reinventingthewheel
Active Member
Instant loss of credibility
- Thread starter interchange42
- Start date
CapitalSeven
Senior Member
Not surprising that they have cheaped out and there will be no transportation to Ontario place. A nice straight sidewalk and a giant above-ground carpark. We know how people are supposed to go to FordSpa.
UtakataNoAnnex
Senior Member
So yeah...so either what we're seeing in the latest renders is a placeholder for something far more fantastical. Or he's saying "nicest" in the way Trump would say "nicest". >.<
nightstreak
Active Member
Thanks for attending the open house @irishboy and bringing back some info. Did you happen to ask why the stations pictured (and most others) are being built as a 1 story above ground structure instead of the base of a residential tower? Were these at least engineered to support a tower on top?
In a critical housing crisis, how is the government screwing up this opportunity? Parter with a developer, the province builds the foundations and station, the developer builds the tower.
In a critical housing crisis, how is the government screwing up this opportunity? Parter with a developer, the province builds the foundations and station, the developer builds the tower.
fanoftoronto
Senior Member
If my understanding is correct, then Metrolinx is only currently building just the station box, but the station box is supposed to have reinforcing elements to support a mid-rise building to be built above that. The mid-rise transit oriented community is the responsibility of Infrastructure Ontario and there have been renders released in the past.
North-East station entrance:
South-West Station entrance:
Timeline is definitely not in the near-term. Expect major changes to the design when construction finally starts in late 2020s (maybe?) when the station box is completed. I for one would like for the towers to be slightly taller. Maybe 25 storeys instead of the current 15ish storeys.
There are database entries in UrbanToronto as well, so that will be a good place to get more information as well:
https://urbantoronto.ca/database/projects/queen-spadina-transit-oriented-community-north-site.55448
https://urbantoronto.ca/database/projects/queen-spadina-transit-oriented-community-south-site.55449
cd concept
Senior Member
It would be nice to see the city grant a much taller tower than what's here on the top of these metro stations having no car port. To reward more condo owners that's do not own a vehicle to get around the city etc.
Frankietls
New Member
Aplus23
Active Member
What exactly are we looking at here?
cd concept
Senior Member
I think it's called a cavern as seen on the previous page 15 under Kosty's blog. Shown in purple as being part of the subway platform where you wait for the subway train to come. The two little circles in front of the purple diagram. Represents the tunnels where the subway trains run through .
17_Bean_17
New Member
I agree that these towers could benefit from being taller, but with that said, there is an argument to be made that the towers at Queen-Spadina potentially stand to have a significant long-term impact on the redevelopment of Queen Street West. The North Shaft Tower will be the tallest building fronting Queen Street on the entire 3.5km stretch between University and Dufferin, and considering how permitting for height and zoning in Toronto is typically based off of the heights which have already been permitted in the neighbourhood, this tower could represent the breaking of the ice on big land acquisitions and developments directly on Queen Street West. Whether or not the developments are welcome is up to the interpretation, but with this tower and the major Transit Station serving as justification, they may become a reality sooner than we think.
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tstormers
Senior Member
From June 2nd.
nightstreak
Active Member
It's hard to believe this is finally happening and how much this subway station is going to completely transform this Queen and Spadina neighbourhood. The pandemic completely ravished Queen Street just west of this intersection, now full of boarded up storefronts. Once the subway opens, these are going to become highly sought after retail spaces. I just hope they're not banks and chain stores. Also, trips to Kensington Market are going to become a lot more convenient in the early 2030s.
P.S. @hawc I look forward to your bird's eye view:
P.S. @hawc I look forward to your bird's eye view:
taal
Senior Member
It seems to be recovering to me a little now - maybe reduced rents, I actually find retail can tend to do better when the economy / housing market declines.
But ignoring that, why do you think a subway will change anything (for the better or worse) ? Yonge street (north of Dundas) similarly has many boarded up retail outlets and it's directly on the subway.
nightstreak
Active Member
Queen and Spadina is a complete neighbourhood with residential, shopping and offices. Being on a subway line is going to encourage more of that which will support local retail.
Yonge and Dundas has been primarily and almost exclusively a shopping district though that's beginning to change as condo towers are popping up and office space is beginning to blend in. As it is now, small shops can't compete with the retail black hole that occupies an entire city super block from Richmond to Dundas, Yonge to Bay. Not even other large retail spaces like the Atrium on Bay and the Tenor can compete, hence the shuttered small shops that don't stand a chance.