[ssiguy]

Wow, that old pic of wellington Square sure takes me back.
Back then downtown was packed and Wellington Square and the infamous Simpson's at Dundas & Richmond were the place to be. That was when the Capitol and Century were the big theaters in the city and downtown was packed every Friday and Saturday night.
When looking at that pic of the Renn you realize what a monster it is! Out here in Vancouver is buildings are VERY slender.
If the Renn was in downtown Vancouver it would be the largest skyscraper in the entire downtown and I'm not joking. Vancouver not only has a height ceiling but a footprint sealing as well and has had for decades to protect the "corridor view". This is why Toronto's core doesn't have as many condos as Vancouve's but has more people. It is also one of the many reasons why real estate is so high here. On average one 40 story condo in downtown Toronto has the same number of units as 2 30 story downtown Vancouver condo towers. The Renn would be a monster out here.
I think that the new Richmond/Carling development is one of the most important in the city. It is just a mid size structure but it's impact will be profound. It finally means the end of that small but gaping hole on Richmond which acts as the unofficial barrier between downtown and RR. Now they will flow into each other in a pedestrian friendly way. Even one small block of distance can make a huge effect on pedestrian flow and people's views of a certain area. Another example is Wellington just south of the tracks....going under the subway is just a 100 meters but seems and feels like another world.