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

Retailers will probably just "bundle" several small units together as required. I don't think the developer really intends on having 67 different stores down there. :)
 
Yeah, those retail spaces look too small for anything meaningful to take hold. I think that plan would most likely result in a crap flea market of a concourse, complete with no-name gateway style newsstand shop with a pop machine and endless stores with ugly $5.99 "imported" (from China) dresses hanging on perpetual clearance racks.

Been to Cumberland Terrace recently have we?

Seriously though, some of those shops don't seem much larger than the elevators...terrible.
 
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They're in a tough spot - retail wise. They've got the Eaton Centre & TLS 2 blocks south and College Park on their north side. Most of the large retailers of any note are already located within one of those complexes. Unless they find some big names it will indeed be another Cumberland Terrace. They might consider going with a theme for the retail area. Maybe Home Decor. They've just signed Bed, Bath & Beyond and DeBoers, Alleen's & Urban Brick are next door. What if they added EQ3, Structube, Decorium & HomeSense. One stop shopping for all those new condo owners.
 
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Unlike Cumberland Terrace, this site is right on what is probably the busiest pedestrian route in the city (Yonge St). I think retail here will do fine, especially with all the thousands of new residents.
 
So, we learn a few things from that plan:

1) No new entrance to College subway station is planned - merely a connection to the subway through College Park.

3) The connection to College Park is a second phase - at least for the mall - it is shown as 'Proposed Future Development'.

1) A second College TTC entrance was closely looked at, however in looking at the actual dimensions of the current station footprint and the development site there were some gaps and complications with underground infrastructure. I think from a general perspective it seemed like an obvious connection, but once it was actually looked at in detail terms of space allocations, underground utilities and actual potential connections it was deemed infeasible by both the city planning department and the developer – which is unfortunate, but the station platforms don’t reach as far south as the Aura site and it would have been difficult to make any underground connection actually work.

3) This seems a bit odd - my understanding was that a connection was to be established in the current development... not a future proposed development – This is pure speculation, but maybe the public easement to build under the Haytar Street road allowance requires a separate approval or site plan application that is subject to the “Future Proposed Development†depicted in the retail plan that is the subject of the past few posts.
 
3) This seems a bit odd - my understanding was that a connection was to be established in the current development... not a future proposed development – This is pure speculation, but maybe the public easement to build under the Haytar Street road allowance requires a separate approval or site plan application that is subject to the “Future Proposed Development†depicted in the retail plan that is the subject of the past few posts.

You might be right. The Hayter Street Mall is part of their section 37 agreement and may very well be part of a separate, but possibly, simultaneous development.
 
Been to Cumberland Terrace recently have we?
That's exactly what I had in mind when I wrote that.

Unlike Cumberland Terrace, this site is right on what is probably the busiest pedestrian route in the city (Yonge St). I think retail here will do fine, especially with all the thousands of new residents.

I guess the easiest comparison would be the College Park concourse, which seems to work pretty well. It's anchored by Dominion (Metro), Winners, and DeBoers. Not bad.
 
is Aura really 80% sold?

from the Toronto star:
Radio City nets Context a prestigious award
Nov 15, 2008 04:30 AM

....Aura condominium at Yonge and Gerrard Sts. will have a new tenant living in the 50,000 square feet of retail space at the podium level.

Bed Bath & Beyond, a domestic merchandise and home furnishings superstore, will be leasing the space and establishing the retailer's first urban location in Canada.

Plans call for the 75-storey, 243-metre condo tower to be the tallest in the city. It is being developed by Canderel Stoneridge Equity Group and will include nearly 190,000 square feet of prime retail space, with Bed Bath & Beyond taking the second floor. More than 80 per cent of Aura's available units have been sold since the project launched last spring.
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does this mean excavation is soon to follow since the builder has met their goal?
 
Hoarding is going up in January, and the sidewalk being closed as well.
So one would assume excavation is probably going to start very soon after that time also.
 
from the Toronto star:
Radio City nets Context a prestigious award
Nov 15, 2008 04:30 AM

....Aura condominium at Yonge and Gerrard Sts. will have a new tenant living in the 50,000 square feet of retail space at the podium level.

Bed Bath & Beyond, a domestic merchandise and home furnishings superstore, will be leasing the space and establishing the retailer's first urban location in Canada.

Plans call for the 75-storey, 243-metre condo tower to be the tallest in the city. It is being developed by Canderel Stoneridge Equity Group and will include nearly 190,000 square feet of prime retail space, with Bed Bath & Beyond taking the second floor. More than 80 per cent of Aura's available units have been sold since the project launched last spring.
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does this mean excavation is soon to follow since the builder has met their goal?

Thats old news.:mad:
 
How about a food court in the basement. There are lots of daytime workers in the area, and the College Park food court can get pretty busy.
 
1) A second College TTC entrance was closely looked at, however in looking at the actual dimensions of the current station footprint and the development site there were some gaps and complications with underground infrastructure. I think from a general perspective it seemed like an obvious connection, but once it was actually looked at in detail terms of space allocations, underground utilities and actual potential connections it was deemed infeasible by both the city planning department and the developer – which is unfortunate, but the station platforms don’t reach as far south as the Aura site and it would have been difficult to make any underground connection actually work.

Then again, once they install Bed Bath & Beyond, some people may be tempted to open the door marked "Beyond" only to confront a southbound train careening towards them
 
the food court is rather busy considered its one of three at that intersection and not included the dozens of food places.
 

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