The proposed modifications to the façade of the Dominion Public Building entail lowering 14 windows along Front Street to meet the ground plane, eight of which will function as retail entrances. Lowered windows and additional openings will provide the access and transparency necessary to create viable ground floor retail spaces. Conversely, the improvements will promote a more dynamic streetscape along the Site’s Front Street frontage and create north-south permeability through the block. These modifications were planned in collaboration with Heritage Preservation Services staff with the aim of minimizing their visual impact and maintaining the classical composition of the building’s Beaux-Art style. This is achieved by grouping the modified openings within the interior bays (rather than the central portico and end pavilions) and framing them with unmodified openings. The result is a design solution which balances heritage conservation considerations with broader urban design and land use considerations.

The rear of the Site is reimagined as a pedestrian mews animated by food and beverage uses and a 465- square metre community space at the laneway level of the Dominion Public Building. This rear lane has long been the natural path of travel for pedestrians moving between Yonge Street and Bay Street. These improvements will make this connection more safe, comfortable, and attractive, and complete the ‘missing link’ of a pedestrian-friendly corridor between St. Lawrence Market and Union Station.”

Edit - correct link
www.toronto.ca

Application Details

www.toronto.ca www.toronto.ca

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Google street view
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Absolutely pathetic that they are getting rid of hotel space (only a tiny fraction of this development’s square footage) when we have the worst accommodation shortage in North America. If you haven’t please sign my petition

www.change.org

Sign the Petition

Address Toronto’s Outrageous Hotel Shortage NOW
www.change.org www.change.org
 
I'm seeing articles about AI reducing the need for white collar jobs every single day.
What makes them think this much office space will be needed 5+ years from now?
 
biospherian said:
I'm seeing articles about AI reducing the need for white collar jobs every single day.
Click to expand...

These are mostly nonsense.

biospherian said:
What makes them think this much office space will be needed 5+ years from now?
Click to expand...

The vacancy rate for 'trophy' or AAA space in south downtown Toronto (vicinity of Union Station) is at or below 6% and falling.

Return to office mandates in taking effect in September 2025 through February 2026 for many of the banks will see them having significant space crunches and the need for new space.

***

Also note that the vast majority of office space here is within the existing heritage building, the towers are largely residential.
 
Full suite of renders including with the current application:

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Further enlargement of above: (podium detail)

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View from Berczy:

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View from the middle of Front, in front of Union Station, just before you get hit by an oncoming car:

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That should do.......

@Paclo
 
Disgusting non-sense from Larco, whom continue not to get it. This proposal is pure gutter trash, plain and simple.

I'll say it again, if they cant figure out how to make proper use of the site, than sell it to someone who will actually do the site proper justice. This load of garbage isnt bringing a single unique thing to a premiere historical building, on a prominent site which is right next to the largest transportation hub in the country.

Event space? No.
Retail Space? Oh we just remembered about that, let's add it in because the hotel is no longer "viable" and HPS had to point that out to us.
Community Space? Limited after-thought.

It's things like this which infuriates me to no end. At this point i'd launch a big celebration party if Larco went under, because this is a firm that just plain doesnt get it, at all. This is nothing more than popping a few generic towers over a prominent site and calling it a day, it's clear they dont give a $#IT*.

This is another reason the CLC frankly pisses me off. They go out and dispose of a bunch of properties, without putting virtually any conditions on the asset sale. Yes I realize they are trying to get maximum value out of the disposition, but it's rich coming from a previous Liberal government when they would beat their chests saying they would use the sale of publicly owned lands to do X, Y and Z. And here we are with not one of the X, Y, and Z things coming into play at all.
 
It's guttertrash, pure and simple. This property should have something thoughtful and amicable to the existing heritage and context of this area. As noted, this is one of the rare examples of a well curated, boulevard type spaces with setback rosds and buildings that address the importance if this street. (I believe this was part of the City's attempts at the time to follow the City Beautiful Movement in revamping downtown to a modernized metropolis st the time pre-Depression?)
Anyways, I just don't get it. Even looking at the way the spaces are split through the building, its not very well thought out. This needs to go back to the drawing board, or, just disappear.
 
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