71 Rebecca St | 97 m | 30 fl | Proposed - Page 8

Chronamut · #**141** Posted **Jul 6, 2018, 6:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by LRTfan

totally agree. I just don't think we should be lowering the heights of the rare tall proposal that comes along for no reason.

And I totally agree with that. I think hamilton has an identity crisis in that they want to be toronto but they want to be a small town at the same time.

Sehnsucht · #**142** Posted **Jul 6, 2018, 7:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by LRTfan

totally agree. I just don't think we should be lowering the heights of the rare tall proposal that comes along for no reason.

Agreed here as well. Nobody is against low and mid-rise developments. It's about style and design and so forth. The anti-tall policy is independent from this, though. Random tall buildings are fine.

I think that heights should be proposed and considered case-by-case, with suggested guidelines. If it's a great project, why kill it because of height alone? If it satisfies all criteria and then some, build it already. Besides, there isn't a developer in this city or Toronto who's really going higher than 40 storeys anyway, so what's the fuss.

I for one would love a cluster of towers all around the Landmark building to make it fit in somewhere--finally--or hide it.

Chronamut · #**143** Posted **Jul 6, 2018, 7:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sehnsucht

Agreed here as well. Nobody is against low and mid-rise developments. It's about style and design and so forth. The anti-tall policy is independent from this, though. Random tall buildings are fine.

I think that heights should be proposed and considered case-by-case, with suggested guidelines. If it's a great project, why kill it because of height alone? If it satisfies all criteria and then some, build it already. Besides, there isn't a developer in this city or Toronto who's really going higher than 40 storeys anyway, so what's the fuss.

I for one would love a cluster of towers all around the Landmark building to make it fit in somewhere--finally--or hide it.

Typically cities look like a large scale model of a tower- with the highest development in the center, petering down the farther away from the core you go, in all directions. I am perfectly okay with that.

Personally I feel buildings in places like toronto are going TOO tall:

https://torontolife.com/city/toronto...ronto-skyline/

I don't want to be in a city where I literally feel dwarfed and intimidated by everything around me.

LRTfan · #**144** Posted **Jul 6, 2018, 10:53 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sehnsucht

Agreed here as well. Nobody is against low and mid-rise developments. It's about style and design and so forth. The anti-tall policy is independent from this, though. Random tall buildings are fine.

I think that heights should be proposed and considered case-by-case, with suggested guidelines. If it's a great project, why kill it because of height alone? If it satisfies all criteria and then some, build it already. Besides, there isn't a developer in this city or Toronto who's really going higher than 40 storeys anyway, so what's the fuss.

I for one would love a cluster of towers all around the Landmark building to make it fit in somewhere--finally--or hide it.

If we get great design on the Kresge towers on King William it should provide the perfect example of what I think we're all agreeing on.... we'll end up with two 30-storey towers there along with the incredible mid-rise development already built on King William and the 21 storey William Thomas. I promise all the neighbourhood association NIMBY's: the neighbourhood isn't going to become a desolate ghetto because 30 storey buildings are added to the mix...in fact, look for more restaurants, bars, cafes, patios and street life. Throw in the new park at John/King William and this few block stretch of downtown will provide a great argument we can use to counter NIMBY claims. Up until now NIMBY's have had their way because they can use fear to stoke their claims, and Hamilton hasn't seen any urban development in 40 years, so it's easy to sell fear.
Once the average joe citizen sees how incredible King William becomes with this range of designs from 6-30 storeys, it will make it MUCH easier to urge city hall to ignore NIMBY's and encourage a repeat of the King William scale all across the core.

ScreamingViking · #**145** Posted **Jul 8, 2018, 5:53 PM**

Given the height reduction, it will be interesting to see how the design changes. I can't imagine they'll simply lop off the original 10-storeys from the top... perhaps the podium will end up being taller with additional units to make up the difference? Or sloped upward toward the tower?

I thought the upper portion of the tower was a little odd looking the way it was stepped, especially the "hat" at the top. I would be happy if that got changed.

The original renders (Source):

lachlanholmes · #**146** Posted **Jul 8, 2018, 7:22 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

Given the height reduction, it will be interesting to see how the design changes. I can't imagine they'll simply lop off the original 10-storeys from the top... perhaps the podium will end up being taller with additional units to make up the difference? Or sloped upward toward the tower?

I thought the upper portion of the tower was a little odd looking the way it was stepped, especially the "hat" at the top. I would be happy if that got changed.

The original renders (Source):

I agree... I would've preferred if it was the same size floor plan on all floors personally.

