Canadian City Proposals

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by O-tacular

Oh ha ha! I guess I missed that. Those buildings look straight out of Quebec city. Same with the addition. The compliment still stands. Anglo Canada could learn a thing or two about heritage retention with new development from this.

On a much larger scale Calgary’s horrid proposal to level the last remaining heritage block downtown for a 3 tower megaplex sounds like it’s in trouble due to the office tenant (Suncor) going through an investor shakeup and the CEO resigning.

This proposal is awesome. However, it's a lowrise cultural project which is not realistic for a mixed use project in a downtown which will have to be much larger. Montreal is with the rest of Anglo Canada when it comes to incorporating heritage into larger projects.

[WhipperSnapper]

Originally Posted by suburbanite

Reminds me of Melbourne, and not in a good way.

I had that thought too. How we got here ... Teeple's deconstructionism on a strained budget ... would be different in Australia.

May supplant Edmonton's library as Teeple's worst contribution.

[Rico Rommheim]

Originally Posted by JHikka

Proposed at 75-storeys, the mixed-use 399 Yonge would contain a total of 828 units, along with retail and service commercial space at-grade, within a four-storey base building. The development would consist of of 53,602m² of residential gross floor area (GFA) which would result in a Floor Space Index (FSI) of 51.6 on the lot.[/I]




[/IMG]


https://urbantoronto.ca/news/2022/07/cap...oposes-75-storey-tower-yonge-and-gerrard

Oh wow. Awful.

Awful awful.

[TorontoDrew]

What a mess. It dies look very preliminary however so I'm not going to think to much about the design here. This is clearly just a massing study.

[WhipperSnapper]

I missed this the first time ... 51.6 FAR .... ROTFLMAO . That's 51 storeys at 100% lot coverage.

[Martin Mtl]

Massing studies in Toronto is almost like spams.

[WhipperSnapper]

It's a zoning exercise and it's the best time to go for 51.6 FSI with the Ford Government handing out a record number of zoning approvals with little consideration given to local planning. Building this in the next 20 years matters less as zoning approval adds the most bang for the buck. This is owned by a real estate growth fund. However, a future owner can always decide to build something within the approved bylaw.

[Maldive]

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

What a mess. It dies look very preliminary however so I'm not going to think to much about the design here. This is clearly just a massing study.

If it's a massing study, it's a pretty detailed one as it included images of everything in the material palette: types of vision glass, the 'Lily' and 'Regina' golds to be used on the metal panels (no spandrel glass)... and a dark bronze iwhich is used on top rails of balcony guards, mullions and louvres.

I agree the renderings are suprisingly crappy for a Teeple design, but if this turns out be a real proposal.... the colours and materials chosen sound pretty great.

Maybe even one of those rare occasions where the completed tower is far more attractive than any renderings.

Of course we know how Madison destroyed - V-E'd Teeple's great design for Nobu... but Capital Developments is the proponent here (and they are behind some great proposals like 8 Elm etc.).

[vanman]

800 Granville is proceeding to the next step of rezoning against city staff recommendations.

This is a mixed-use office, retail, restaurant, and entertainment redevelopment of almost the entire block on the east side of Granville Street between Robson and Smithe streets in the Granville Entertainment District (GED).

“We are passionate about the city’s history and its future, and being involved in many heritage revitalization projects underscore this dedication,” Kerry Bonnis of Bonnis Properties told City Council during the meeting.

“We’re invested in the success of the street to the largest extent possible. We’re first-hand witnesses of the changing dynamics taking place on Granville everyday… Granville Street has been declining and badly needs an injection of energy. ”

Ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, City staff outlined their reasons against the proposal, including building height and the shadowing of Granville Street’s sidewalks. They believe reducing the sunshine on the street will lead to fewer pedestrians and a detrimental impact on the street’s vibrancy. City staff also directly dismissed the notion that the new significant office space and large-scale retail uses will help revitalize the entertainment district.

Kent MacDougall, the City urban planner who oversaw this application, also addressed City Council. He suggested the proposal does not do enough heritage conservation.

Nolan Marshall III, the president and CEO of the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association (DVBIA), informed City Council that Granville Street’s storefront vacancy rate is double the rest of the city centre, and 25% of the storefronts are currently inactive. He says the GED is now “approaching a tipping point” if no meaningful action is quickly taken.

