Toronto Aura at College Park | 271.87m | 78s | Canderel | Graziani + Corazza

It would probably function very well as a PublicStorage branded self storage facility. There must be 1000's of people wanting to store excess furniture etc. The orange roll-up doors would add some colour to the space. In the suburbs these spaces are usually supervised by full time staff, who require identification to access your self storage unit.
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
Not really - it was originally a Hardcandy, and that got dumped and it's now "Aura fitness".

https://torontoist.com/2016/04/madonnas-toronto-hard-candy-gym-failed/

And yes, it really failed because the city didn't allow a third floor sign *rolleyes*

AoD
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Actually, it has changed names again, and is now part of the Crunch Fitness chain. Their base membership is now probably the cheapest gym downtown:

https://crunchgta.antaris.ca/online...3d3bbbcc|42b0f8a7-b8cf-499e-9ff5-d29f38b5d956
 
Michael62 said:
It would probably function very well as a PublicStorage branded self storage facility. There must be 1000's of people wanting to store excess furniture etc. The orange roll-up doors would add some colour to the space. In the suburbs these spaces are usually supervised by full time staff, who require identification to access your self storage unit.
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Economically, I don't think it would work very well for storage. I was walking down there yesterday and some of the units for sale have MLS listings in their windows. One of the units had condo fees of $600/month and property taxes of $15,000/year, so the carrying cost alone of a unit is probably $2000/month. I don't see storage fees covering that cost.
 
The labyrinth of doom is my new name for Aura's basement. Kudos to the brave souls who are up to the challenge. But it takes a distinguishable product or service to really survive down there. And that was what made Kaiju so rare for so long.

With the lack of improvements to its functional realm and obvious disconnection to College Park, there simply is not enough sense of added value to draw in consumers. It'll continue to struggle for the foreseeable future.
 
Anyone remember the Sheraton Centre's eastern section of the PATH, back before it was connected to The Bay and was a dead-end? Dark, desolate, and little reason for anyone to ever be there. Aura's lower level reminds me of that, except darker, even more desolate, and with the ever-present odour of cooking oil.
 
DSC said:
"labyrinth of doom" Love it! Very appropriate.
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Terrible really. I hope the YSL condos are a smash. I’d love to live at that height. It’s not Aura. It’s the lack of connection.

Can’t this thing be connected to College Park in some manner? You’d weep to think that across the lark lies that much more foot traffic.
 
TransitBart said:
Terrible really. I hope the YSL condos are a smash. I’d love to live at that height. It’s not Aura. It’s the lack of connection.

Can’t this thing be connected to College Park in some manner? You’d weep to think that across the lark lies that much more foot traffic.
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Yet again you seem to be misinformed. (Though in this case you have some excuse as the connection is remarkably poor.) Aura IS connected , underground, to College Park. Frankly, Aura's problems would not be solved by a wonderful connection, the retail is simply a mess with little or nothing to attract shoppers.
 
The basement is truly sad and the street level is a missed opportunity for a gathering spot on Yonge, but I like the height, the top part of the tower and the light feature. I especially like the view of it from East Chinatown and from Yonge St. north and south.

Here is a distant view from Alexandra Park, taken yesterday.

aura_skatepark_oct15.png
 

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smably said:
I was at Kaiju last week and they said that they are actively searching for a new location. I didn't realize this, but they don't own their unit, and their landlord, believe it or not, had demanded a steep rent increase. Bizarre, since they'll probably end up with a vacant and valueless unit once Kaiju moves out. I think it'll be good for Kaiju if they find a place with a bit more foot traffic (that is to say, pretty much anywhere except the Aura food court).
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I would not be surprised if the landlords live overseas, and they have no idea of the situation with the rest of the food court. That's the only reason I can think of for any landlord to consider jacking up rent while the other 6 or 7 units remain empty.

Article on blogto:
http://www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2017/10/kaiju-closing-shops-aura-toronto/
 
The LED screen at the corner is a little more lively than it was before, cycling through a few different screens and giving more life to the intersection. On the main title screen, the white lines on the sides are a nice gesture to the crown lighting. They aren't lying, this really is a "one-of-a-kind" shopping centre ;) .

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