Toronto 1480 Jane | 25.6m | 6s | SmartStop Self Storage | WPT Architecture

The property to the south of this has the most convoluted vehicle access ever.. I dare you to try to figure out how cars get to the site.
 
This is here:
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I'm unsure if there is a thread for the plot of land to the north (1238 Denison Rd E) but I want to express disappointment at how poorly this giant piece of land is being used. It's frankly maddening this is still what we are building in 2021 by TWO rapid transit lines...

For context, It's shockingly flown under many people's radars that 1238 Denison Rd E was just recently paved over with a suburban style, one storey grocery store fitted with a large car oriented parking lot using up more than half the space the grocery store does... The grocery store idea was tabled a long time ago (permits still exist for a Price Chopper in 2015) but that idea should have evolved as housing needs got more dire. A tower on top would've at least been something.

Now we are in 2021, and all the time the land sat is gonna go to a self storage building and a suburban grocery store. This is shameful.

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I've been by on the Kitchener line a few times watching it go up and all I can think is, that land would've been a perfect spot for a lively mixed use hub in that community. While it's not right next to Weston GO, it's not far from it, and the Eglinton Crosstown is also close by. The towers around give precedent, there is no reason we should be building large parking lots so close to the core.

I get that there's probably an explanation for this site being abandoned and not being used for residential (proximity to the factory, soil contamination?) But at the end of the day, we can do better. This is just awful. I'm happy the residents here will have a great large grocery store, but this really wasn't the way it should've happened. The parking could've at least been stacked under the store like it is at the Superstore further north.

I really hope that Smartcentres has a plan to make better use of that parking lot in the future...

The site now... (Source)

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The original surface option for the Jane LRT would've had a stop at Denison/Trethewey, but the more likely underground option did not (closest to the south at Weston/Jane). The 1480 planning documents show 2 other future developments on the land beside this storage facility...I wonder if either would be residential?
 
emphur said:
I'm unsure if there is a thread for the plot of land to the north (1238 Denison Rd E) but I want to express disappointment at how poorly this giant piece of land is being used. It's frankly maddening this is still what we are building in 2021 by TWO rapid transit lines...

For context, It's shockingly flown under many people's radars that 1238 Denison Rd E was just recently paved over with a suburban style, one storey grocery store fitted with a large car oriented parking lot using up more than half the space the grocery store does... The grocery store idea was tabled a long time ago (permits still exist for a Price Chopper in 2015) but that idea should have evolved as housing needs got more dire. A tower on top would've at least been something.

Now we are in 2021, and all the time the land sat is gonna go to a self storage building and a suburban grocery store. This is shameful.

View attachment 327376

I've been by on the Kitchener line a few times watching it go up and all I can think is, that land would've been a perfect spot for a lively mixed use hub in that community. While it's not right next to Weston GO, it's not far from it, and the Eglinton Crosstown is also close by. The towers around give precedent, there is no reason we should be building large parking lots so close to the core.

I get that there's probably an explanation for this site being abandoned and not being used for residential (proximity to the factory, soil contamination?) But at the end of the day, we can do better. This is just awful. I'm happy the residents here will have a great large grocery store, but this really wasn't the way it should've happened. The parking could've at least been stacked under the store like it is at the Superstore further north.

I really hope that Smartcentres has a plan to make better use of that parking lot in the future...

The site now... (Source)

View attachment 327377
View attachment 327378
View attachment 327379
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This is using an approval from years ago to happen, which is why it is happening today.

The development was approved in the mid 2000's I believe and partially constructed before sitting fallow for 15 years. Looks like they finally landed another tenant and are moving ahead again. Looking at historic satellite images it looks like the parking area was first paved in 2007 or so along with the building foundations, and then it just never moved past that until today.

The built form is certainly a shame but it will be an important amenity for the community to have a new grocery store in the area.
 
innsertnamehere said:
This is using an approval from years ago to happen, which is why it is happening today.

The development was approved in the mid 2000's I believe and partially constructed before sitting fallow for 15 years. Looks like they finally landed another tenant and are moving ahead again. Looking at historic satellite images it looks like the parking area was first paved in 2007 or so along with the building foundations, and then it just never moved past that until today.

The built form is certainly a shame but it will be an important amenity for the community to have a new grocery store in the area.
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I think people are confusing the Freshco building and parking lot with the former fish warehouse/store to the south. It's the fish warehouse/store site that they're want to build a 6-story self-storage facility.

The lockers in many of the new condos are too small for the residents, that is why there are so many self-storage facilities popping up everywhere.

Not just the condos, but houses as well. Many people can't park their cars in the garage because it is full of items that would be stored in the public storage units.
 
Amare said:
Yikes, can Dymon just buy this one out, this one is nasty.
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Can people please just buy less crap, and put the stuff they're not using out for others in need, or donate it to a charity, or something instead of pushing away it into vertically stacked holding cells? We don't need these horrible buildings all over the city. What a blight.

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interchange42 said:
Can people please just buy less crap, and put the stuff they're not using out for others in need, or donate it to a charity, or something instead of pushing away it into vertically stacked holding cells? We don't need these horrible buildings all over the city. What a blight.

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People don't get much in storage lockers in condos. What with winter/summer tires, camping equipment, 7 years of financial records for income tax purposes, etc., they need someplace to keep them.

For houses, people used to keep them in the basement, but they turned that into living space. And garages should be used to store automobiles and bicycles.
 
interchange42 said:
Can people please just buy less crap, and put the stuff they're not using out for others in need, or donate it to a charity, or something instead of pushing away it into vertically stacked holding cells? We don't need these horrible buildings all over the city. What a blight.

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That's definitely a big part of the problem. But the other part of the problem is developers who are getting away with providing next to no storage space in new builds, vs. old builds which actually accommodate storage with storage rooms in units and also storage locker.

So as long as developers continue to build shoeboxes, the storage building boom will unfortunately continue. Who knows next thing we know, developers will stop providing in-building washer/dryers and we'll probably see a boom in the coin laundry business again.
 
Amare said:
That's definitely a big part of the problem. But the other part of the problem is developers who are getting away with providing next to no storage space in new builds, vs. old builds which actually accommodate storage with storage rooms in units and also storage locker.

So as long as developers continue to build shoeboxes, the storage building boom will unfortunately continue. Who knows next thing we know, developers will stop providing in-building washer/dryers and we'll probably see a boom in the coin laundry business again.
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The coin laundry business will still be needed when your own laundry machines, broken, or needs to be replaced. My son had to wait 6 months for new washer and dryer for his condo. (Dryer is a heat pump dryer, with no venting needed.)

Storage units could still be needed if someone is renovating their homes. They'll need somewhere to store their household until after the project is finished.
 
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