Rail Deck Park (?, ?, ?)

[T.E.C.II]

Grand Trunk Common. .

Grand Funk Rail Deck.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

A couple suggestions for names: Garrison Common or Grand Trunk Common. The former having a relation to both Fort York and the buried creek, and the latter named after the original owners of the railroad that's being decked over.

In general, I think that this will function a lot like Boston Common. Also, having the suffix "park" attached to almost every open space gets tiring after a while. Switch it up a bit.

Garrison Common(s) already exist:

http://www.fortyorkfoundation.ca/garrison-commons/

AoD

 

[Translude15]

Honestly I think the Oxford stretch is more critical in the short run given how badly the area is knitted together.

AoD

Indeed. The whole area of the Dome-CN-Ripley's becomes a hot mess with large crowds. An improved northern connection to Front will help disperse crowds in the future.

Assuming GO RER considerations/electrification is solved rather quickly, I think that's the Rail Deck priority area, too.

Seeing it extend all the way from east edge of MTCC all the way to Bathurst would be a 1.4 kilometer rail deck project, though. Almost three CN tower heights long. That's one mondoo expensive rail deck!

Perhaps Metrolinx may consider a Millenium Park-like RER station underneath the rail deck at Spadina. Would be an absolute boon for Jays fans coming in on the GO from all directions.

 

[mrgrieves]

We already have a Christie Pits, so let's call this one just The Pits or The Downtown Pits. It will speak to the heritage of the site

 

[steveintoronto]

Exactly, which is why I tend not to consider the Spit and the Ravines as "parks" but more natural space. The raildeck is on the other hand as artificial a space as it will ever be - both in the way it is built and the context.

AoD

And Nature agrees completely too. It's a bit astounding as to how *virile* the Spit has become. Humans tend to destroy large swaths of habitat, but can create them too.

 

[steveintoronto]

Seeing it extend all the way from east edge of MTCC all the way to Bathurst would be a 1.4 kilometer rail deck project, though. Almost three CN tower heights long. That's one mondoo expensive rail deck!

I think the mistake being made on this is that the public purse will pay for it, or adjacent land-owners will out of the goodness of their hearts. *Some* densification must happen to permit the use of imposed (Section 37, for one) conditions on that densification on the deck, and that would be public space, much of it park. That's very valuable land down there, surely a suitable trade-off to satisfy all can be found? Perhaps CN could take the lead on development (Montreal ring a bell?) and acquire Metrolinx' air rights in the bargain, and then put a development proposal to City Hall? A consortium of all affected might be the most sensible approach.

Related, Oxford announce $2B full capitalization of 35 Hudson Yards

• By REW
• • August 3, 2016

Related Companies and Oxford Properties Group today announced the $2 billion full capitalization of 35 Hudson Yards, the 1.1 million square foot tower on the corner of 33rd Street and 11th Avenue set to open in 2019.

The tower’s full capitalization includes $1.2 billion in debt financing led by the Children’s Investment Fund (TCI). Thirty-Five Hudson Yards will contain an Equinox® branded luxury hotel, office, residential and retail uses.

“This capitalization further underscores the appeal of Hudson Yards with both global capital and global companies,” said Stephen M. Ross, Chairman and Founder of Related Companies. “This marquee mixed-use tower will be the tallest residential building in Hudson Yards and will offer residents unrivaled access to the best New York has to offer: culture, fashion, fitness, dining and grand open spaces. It is sure to set a new standard for New York living.”

Blake Hutcheson, CEO of Oxford Properties Group, said: “A clear vision is at the heart of Hudson Yards’ success. We are grateful that this clear vision has become a shared vision – shared between Oxford and Related, and world leading master planners, architects, suppliers, legal and other professional service providers, tenants, and as we celebrate today, financial partners. We are excited to turn this vision into a reality unlike anything ever seen before.” [...]

http://rew-online.com/2016/08/03/capitalization-35-hudson-yards-oxford-related/

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

And Nature agrees completely too. It's a bit astounding as to how *virile* the Spit has become. Humans tend to destroy large swaths of habitat, but can create them too.

It's ecological succession in action.

AoD

 

[TransitBart]

Like the David Miller Park

I hope not. I think that we should resist naming things after people who are still living. June Rowlands and Jack Layton, OK. Barbara Hall and Dan Leckie. No. Miller, no. Crombie, Eggleton, Godfrey, Lastman, no.

 

[TransitBart]

These silly comparisons like to pretend that size is everything. But Central Park is far more interesting to visit than what is basically a garbage dump with some overgrown vegetation that happens to survive somehow. New York has nothing to be jealous about here.

And yet inaccessible by transit.

I think it would be much more interesting with 60 to 80 story condo towers located along it. Selling off the land would be a decent revenue source for transit.

I bike there all the time. I agree with salsa. It's weedy and unspectacular. My kind of park is more manicured. I think the views north to the city and south towards Rochester would be spectacular. One could live there and work in the East Bayfront on Villiers Island for example.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

I hope not. I think that we should resist naming things after people who are still living. June Rowlands and Jack Layton, OK. Barbara Hall and Dan Leckie. No. Miller, no. Crombie, Eggleton, Godfrey, Lastman, no.

Jane Jacobs Park? Though she probably won't like a megastructure named after her.

AoD

 

[CapitalSeven]

John Tory Park. He (and most of us) will be long dead when it's finally finished.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

John Tory Park. He (and most of us) will be long dead when it's finally finished.

Nah, save smarttrak (tm) for him, or Gardiner East.

AoD

 

[MisterF]

Not really. If you go by travel time from the central employment area (lower Manhattan and financial district) via the predominant transportation mode at the time it was established (walking and car).

Still, that doesn't change the fact that Rouge Park is 4 times the distance to downtown compared to Central Park. That same distance from downtown New York will take you not only off of Manhattan, but out of the city altogether. We're talking Gatsby country.

 

[crs1026]

Gord Downie Park. Only the trainshed is sinking.

- Paul

 

[P23]

To be honest I think the spit (and ravines) is one thing we have that New York doesn't. In fact I can't think of many major cities that have such large naturalized areas so close to downtown. Something to be proud of, maybe?