Toronto 1540 Bloor West | 91.9m | 27s | Trinity Group | Arcadis

The city needs to take action to stop such blight from being built. Perhaps they could sell or offer the air rights at Dundas West station to someone willing to build something better from a civic standpoint. As is, the architecture is jarring and to be frank, ugly. It almost doesn't look like there's a significant employment or affordable housing component, which isn't good at this regional transit node. We need better development for a livable city.
 
Trinity Group, the developers for this project, recently negotiated a solution (whether it is a good solution is yet to be determined) on a property at 990 Bloor West, and it seems like they made some significant concessions. (https://urbantoronto.ca/forum/threa...2s-trinity-group-diamond-schmitt.26088/page-3)

That property, like this one, looks to be designed with the intention to offend. My hunch, however, is that they have intentionally set the bar so low with their developments in Toronto that when they negotiate with the city, they have already planned to make major concessions. In any event, our city councilors need to know what we want out of this development.

I propose we describe every contemptible thing about this development in this thread and tell our councilors what we think. It may not materialize into anything, but Trinity Group does look like they're interested in negotiating. I'll start:

- It's right next to Dundas W station which has been identified as a transit hub by Metrolinx. Can they be given the air rights to build on the station? Develop Dundas West as well
- Doing so would also present the opportunity to do something about the streetcar loop.
- The building needs a significant set back without benches impeding the flow of pedestrian traffic. Bigger setback, no benches.
- The building materials are terrible. The black brick and glass podium needs a complete redesign. New Podium
- Why did they move from 2 floors of retail to 1 in their design change? This development needs to create employment. Multiple floors of retail/offices
- The building can't look like 3 dislocated buildings stacked on each other. Make the building more defined and design it to have continuity with itself
- It's High Park. Would it kill them to incorporate some green space in their design? Include some living elements in the design.
 
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Agreed with the sentiment here, but don't know how to enact change....

> Now is the time to negotiate with a developer to revitalize Dundas West Station. That station is awful. It needs proper investment, I'm just not sure Trinity is the group to make it good.
> We need a new aesthetic.
> Needs more retail. Condos aren't inviting to community/pedestrian traffic. This is a neighbourhood community; provide some public space!
> Needs more setback (give them height, but more pedestrian space at street level is so needed at this intersection).
 
blu_in_green said:
Agreed with the sentiment here, but don't know how to enact change....

> Now is the time to negotiate with a developer to revitalize Dundas West Station. That station is awful. It needs proper investment, I'm just not sure Trinity is the group to make it good.
> We need a new aesthetic.
> Needs more retail. Condos aren't inviting to community/pedestrian traffic. This is a neighbourhood community; provide some public space!
> Needs more setback (give them height, but more pedestrian space at street level is so needed at this intersection).
Click to expand...
Staying out of the aesthetics debate, everything else you're asking for is worth exploring. Just to the east there are plans for a pile more retail in the Choice Properties / Bishop Marrocco-Thomas Merton Catholic Secondary School site, so this site might not need much more itself, but a renewed Dundas West station is a really worthy goal, and it could be combined with enlarging the public space through greater setbacks if some fo the massing were to be moved above the station… the trick is however, that building over a subway line and a bustling station adds quite significant complications. Not that they shouldn't be explored, but the expense to redo the station would require a massive boost in the size of the complex to make it feasible. So yes, combining the two sites and the multiple uses should be explored, but the neighbourhood would need to be prepared for a huge density boost to make the numbers work.

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www.toronto.com

25-storey tower proposed to replace Toronto's Giraffe Condos building

Timbertrin, a partnership between Trinity Development Group and Timbercreek Communities, has proposed building a 25-storey mixed-use tower at the corner of Bloor Street West and Dundas Street West –...
www.toronto.com www.toronto.com

"Bloor Street West would require widening by 0.4 metres."

Any idea why they would need to widen Bloor by 0.4m?
 
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1540 Bloor St West

An application has been submitted proposing a 25-storey mixed-use building. The application proposes 327 residential units and 100 parking spaces in a below ground parking garage. City Planning staff are currently reviewing the application. A pre-application meeting was held on April 10th, 2019, Further consultation with the community will take place in the near future.

Spring/Summer Newsletter: Developments | Gord Perks

gordperks.ca gordperks.ca
 
I can't help but think...and perhaps I'm the only who is thinking this...but I wish they incorporate that giraffe motif in the bottom part of the current design for this proposed building, IMO.
 
Hey, I'd dig it. Imagine a tessellation motif like this, but more giraffey in colour and pattern:

www.frameweb.com

UNStudio fabricates a patterned façade of tessellated diamonds

More of a commercial destination than a conventional shopping mall, Lane 189 makes a deeper connection between brands and the young professionals in the area.
www.frameweb.com www.frameweb.com

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Virtual Community Consultation on the Rezoning Application: 1540-1550 Bloor Street West (N/W corner of Bloor and Dundas Street West) | Gord Perks

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Virtual Community Consultation on the Rezoning Application: 1540-1550 Bloor Street West (N/W corner of Bloor and Dundas Street West)

City Planning is holding a Virtual Community Consultation Meeting on the Zoning Amendment and Rental Housing Demolition Applications for 1540-1550 Bloor Street West. It will be an opportunity to learn more about this application, ask questions and share your comments.

The application proposes to amend the Zoning By-law to allow a 25-storey (80.6 metres high, excluding mechanical penthouse), mixed-use building with commercial uses on the ground floor and residential uses above with 327 dwelling units of which, 12 would be affordable rental replacement units, 25,638 square metres of residential gross floor area and 807 square metres of commercial gross floor area. The proposed total gross floor area of 26,445 square metres would result in a density of 10.72 times the area of the lot. In addition, an application for Rental Housing Demolition and Conversion has been submitted concurrently.

Note: the applicant has appealed the zoning amendment application to Ontario’s Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT). City Planning staff will submit a Request for Directions Report with recommendations to Toronto East York Community Council (TEYCC) on October 15th. Your feedback will help inform the City’s evaluation of the proposed development.

The Virtual Community Consultation meeting will take place on Monday, September 14th, 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. and will be online and phone-in only.

How to participate:

A link will be provided on line at http://www.toronto.ca/cpconsultations before 6 PM to be used for joining the meeting either by phone or online.

Note: Participants by phone will not be able to ask live questions during the meeting. Submit your comments in advance by contacting the City Planning Staff or the Councillor’s Office.
 
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