New St Lawrence Library (City of Toronto, ?s, ?)

[HousingNowTO]

The comparison is inexact, but lets work with it...........the floor plate size proposed at 931 is 650m2.

The floor plate your volunteers have proposed above is 800m2.

I'm going to suggest that casting a large shadow on Market St. and the St. Lawrence Market patios, in the late morning, through early afternoon is not ideal; and that with an 800m2 floor plate you're not getting there.

I'm going to suggest that "casting a large shadow" via a larger floorplate is a valid choice that the City should be considering if our Mayoral & Council's civic-priority is creating 65,000 new rent-controlled apartments by 2030...

Toronto vows to build 65,000 rent-controlled homes in bid to combat housing crisis

Toronto City Council has endorsed an ambitious new affordable housing plan that will set out to build 65,000 rent-controlled homes by 2030— but still lacks billions of dollars in funding.

toronto.ctvnews.ca

 

[evandyk]

I think we should put a five year moratorium on all use of the word "shadow" when talking about building housing. Casting shadows is probably less "not ideal" than two bedroom apartments costing a million dollars.

 

[Northern Light]

I think we should put a five year moratorium on all use of the word "shadow" when talking about building housing.

I think you should have no say in anything to do with planning, because it would create an entirely unlivable city I would hate.

 

[evandyk]

I'm not totally convinced that this particular location will be the best use of the city's dollars and land to build housing, but a shadow shouldn't be part of the consideration.

 

[evandyk]

I think you should have no say in anything to do with planning, because it would create an entirely unlivable city I would hate.

I think if we tried it for five years, you might find that it actually has very little if any impact on virtually anybody's quality of life.

 

[jje1000]

For the record, our HNTO volunteers massed this 125 ESPLANDE site 3-storey Library w/ 27-storeys of housing above in April 2022.

It was early work based on the HOUSING NOW funding models at that time. It would likely need to be a little taller now.

There is 100% a smart (and one-time) opportunity to put hundreds of new units of rental housing above the Library site, but it will only happen if the Mayor's office is willing to exert some pressure on the Library Board, City Planning, CreateTO - and the local Councillor / Deputy-Mayor.
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My opinion- the argument would be stronger if you developed some rough floorplans and tower floorplates showing how a housing and library programme can co-exist on this site.

Massing is just massing (not a real building), and it doesn't show how the interiors will be arranged (i.e. will residential requirements compromise the library layouts), which is one of the sticking points at least for me IMO.

Also, does this scheme also propose the pedestrianization of Wilton Street south of the Esplanade?

I think you should have no say in anything to do with planning, because it would create an entirely unlivable city I would hate.

My same opinion when certain individuals propose full-sail high-rise redevelopment of the Annex and other Old Toronto neighbourhoods under the guise of YIMBYism (because they "have so many services and connectivity already!").