Mountain Secondary site | ? | 8 fl | Planning

[davidcappi]

It definitely seems like about 90% of Toronto's elevators are working just fine - no big issues, but 10% of them have severe service issues resulting in a lot of press coverage. This gives the public the impression that every building with an elevator has issues which simply isn't true. Obviously capacity limits due to covid have exasperated these problems but most buildings don't really have major problems with their elevators.

We looked at a unit at Grammercy Park earlier this year that was on the ground floor - definitely was nice but I didn't love sharing the hallway with all of the amenities (had a nice patio space that faced the courtyard though)

[TheRitsman]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

Just a note - but most standard suburban backyards these days are about 25x32 feet. Suburban house lots are smaller than many inner city lots - the old myths of low density sprawl are very much not a thing any more, and Hamilton's vote to end new growth areas will make backyards out of reach for a far larger part of the population in a few decades. Most units in new suburban areas are already townhouses as well, which if they even have yards instead of a rooftop terrace or something, are even smaller, often in the 20x20ft range.

The kinds of densities planners were planning for the new growth areas recommended for Hamilton (and will likely still get through the province over-ruling the municipality) were similar to that of North Oakville - tiny little house lots with lots of townhouses and apartments along main streets. You can see this typical suburban density here, where there is a semi-unit with a roughly 20x25ft rear yard and minimal front yard, or here where there is a detached unit again with a 25x32ft rear yard and minimal front yard.


New houses built recently in Hamilton had to meet lower density targets (50 people / hectare vs. 80 people / hectare) and are a bit larger, but still not extravagant. This new home in Waterdown has a 24x35ft rear yard and only a small front yard.

The age of 60x80ft rear yards and massive front yards is long gone. New construction subdivisions usually have 32x100ft lots and a lot more townhouses than historically.

I mean it's definitely not a puny backyard. Our old rental had a 20 ft long by 15 ft, which was honestly fine for us. You have to remember that our new house is huge compared to the lot. The house has a 18ft frontage and is 50ft long. Meaning the backyard being 30ft by ~20ft only takes up about 35% of the lot. Considering this is a semi-detached 2700sqft house (including finished basement) it's a moderate size backyard for that size of house in the lower city.

I'd be perfectly fine with a smaller backyard though. I think 20ft by 20ft would be perfect. I don't think someone needs more space than that if you live in a good urban area with parks, events, bars, restaurants, cafés, schools, and transit. That should be the max.

[ScreamingViking]

We live in an older part of the city. Lots are narrow but long (ours is about 25' by 130') with homes situated about 15-20' from the sidewalk. Most house parking is off of alleyways between the residential streets, and many homes have no parking lot in the front (those that do tend to only have space for one vehicle; a few were widened at the expense of landscaping). There are narrow walkways between most homes to access their side doors (if they have one) and backyards. Our yard is fairly large by comparison to the ones noted above: 25' by about 45', and would be longer if we didn't have a detached garage off the alley. Many original homes (including ours) had additions built onto the back, which probably cut 15-20' off the yard length, but in some cases the additions were quite long so the lots ended up with yards of about 15' x 25'

This is considered "dense" and likely typical of most lower-city neighbourhoods unless you're in what was (and probably still is) a very wealthy one, but really the new stuff described above is a lot denser.

I could see many of the alley garages around here being converted to small homes some day, though you'd have to add a level to most of them for enough living space.

[johnnyhamont]

From https://www.facebook.com/KiwanisHome...7807797371928/

[Hawrylyshyn]

"decrease in number of units and density"... that's pathetic. Affordable is needed more now than ever.

[ScreamingViking]

If there's been a decrease in the paved surface it must be miniscule. That actually looks like more of it to me; biggest change is that the "ring road" on one side runs through a parking lot, not beside one.

The central greenspace seemed like it would have been a nice feature. But if there's need for sports amenities like a basketball court and whatever else those are in the new plan then that's good too. Will the broader community use them though.

[matt602]

So basically a massive decrease in the efficient land use. Typical for Hamilton.

[Innsertnamehere]

https://pub-hamilton.escribemeetings...umentId=344842

Updated plans available.

[johnnyhamont]

Render for the six-storey buildings I have not seen before from the architect: