Toronto Queens Quay & Water's Edge Revitalization | ?m | ?s | Waterfront Toronto

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Yes, you are right. We know that, but when this has been built immediately north of it was were train tracks, wasteland and more train tracks. This is the very first condo building here and if Robert Campeau would have been able to foresee the future 30 years ahead of time he wouldn't go bankrupt.
It could have been designed better no doubt about that, but we can not go back in time and change the design. We can only try to improve it and try to find way to finance this improvement.

No arguments there - given that redevelopment of condos simply isn't going to happen. What I am curious about is just how integral that above ground garage is to the residents, and whether it could be redeveloped in part or in whole given the changing urban context and the decreasing need for parking spaces.

AoD

 

[someMidTowner]

yes, every time I walk past them, I have the urge of throwing a dozen grenades to blow them up
I agree there should be no condos on the south side of QQ between Spadina and Jarvis. It should be exclusively public space. Unfortunately, we are stuck with them for the foreseeable future.

You are either greatly underestimating the size of that garage or the explosive power of a dozen grenades.

 

[Markster]

when this has been built immediately north of it was were train tracks, wasteland and more train tracks. This is the very first condo building here and if Robert Campeau would have been able to foresee the future 30 years ahead of time he wouldn't go bankrupt.

This got me looking for photos of the area.

In the late 60s, shortly after the first TD Centre building has gone up, it's all rail tracks and slowly vacating industrial land. It will eventually be built roughly where those jetties are at the bottom right:

(via BlogTO)

About 1970:


In 1974, the eastern building is built, and our favourite parking garage is up:


Let's check that out from the under construction CN Tower.
Yeah, I'm going to want a car if I'm living there. Look at that convenient Gardiner access! Shouldn't be much competition for the roads around there.

In 1981, it's complete, and now has the neighbouring Westin:


By 1986, it gets a neighbour to the north finally:
(construction on Waterpark Place building 1 is just finishing)

(via BlogTO)

And jumping to modern times, mid 2000s, it's definitely a neighbourhood:

With 10 York and ICE, you'll barely be able to see it from the CN Tower anymore:

(via BlogTO)

 

[Zeiss]

What I am curious about is just how integral that above ground garage is to the residents, and whether it could be redeveloped in part or in whole given the changing urban context and the decreasing need for parking spaces.

AoD

About quarter of the parking spots are not used, also there are lots of cars that are not driven very long time, some even years. However we own the spots even if we don't use them, but can not rent them to outsiders due to security rules.
The ground level/behind the retail part/is about 4 feet below street level and is essential for the building, this is where the private buses park, the service/deliveries ramp, the garbage compactors and located and garbage pick up gets done. There are also parking spots, car wash, workshop, bike racks .... but even if there is nothing important and even if the first level is opened up, nothing is achieved since the south side of the parking garage is very narrow and this is where the entrances for 33 and 65 are located.

 

[Uncle Teddy]

Thanks for the photos Markster.

 

[MetroMan]

Waterfront published a new blog post detailing what a finished Queens Quay will look like with the following video:

[video=youtube_share;0a_Q5rVnGRk]http://youtu.be/0a_Q5rVnGRk[/video]

Notice that the bridges are are still planned. I imagine that they'll be funded in the next round of improvements to Queens Quay. A major goal of the waterfront revitalization was a continuous waterfront promenade. The bridges are necessary to complete that vision.

It's amazing looking at this video and realizing that a lot of this work has already been completed for years. It's taken Queens Quay to tie it all together. From the wavedecks to the individual parks, many of these projects have sat there built as individual projects. This Summer they'll become a part of a large master project.

 

[hawc]

Let's hope so.

 

[drum118]

The official opening is June 19th by the BIA, Redpath and Waterfront Toronto. Don't know if TTC is planning anything special for that day/weekend.

The eastern extension of QQ E is still at the top of the list.

The new roads for Portland are under review and being plan for and will be doing a new thread on what being plan and look at. I hate to say it, but Unwin LRT is being removed from the plan since its in the 25-40 year time frame and a wrong move.

