khristopher said:
Yup it's 3620. I would love to see retail along Hurontario in front of these buildings. Well I should say in back of them, as the main entrances are on Kaneff Cres.
Something like Hullmark Centre would look awesome at the corner of Hurontario & Burnhamthorpe. A large fountain in the middle with a big plaza, and some large screens with advertising.
Yes. There is sooo much unused space there it's not funny. Thing is - it would probably need to look like part of the Kaneff property or it might look terrbly out of place. Something contrasting could work if done right, but even white brick/concrete w/ glass can look good if the design is right.
How would it work for the existing condo owners, as this would displace their parking and outdoor common areas. I guess there would be meetings and votes and they would all get some sort of credit, or condo fee reduction? Those on lower floors with very green views would lose that entirely and be barricaded behind whatever is built... maybe they buy those out and sacrifice a few units to be replaced with improved amenities, or connecting concourses to the new developments? The parking structures would probably need to be ripped down and re-build from scratch, as part of the new buildings... what a mess.
FutureMayor said:
I had an informal meeting Friday with a senior member of the project team for Downtown 21 and I believe once the official plan is released to the public you will all be blown away by what is being proposed.
First off, two of the GTA’s major residential and commerical developers are involved, in addition to a new Dubai based development company are all at the table. Together with the city intense planning is taking place on a coordinated development over 5 major properties in the identified new Mainstreet Neighbourhood. I suspect a new public-private Downtown Mississauga Development Corporation will be launched to quickly guide the project along quickly.
It's nice to know that good sized companies see this as worthwhile. My worry is that "developers" like to put their fingerprint on things and make it look like a "development", which itself would be a failure in my eyes. It should look as little like a planned development as possible, once complete. Anyone can do an Irvine Center or Markham "Downtown" - they're all lame in terms of feel and character.
FutureMayor said:
The most exciting proposal for the new district is this policy of banning any retail chains from locating along the new mainstreet. An innovate new program will be designed to attract and support a series of diverse, locally owned businesses, with a strong focus on ethnic resturaunts to open in the new district.
While this sounds mostly good, it would be completely appropriate if there was a Starbucks or Whole Foods or even a walk-in McDonalds. Most "downtown" areas have them. if all you have is quaint onesie-twosie local stores, you won't get the traffic to make this a success. If bigger name retailers want to put in a more boutique or flagship store, those anchors are important.
Other stores/restaurants I think make sense: (* smaller local)
Bark & Fitz *
Hollywood Gelato / La Paloma *
Fire Pit *
Cheesecake Factory
Starbucks / Tims / Lettieri
Burrito Boyz *
Roots
Cora's
Some local design & decor makes sense, a salon or two, definitely a Pho restaurant and probably sushi, shoe store(s), etc...
FutureMayor said:
Finally, I can also confirm that a new grocery store will anchor one of the phases of the project.
This is good news, but I hope it's not simply a pad site away from the rest, separated by parking. Whole Foods would be awesome, though a Longo's or Sobey's is more likely - hopefully it's more like the downtown stores with storefront at the sidewalk, U/G parking and such. The Sobey's at Empress Walk in NYCC is a good example of what I mean.
They've only got one shot at this, so I really hope they don't let the developers run amok with some cheese like Markham.
