gristle
Senior Member
Why let it "depress" you? I don't think that City Hall is out of line in applying due process. Face it, it is a major change and a major change shouldn't be rubber-stamped. I love this proposal, but we do need to think of the potential stress on all services: transit especially.
See, I don't care at all for Adam Vaughan, and all the while I don't like many of the other players either, but at least some individuals are contributing something to the process by raising the issues. Transit is already a disaster along King.
I will say it now: I don't think the height killers will win the day on this one. I think you'll see minimum of 80 storeys at the end of the day, but all parties have to acknowledge that a huge transit catch-up will be necessary, and we need to see leadership on that issue.
I love the Mervish-Gehry proposal. Net, it would result in an influx of yet more people actually residing in downtown Toronto, and the architecture is something that appeals to me, starchitect or not. Many benefits have been offered along with this proposal, including a rework of Pecaut Square. This section of Toronto may become a landmark lure and that will catch a lot of folks off guard.
Transit will not be instantly "changed" on the basis of one massive proposal. That said, the small number of parking spots proposed for these buildings suggests that the developer views transit and walking as the primary means of getting around. Either the Mirvish people believe that the city will magically respond to the density of their pretty building proposal, or are operating in a vacuum with respect to the number of other buildings going up in this part of the city. Given that this development is not isolated in the area, it will be given very careful consideration by city planning. As the proposal sets a new height limit for the King-Spadina area, there is no rubber-stamp precedent-guarantee at the OMB either, so the developer can't automatically count on that route of approval. Their first step is to then work with the councilor and the community.
If you were at the community consultation meetings a while back, you would have heard Mike Yen grandstanding on behalf of the recently revivified TEDRA. Mr. Yen, who ran against Adam Vaughan in a past election, wants the city to oppose all new development in the area at the OMB (and he supports the OMB, even though he appears to not understand how or why it operates, or that city planning is being chipped apart by that body). The head of the Condo Owners Association of Ontario (who also apparently lives in the area) has also used her position to petition against all new development. Those stances stand in opposition to Vaughan and city planning who have been faced with remote planning approvals made by the OMB, and the fact that development - redevelopment and reuse - is included in the Secondary Plan. Take a little time and speak with Vaughan; he is not anti-development - as he is so often characterized on this forum. He does, however, recognize the need for sound planning. He works with developers, negotiates on behalf of residents, and extracts goods for the community. Like all councilors, he is limited in what he can do. The OMB has shown that time and time again. Add to that, many residents are in favour of development, but we want to see reasonable development, and not mere grandstanding by either developers, residents or tall-tower advocates. This process is about city-building and not monument building.
Whether one loves the Mirvish proposal or not, there already has been a massive influx of people residing downtown. It's not like this hasn't already occurred. During those years, many residents have pushed back on developers, demanding more family-sized suites, more retail space, better heritage preservation and more office and commercial space so that the area does not become a vertical bedroom community occupied exclusively by singles. These things are supported by Vaughan as well. That Mirvish's proposal includes a new cultural venue to replace what he would be removing is also a good thing, but it doesn't automatically mean he should get excessive density or a right to build what he wants on the site. It is very likely he is aware of that.