“If Granville Street is to continue to be an attraction, the street has to evolve during the daytime to be a sustainable destination for visitors and businesses alike,” said Marshall.

“For the past decade, a lack of new investment has resulted in stagnation, and as a result businesses are suffering, property crime and street disorder are unchecked, and the perceptions of the area are increasingly negative.”

The project’s economic analysis shows $23 million in annual economic spinoffs for the immediate area’s retail and dining businesses just from the building’s 4,000 office workers, which will generate about 11,000 additional pedestrian movements daily. This is in addition to the thousands of daily visitors to the building’s major retail, restaurants, and entertainment venues. All of this added foot traffic will also serve to enhance street vibrancy and safety

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/800-gran...rict-proposal-vancouver-rezoning-process

[WhipperSnapper]

We haven't seen much on terrible facadectomies in Vancity.

I find this garbage no matter how may thrills like curves and LED displays they tack onto it. I don't like any building forms that look like cruise ships

[giallo]

I like the corner treatment, but yeah, it's so bulky. If they could break up the heft a bit, it'd be more appealing.
That section of Granville St. desperately needs a shot in the arm. It's getting pretty rundown and DTES-ish west of Robson. A project like this could help.

[giallo]

Thanks to Changing City in the Vancouver section for posting this:

Originally Posted by Changing City

Another Port Moody project. Preliminary rezoning for 2115-2131 St. Johns Street. Two 12-storey mixed-use buildings (one residential and one office building, each with commercial uses, and including 80 condo units, 36 seniors units with 50% as affordable rental; 89,500 SF of strata office space and 21,600 SF of retail space and a daycare. 6.3 FSR. Local architects, and the project includes a Heritage Revitalization Agreement to retain the Martha Johnston Residence and convert it into a medical office.





More details: Vancouver Market blog

[itom 987]

^^ I think Vancouver is doing it right. Keeping the existing buildings help break up the building above on the street level. If any developer was going to do a long commieblock style apartment, this would be the way to go.

[GeneralLea]

I don't mind that Port Moody project, it's refreshing to see something not faux-historic.

While 800 Granville looks better than before, it's not a very substantial improvement. It's a hulking, banal blob behind historic facades that are cut off to the point where they look like movie sets. At the very least, this could use some more integration with the facades fronting Granville, and some design improvements in general rather than a sweeping facade of glass above the street.

I don't mind seeign this site intensified, but I think it's interesting that city council wants to see more projects along Granville to improve the BIA rather than tackling the less politically-popular issues.

[TorontoDrew]

That Vancouver building is just wrong. I forgot all about it. While the design itself is handsome, it's way out of scale for Vancouver. From the up high render it looks nice but from the street renders it looks like a sterile glass office building. I hope it fails. It's going to ruin that stretch of road.

[WhipperSnapper]

https://vancouver.skyrisecities.com/database/projects/33-west-cordova

I'm not a fan of the wallpaper facades posted above but, it blow that garbage out of the water. It's pretty good as far as wallpaper facades go.

[itom 987]

A serious concern I have is if the CRUs are going to fit within the original building footprints or not, and whether they will be pedestrian friendly.

[MonkeyRonin]

Originally Posted by giallo

That section of Granville St. desperately needs a shot in the arm. It's getting pretty rundown and DTES-ish west of Robson. A project like this could help.

That's a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Whatever problems Granville is currently experiencing have nothing to do with the current building stock or built form.

[WhipperSnapper]

How did I miss the old "needs a shot in the arm" idiom in reference to the DTES? It earns a 4 star smile.

[giallo]

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

That's a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Whatever problems Granville is currently experiencing have nothing to do with the current building stock or built form.

The problem is that nothing has really pulled people into the area in the daytime since all of the movie theatres closed. It's a cheesy club district at night, and a sketchy open-aired flop house during the day. Some businesses have invested in the area over the years, but most seem to pack in it due to a lack of paying customers. Again, I'm not a fan of the massing of this project, but getting more people into the area (office workers) would definitely help retailers and the street's overall vibe.

Originally Posted by whippersnapper

how did i miss the old "needs a shot in the arm" idiom in reference to the dtes? It earns a 4 star smile.