Sehnsucht · #**147** Posted **Jul 9, 2018, 4:44 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by LRTfan

If we get great design on the Kresge towers on King William it should provide the perfect example of what I think we're all agreeing on.... we'll end up with two 30-storey towers there along with the incredible mid-rise development already built on King William and the 21 storey William Thomas. I promise all the neighbourhood association NIMBY's: the neighbourhood isn't going to become a desolate ghetto because 30 storey buildings are added to the mix...in fact, look for more restaurants, bars, cafes, patios and street life. Throw in the new park at John/King William and this few block stretch of downtown will provide a great argument we can use to counter NIMBY claims. Up until now NIMBY's have had their way because they can use fear to stoke their claims, and Hamilton hasn't seen any urban development in 40 years, so it's easy to sell fear.
Once the average joe citizen sees how incredible King William becomes with this range of designs from 6-30 storeys, it will make it MUCH easier to urge city hall to ignore NIMBY's and encourage a repeat of the King William scale all across the core.

I'm in total agreement with this and cannot wait until the Kresge towers go up!

Chronamut · #**148** Posted **Jul 16, 2018, 5:06 AM**

it would be cool if each stepped part was a giant swimming pool - imagine the views!

LRTfan · #**149** Posted **Sep 1, 2018, 1:34 AM**

Agenda is online for Tuesday's planning meeting and staff are recommending approval for this project at 97metres - 30 stories.

LRTfan · #**150** Posted **Sep 1, 2018, 12:22 PM**

the podium has been increased to 6 floors here....woonerf shared street is proposed for Rebecca. The LED screen has been eliminated.
Same design, but more stubby due to losing 10 floors.

thmx · #**151** Posted **Sep 3, 2018, 7:00 PM**

source

Hawrylyshyn · #**152** Posted **Sep 3, 2018, 8:33 PM**

Another building ruined by this ridiculous height limit. Looks way too stumpy now

StEC · #**153** Posted **Sep 3, 2018, 10:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hawrylyshyn

Another building ruined by this ridiculous height limit. Looks way too stumpy now

100% agree!

HamiltonBoyInToronto · #**154** Posted **Sep 4, 2018, 8:39 AM**

And honestly...who is the new height benefitting ?? Did the 10 extra floors ruin the view of the "Hill" for all the masses living in this area ??? Things are beginning to feel like the twilight zone in Hamilton.... I am in Turkey at the moment and you wouldn't believe the architecture that is popping up all over the country here ... And in North America (Hamilton) we are surpressing design and development for the sake of a "mountain view" ....give me a break

drpgq · #**155** Posted **Sep 4, 2018, 10:41 AM**

In some ways, this is the worst project to bring down from 40 to 30 as there's basically nothing right around it. Parking lot/future park on one side, giant parking lot to the West, parking to the North. Rents are crazy right now in the city so chopping off 10 stories of supply makes no sense, but I guess Thorne and Robichaud's aesthetic skyline preferences are satisfied.

LRTfan · #**156** Posted **Sep 4, 2018, 2:17 PM**

I'm not sure how to do this (other than sending emails to company websites) but it would be nice to get word out to developers about the REAL height of the escarpment.
In one of these threads, someone posted a graphic the city has been using showing the escarpment height relative to our existing buildings. It's so inaccurate it's not even funny.
I've said for years that the Olympia tower roof is not taller than the escarpment. I've gone to the parking lot at Sam Lawrence Park, and the empty lot 3 houses west of the park and zoomed in with a zoom camera lens and you can look down on the top balcony that wraps around the mechanical penthouse.

Go online and find ANY topographic map program and you'll see that the elevation of Charlton/Walnut compared to the elevation of the Sam Lawrence parking lot (or the first house next to it on Belivdere whose backyard literally hangs at the edge of the TOP of the escarpment) is around 99-100 metres in difference. That building is 98 metres according to Emporis.

This project at 71 Rebecca could have been built at around 105 metres using a proper escarpment height measurement. Instead they are going with the city's fake number (I believe it's intentionally low, not an error) and are building at 97 metres.

This project is definitely going to suffer the most in terms of it's design thx to the height restrictions. Such a shame. And literally nobody benefits. In fact, losing 10 floors of HOUSING in the city means we all lose.

LRTfan · #**157** Posted **Sep 4, 2018, 3:32 PM**

a friend recently informed me that Google Earth appears to be the most accurate program for seeing elevations. I've worked on it, and it appears to be true. It reads everything. A house with register as a higher elevation than the backyard. Makes it very easy to get elevations at street level for properties in question. Google Earth confirms that the Olympia tower is not taller than the escarpment.

lachlanholmes · #**158** Posted **Sep 4, 2018, 6:30 PM**

They updated the design. Bland, ugly, and short.

SteelTown · #**159** Posted **Sep 4, 2018, 6:44 PM**

I wonder why the podium is so massive, parking? If the podium was half the size the overall look wouldn't look stumpy.

lachlanholmes · #**160** Posted **Sep 4, 2018, 6:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteelTown

I wonder why the podium is so massive, parking? If the podium was half the size the overall look wouldn't look stumpy.

AFAIK they moved the residential units from those 10 storeys removed into the upper floors of the podium. Not 100% sure on that though, so don't quote me.