The water edge bridges have always been plan for, but the lack of funds has stop it today, as well the eastern extension of QQ.

All 3 levels need to step up and invest another $500 million each and keep their hands off the money to do the Peter pay Paul on projects that go over budget like Union Station and TTC 2nd platform.

 

[44 North]

It's amazing looking at this video and realizing that a lot of this work has already been completed for years. It's taken Queens Quay to tie it all together. From the wavedecks to the individual parks, many of these projects have sat there built as individual projects. This Summer they'll become a part of a large master project.

Amen. But holy shit, that fly through was amazing. Renders have come a long way.

The new roads for Portland are under review and being plan for and will be doing a new thread on what being plan and look at. I hate to say it, but Unwin LRT is being removed from the plan since its in the 25-40 year time frame and a wrong move.

Interesting. I feel like some of the recent underinvestment in the East Bayfront and Lower Don Lands is retribution (payback) from the City and Prov because some of developers sided with Doug Ford in the war against WaterfrontToronto. Sometime a few years ago one of the developers said on the record (in an interview with UT) that he doesn’t agree with WT and the City’s plans for the waterfront, or the plan for streetcars. Within a year we were treated to Doug’s “backroom vision” - which was really a vision from landowners, stakeholders, and a quasi-autonomous gov’t agency like TPLC, TPA, or BuildTO.

Obviously their anti-WaterfrontTO movement didn’t work. Which is why I think we’ve been seeing an underinvestment by the City and Prov, and the east East Bayfront and Lower Don Lands has been ignored.

 

[W. K. Lis]

By looking at that video, I can see emergency vehicles using the bicycle path. They should have used turf or sod for the streetcar right-of-way instead of a hard surface, except for the anti-streetcar folks looking for any excuse to derail it.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Interesting. I feel like some of the recent underinvestment in the East Bayfront and Lower Don Lands is retribution (payback) from the City and Prov because some of developers sided with Doug Ford in the war against WaterfrontToronto. Sometime a few years ago one of the developers said on the record (in an interview with UT) that he doesn’t agree with WT and the City’s plans for the waterfront, or the plan for streetcars. Within a year we were treated to Doug’s “backroom vision” - which was really a vision from landowners, stakeholders, and a quasi-autonomous gov’t agency like TPLC, TPA, or BuildTO.

Obviously their anti-WaterfrontTO movement didn’t work. Which is why I think we’ve been seeing an underinvestment by the City and Prov, and the east East Bayfront and Lower Don Lands has been ignored.

My take was that the developer in question was hedging his bets in the interview. In any case it would appear there will be some federal and provincial movement on the Lower Don River front soon.

AoD

 

[Torontovibe]

Those bridges will make a big difference in improving the waterfront experience for pedestrians. It will be nice to have the option of walking along the water's edge or along Queen's Quay. I hope they get built in the not too distant future.

 

[salsa]

Did anyone attend the Waterfront Toronto Townhall meeting yesterday?

 

[ehlow]

Walked along here today and took the streetcar.

It's pretty awesome how fast the streetcar is in the tunnel. On street, it went a decent speed it seemed. It had to stop for red lights a few times, but not for a long time. It still seems like they could tune the signals better though.

It's surprising that the road is only a few months away from opening. It's still pretty torn up and fenced off.

Those bridges will make a big difference in improving the waterfront experience for pedestrians. It will be nice to have the option of walking along the water's edge or along Queen's Quay. I hope they get built in the not too distant future.

Yeah it's a huge deal, you don't have to keep walking back to QQ to walk along the water.

 

[Kitsune]

Walked along here today and took the streetcar.

It's pretty awesome how fast the streetcar is in the tunnel. On street, it went a decent speed it seemed. It had to stop for red lights a few times, but not for a long time. It still seems like they could tune the signals better though.

It's surprising that the road is only a few months away from opening. It's still pretty torn up and fenced off.



Yeah it's a huge deal, you don't have to keep walking back to QQ to walk along the water.

The traffic lights are not timed yet - some super european system is still being setup, and with the left turns controlled by signals - streetcars are not going to have any where near the same hassle they use to have.