junctionist
Senior Member
Oh, and there are a couple of other things to mention.
Here is a better image showing the potential view
View attachment 8626
The fire hall in the Beach is a local landmark - once one 6 storey building is allowed, then eventually development will block views of the tower - the clock is about 20m above grade - even if the rules are not violated, buildings under the Avenues guidelines can be 25m tall - 20m plus5m for mechanical penthouses etc.
View attachment 8627
Please visit our website - www.FoQS.ca - to see more images and get additional information on this project and why it should be refused and only more appropriate development should be permitted, in line with the 8-9 projects built under the Beaches Guidelines since 1987.
I'm starting to come around to the opposition side, if only for the scale after seeing these images. It's going to be a lot bigger than anything else in the area, yet the architectural treatment looks as if it's supposed to be just another building, not even a landmark. Three storeys and an additional one to two storeys with a more substantial setback would be better than six and a mechanical box. It's important to maintain the significant historical views in a community as well, something that should be pressed for no matter what the final outcome is in terms of height.
It's important, though, not to become overly conservative. Modern architecture can be quite engaging and a better fit with the right scale and materials than a building with garish faux-historicist details. All buildings in their initial years stick out for their new construction. Sometimes sterility is a factor of the architecture; other times, it's simply because of the newness of the construction. Jane Jacobs said that successful neighbourhoods need new and old buildings to remain vital: new buildings can bring diversity and vibrancy and improve the stock of buildings, while old buildings can accommodate new businesses and other people.
And perhaps The Beach needs new construction because some of the insularity. It's a beautiful, walkable urban neighbourhood with a mix of uses and streetcars rolling through that Toronto is proud of, yet here we are hearing comments like "All of a sudden, it’s becoming Toronto". People shouldn't have this delusion that if an urban neighbourhood is pleasant and great to live in, it can't possibly count as part of the big city, it must 'like a small town' or 'like a village'. As great as The Beach may be, there are some cheap edifices on Queen Street that could be replaced--though not necessarily with a looming "infill" building that's double the height of the taller buildings in the area.
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