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299 Queen Street West (Bell Media Studios)

I don't think there's much stopping them from going quite high on the current parking lot and the retail portion. Maybe not enough for everyone at 9 Channel Nine, but potentially. Anyway, they could also consolidate between Queen W and Pinewood as well, and eventually scrap Agincourt.

I also have to wonder if Global in Don Mills will come down to Corus Quay as well, especially with Line 5 putting development pressure in their environs and their staff probably preferring to be in the city anyway.
 
Who pays for cable these days?

I think if folks are prognosticating, they need to ask themselves what they think Canadian TV will be in 2yrs. Consider that prior to CTV buying CHUM, 299 Queen housed over 30 channels, producing countless shows and news broadcasts from CityTV. Production was slashed, allowing them to fold in MTV Canada from the Masonic Temple. Channels were sold, and layoffs have been an ongoing ever since, shrinking staff. So in 2yrs, what’s being made and how much space is needed?
 
cd concept said:
The development looks kinda nice ! Are there more buildings proposed?
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Looks kinda nice? I think you're confused. The photo posted by ProjectEnd isn't this project.
 
kotsy said:
Looks kinda nice? I think you're confused. The photo posted by ProjectEnd isn't this project.
Click to expand...
Gee I better get a thicker pair of glasses lol ! Thanks for the info but at least we have an idea on how that glass facade on top might look on this proposed development for good or bad!
 
The Star now has a piece up on this. Not too much in the way of new info:

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/20...een-st-building-move-studios-temporarily.html (paywalled at time of posting)

We have reaffirmation of the intent to return to the site after some period of development:

“While we will need to move our studios temporarily during any development on the site and in the local vicinity, we look forward to moving back in afterwards,” the company told the Star.

***

A desire to protect at least the facade of the most iconic building: “We decided the time is right to issue (a request for proposal) to explore what we can do from a development perspective, and this RFP will include requirements to protect the historic architecture elements of the building,” said Ellen Murphy, director of communications at Bell Media.

***

And that this is the entire site, not just the one building:

Bell Media gives a timeline of late 2024 or 2025, but said a request has been issued to a few “carefully selected organizations” to see what concepts for development can be dreamt up for their locations at 250 and 260 Richmond Street West, 299, 277 and 275 Queen Street West.
 
We don’t have any by-laws that prevent obscuring views of the CN Tower do we? I think I had heard somewhere about the city preserving one specific skyline view from the island - but even typing that out it sounds unrealistic.
 
Northern Light said:
A couple of thoughts on this:

1) While the above isn't bad, I would certainly prefer to see the most iconic building left untouched. There is ample space in this assembly to achieve that.

2) I'm not so sure on the residential, Allied is building office only a block away; and there is room here for a very large floor plate.

Let me further add, the memo does indicate that Bell Media will be returning to the site at completion:

"temporarily move our studios to another downtown location."

I would imagine, if nothing else, they are a potential tenant for more commercial space, including more purpose-built studio space.

They could (and should) consolidate their suburban studios downtown. That would also free up a very large parcel at the 401 and McCowan for redevelopment, just in time for the SSE.
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If put on the market, res developers can and will outbid commercial every day of the week. Makes things very one sided, especially when we're trying to create a mixed downtown. Only way this will be office is if Bell themselves want to create a huge corporate headquarters - something which is yet to be determined. Bell themselves are extremely unlikely to create a massive studio complex here because...well, those days are over. We just don't do that kind of thing anymore, especially in expensive, urban, environments.

That story is best told by Tom Scott in this absolutely brilliant piece:
 
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jsmith77 said:
Who pays for cable these days?

I think if folks are prognosticating, they need to ask themselves what they think Canadian TV will be in 2yrs. Consider that prior to CTV buying CHUM, 299 Queen housed over 30 channels, producing countless shows and news broadcasts from CityTV. Production was slashed, allowing them to fold in MTV Canada from the Masonic Temple. Channels were sold, and layoffs have been an ongoing ever since, shrinking staff. So in 2yrs, what’s being made and how much space is needed?
Click to expand...
Bell Media is also broadcast (CTV1, CTV2, Noovo, iHeartRadioCanada) and streaming (Crave). Also, about 3/4 of Canadians still subscribe to a BDU.
 
Every time I walk by 299 Queen Street West I expect to see an application notice for 3 x 55s condos to be built on top of the old media palace.

What do you think the odds are that we will see a residential development on the property in the next decade?
 
christiesplits said:
Every time I walk by 299 Queen Street West I expect to see an application notice for 3 x 55s condos to be built on top of the old media palace.

What do you think the odds are that we will see a residential development on the property in the next decade?
Click to expand...
Virtually guaranteed, which is rather unfortunate the way I see things but that's the way things are shaping out. Bell says that they want to have some studio space in whatever redevelopment takes shape on this site once completed, but i'm not holding my breath that's going to happen. It's Bell and they go back on their word basically anytime they get the chance to.

On a side note (and for the life of me I cant remember exactly where I saw this, I believe it may have been in an Bell e-mail footer), there was a reference to Bell Media having an office somewhere on University Ave in Toronto. I found it odd because Bell doesnt have any office presence on University Ave, and a quick Google search confirmed that.

We know that Bell Media is going to "temporarily" relocate their studios, so i'm curious to whether they will move everything over to Channel Nine Court or whether that University Ave address I saw is going to hold any water in the future...
 
Glad there is something planned for this site. The black painted brick and generally ugly ‘back end’ of the buildings was always too prominent on Queen Street. Hope we get a development that fills in the existing holes in the street wall.
 
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