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Ont Gov't building at 880 Bay, at Grosvenor St (ORC, 44s?, WZMH)

I suppose if this was the Urban Edmonton forum or Urban Wichita forum, I'd be ecstatic about the design of this building, but this is the Urban Toronto forum and all I see is a corporate-looking, book-shaped slab fading into the dullness of upper Bay street.
 
Hipster Duck said:
I suppose if this was the Urban Edmonton forum or Urban Wichita forum, I'd be ecstatic about the design of this building, but this is the Urban Toronto forum and all I see is a corporate-looking, book-shaped slab fading into the dullness of upper Bay street.
Click to expand...

Completely agree. Just another dull tower in a sea of dullness. I didn't realize those initial images were only conceptual... was looking forward to that.
 
From DCN today
http://www.dailycommercialnews.com/...27a23f0be39c&projectid=9145816&region=ontario

GOVERNMENT OFFICE TOWER
Proj: 9145816-1
Toronto, Metro Toronto Reg ON
PREPARING PLANS...880 Bay St, M5S 3K6
$134,000,000 est
Note: Official Plan Amendment, rezoning, and Site Plan approvals are all in place. Time frame for working drawings and construction is not known at this time. Further update in early Spring 2012.
Project: proposed construction of provincial government building. This project will include a 10-metre high mechanical penthouse as well as three levels of underground parking containing 450 spaces.
Scope: 867,807 square feet; 45 storeys; 3 storeys below grade; parking for 450 cars; 2 acres
Development: New
Category: Government offices
 
Burton Hall, the Women's College Hospital building on north side of Grosvenor Street is being emptied out the main occupants, Family Practice, moved a few weeks ago. This building (a former nurses' residence) was bought by the Provincial government and is directly west of 880 Bay.
 
What do you expect? A developer could propose to build an exact copy of the Taj Mahal in Toronto, and people here would complain that it's been done before.
 
Note: Official Plan Amendment, rezoning, and Site Plan approvals are all in place. Time frame for working drawings and construction is not known at this time. Further update in early Spring 2012.

We should keep that last sentence in mind. Doesn't mean they're going ahead with it, and not likely in this economic/political climate. The OPA, rezoning and Site Plan approvals were in place before the government killed this project. And again, let's remember the source - Commercial Daily News which according to previous posts on this site, isn't the most reliable.
 
Northern Magus said:
Northern actually.
Click to expand...

Not that the Northern European states are doing much better, but I have a feeling you're trying to imply we are in good shape...

Ontario debt: $244.7 billion Issued (as of June 30, 2011 from: http://www.ofina.on.ca/borrowing_debt/debt.htm ) which is ***$18,298.06*** capita (13,373,000 people from: http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/demo02a-eng.htm). Per taxpayer it's much much worse.

This is simply just an instance of McGuinty rewarding his downtown Toronto (where I live), vote-liberal-no-matter-what constituency. This building isn't necessary. As much as I love skyscrapers and would love to see more in this city, we have a tonne going up already and would be glad to see this one cancelled or put way into the future. Instead of paying billions on interest payments every year we could be putting that money in to much more important things like education and healthcare.
 
Xray_Crystal_Junkie said:
Not that the Northern European states are doing much better, but I have a feeling you're trying to imply we are in good shape...

Ontario debt: $244.7 billion Issued (as of June 30, 2011 from: http://www.ofina.on.ca/borrowing_debt/debt.htm ) which is ***$18,298.06*** capita (13,373,000 people from: http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/demo02a-eng.htm). Per taxpayer it's much much worse.

This is simply just an instance of McGuinty rewarding his downtown Toronto (where I live), vote-liberal-no-matter-what constituency. This building isn't necessary. As much as I love skyscrapers and would love to see more in this city, we have a tonne going up already and would be glad to see this one cancelled or put way into the future. Instead of paying billions on interest payments every year we could be putting that money in to much more important things like education and healthcare.
Click to expand...

Um I really don't think McGuinty is directly involved with the approval of this building. It really just looks like they're trying to merge government offices into one location, rather then the sporadic offices across the city they have now.
 
McGuinty and Duncan go through the budget with a fine-tooth comb each year (at least I would hope) when putting it forth to the legislature. I think a brand new 44 story, 100+ million government office building would probably come up. If he didn't have direct knowledge of this and it going forward (if that does happen), that would show a large amount of incompetency. It's half a block from where he works for goodness sake.
 
Mongo said:
What do you expect? A developer could propose to build an exact copy of the Taj Mahal in Toronto, and people here would complain that it's been done before.
Click to expand...

Was this directed towards me? Sorry, maybe I wasn't clear in what I was referring to, I meant the fiscal position of the province. I rather like the design of the building. Would be happy if the design were sold to a developer in town and they built it.
 
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