I think of myself and pride myself on being pragmatic and balanced. That's not to suggest I get everything right in that regard every time, but I certainly try to.
Sigh OK, I'll respond to some of your comments, but only because I'm unemployed
First of all, I'm no planner, just a bitter renter. When I suggested 25k, it was a pipe dream. It's what I wish to see in the neighbourhood.
If you suggest you are pragmatic and balanced, you MUST admit calling it an immediate SLUM was a bit over the top. "elevator waits of up to 45 minutes", that's an issue of elevators/units, not the total island population.... at all. I would never live in a condo building, but if I had to, I wouldn't live in a building above a certain unit/elevator ratio. "Hour long drives to schools"... again, complete fabrication. Simply put 2-3 schools on the island or adjacent. Put them in the podiums of towers for christ's sake. It's not impossible. Across the river in two directions (south and east) are lowrise proposed employment districts. Lots of room for overflow of services for Villiers.
There is no proposed streetcar route to TTP. None.
I am really surprised by this comment, especially from someone as well read as you. Map:
Source: WaterfrontToronto via BlogTO
The Commissioner streetcar reaching Leslie and turning north towards the Leslie barns has been planned for at least as long a the Leslie Barns have been drafted. Now mind you the intersection of Commissioner & Leslie might be a few hundred feet from the TTP gate, I'm sure people biking and walking the 10km roundtrip don't mind
. I'm not sure if it was symantics that made you say there is no planned streetcar route to TTP, because it's WT that proposed it and not the TTC or the city, or maybe it's because I got this map from BlogTO, but there are many many dozens of versions of this map that show the same TTC track plan, and apologies if WT isn't official enough of a plan for you. It's what I've been using. Oh and for the sake of argument let's agree that the purple streetcar won't be built for another 50 years. We're talking Commissioners here.
how does it resolve the problem of a fare to access the neighbourhood park?
Here's what I don't like about your arguments. The slightest obstacle and you're calling the plan unfeasible. Here's my approach as an engineer: Let's be pragmatic about the situation. How do we ensure that the people of Villier's Island have even more than their already ample access to green space? Give them a pass to use the ferry for free. Let's do the same for everyone below the Gardiner since they also deserve local accessible green space. Let's make that whole route free since I can't really picture people from outside downtown going to Villiers to access the island. Let's build that drawbridge that was proposed! Let's make it a streetcar track with a loop at Ward's beach! Let's incentivize water taxis here, let's build another tunnel (kidding). Let's get it done! Let's brainstorm a better city together!
I lived in NYC and loved the NYC ferry system. It opened up a whole new world of access to waterfronts that are usually devoid of underground subway access, and it was fun as an urban enthusiast and explorer. I took every visitor up the East River, under the beautiful bridges, and along the skylines for the cost of a subway fare. I would love to see a NYC ferry style system running throughout the ship basin, around TTP to Woodbine beach, across the harbour of course, and a few stops along the waterfront like maybe Humber or Bluffers. Sadly I think the NYC system loses a lot of money
We're about to double our ferry fleet.
We are? Seriously, I read the budget every year, this is the first I've heard of this........maybe I missed it, please provide a link.
One new electric combined pax/car ferry.
Three new passenger ferries. First two arrive 2025 in service 2026. I know the current ferries are at the end of their life, but I'm sure they can operate long enough to get replacements in, or we can get a few new routes of service out of the combined 7 ferry fleet. WIll the Trillium ever operate on a regular schedule again? Again, some creative thinking might be required.
But if you're going to argue I'm out to lunch, I'd like to see your homework. (evidence, math, anything that actually supports your position.)
Listen I don't think you're out to lunch. You're obviously very well read and I respect a lot of your posts on here, but I found your response to my suggestion of 25,000 units on Villiers fairly exaggerated and sensationalist, and I have spent a lot of time now explaining why. Is 25k units ideal? Definitely not. But with the amount of infrastructure we're paying for here (by your measurement $10B), and it's proximity to a city/jobs/more infrastructure), plus the fact that the public owns 90% of the land, we have an opportunity here to make a massive dent in our housing crisis, in a beautiful park-filled setting, free of NIMBYs, and out of the way of most people's commutes making it easier to do things at such a large scale. I won't argue anymore, but summarizing your assumptions about a 25k unit Villier's, you pull together every worst case scenario as if there is no control or oversight to the outcome, and state is as fact because of your vast experience and knowledge. I just don't think that's fair, or expected from someone like you.
