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Heintzman Place (formerly Village By High Park, Junction, Options, 23s, Burka)

other news, apparently the architect for the building is Burka Varacalli Architects Inc., the same people who won the Pug Award last year for Toronto's ugliest residential building, the BeBloor at Bloor and Lansdowne. Beautiful.
Click to expand...

Burka Varcalli is one of the busiest firms in the city. They hopefully won't be winning awards for architectural merit but not all their projects aren't as aesthetically bad as BeBloor. (They own Bloor/Yonge with One Bloor, CrystalBlu, and Uptown)

Options for Homes architecture from an aestetic point of view has been progressively becoming blander from the first few Distillery co-operatives however with the involvement of Tridel's subsidiaries, the quality (for the price) and management is top notch. AFAIK, They were able to switch over to building condos a few years ago when new sources of financing became available as co-operatives usually self-finance through the sales of the "shares" (whatever they're called)
 
I found this photo of the original plan for the site before Options bought it. This is the drawing that Nexxt Corp created, but was shot down by local residents. For those who have seen the full Options rendering, it's quite similar, but with a lot less glass, and the two buildings on the right are connected as phase 1.

nexxtcorpdesign.jpg
 
rh-7 said:
I found this photo of the original plan for the site before Options bought it. This is the drawing that Nexxt Corp created, but was shot down by local residents. For those who have seen the full Options rendering, it's quite similar, but with a lot less glass, and the two buildings on the right are connected as phase 1.

nexxtcorpdesign.jpg
Click to expand...

ya i remember reading somewhere that the local residents complained about how modern or how much glass was used in the appearance of the original proposal...it really would stick out as a sore thumb. in terms of the earlier options renderings (and i think this was discussed earlier in the thread) i like that better than the revamped...i just want it to look old but classy, not like just some box. but whatever, i care more about what the inside of my place will look like as opposed to the outside! now if they'd just get on with the demolishing already!
 
can someone bump this thread up when they know external demolition is going down? thanks
 
I take it then from the lack of replies that no one knows who the southern neighbour will be. Will it be the gas station, or that regrettable two storey block with the parking in front?
 
Junctionist,

I'm not positive about this, but I haven't heard that they plan to tear down the gas station, and I'm not sure what parking your talking about...Not the ugly lot on the West side of Keele, right?
 
That Gas Bar

junction_parents said:
not yet... :confused:
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The way that gas station was explained to me is this:

The company that bought the land before Options for Homes signed an agreement allowing the gas bar to remain on the land for a 5 year lease.

When Options for Homes bought the land from the other company, one of the conditions of the purchase was that they honour that lease agreement with the gas bar. Currently there is something like 4 years left on the lease.

I was told that Options for Homes has no plans to renew the gas bar lease after the 5 year term is up, and that if they can get the city to agree to it, they plan to build a small block of townhouses.

Hope that clears it up!
 
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Thanks, tamuka3. Now we finally know the fate of the gas station. Townhouses still seem inappropriate because of the site's proximity to Dundas, and especially because Keele is a major street.
 
junctionist said:
Thanks, tamuka3. Now we finally know the fate of the gas station. Townhouses still seem inappropriate because of the site's proximity to Dundas, and especially because Keele is a major street.
Click to expand...

It does seem like a less than ideal place for townhouses, being right on a busy street and all, but it does happen. Those ones right on the north side of Bloor Street accross from High Park are literally about 8 feet from Bloor Street, and have no back yards. I saw one of those in the MLS recently for close to a half million dollars.

Granted, having High Park across from your front door is nicer than having Public Storage... hahaha. :)
 
25 June 2008 photo update

Looks like construction is beginning--excavator is chewing up the old (urban?) Canadian Tire site. I walked by on my way to the fugly new big box Canadian Tire just north of here, and really wasn't impressed. It's a noisy, gritty intersection with railroad tracks, homeless bums lying around across the street, auto garages, and generally, grim grim grim! Also, I don't think a highrise ugly building is appropriate here; maybe a few Stewart Street-style 10 story loft buildings instead?

DSC07258.jpg




Across the street from the future condo:
DSC07261.jpg


But surely the new "yuppies" here will plant flowers or something to get rid of the dumping ground for bums?
 
urbandreamer said:
It's a noisy, gritty intersection with railroad tracks, homeless bums lying around across the street, auto garages, and generally, grim grim grim!
Click to expand...
The location isn't without drawbacks, but you're dwelling on its worst aspects. When I was choosing a unit, Options for Homes sent me some photos taken at the site from a cherry picker (at a height equivalent to either the 6th or 8th floor):

North


North-West


South


South-East


East
 
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