Toronto Social at Church + Dundas | 164.89m | 52s | Pemberton | RAW Design

The City should outright acquire the grounds, including the parking lots as park.

A condition could be that the funds be used to create an endowment to maintain the heritage building(s).

The City would likely have to deal with unmarked burials under the parking lot, and some associated risk of cholera exposure may be a risk factor.

But remediate that space into a well maintained, heritage-appropriate, mostly formal public park, but with a good quality playground for the childcare facility and/or the park space in general.

Side Note: To my understanding, similar unmarked burials and associated cholera risk is the reason for the all-paved over school yard at St. Pauls; and the reason the school hasn't been rebuilt either.

Couldn't quickly dig up the story for the Metropolitan United grounds, but here's one for St. Paul's:

 
And if it is legal or quite common for builders to change their actual project from the rendering, then we should really not consider buying any pre-construction projects. Might be a total shock, like this one in Pemberton.
Sorry to say that renderings are only considered artist's interpretations, and do not hold any legal weight. The only part of the submission to the City that counts in that regard is the materials as shown on the elevation drawings included as part of the architectural plans. In the case of this project, here's what they look like:

SocialElevEK.jpg


While the renderings indicate more reflectance on the glass, there's zero indication of that here, it's simply glass or any reflectance quality, (but which would have to perform under extreme wind loads, etc).

Yes, the image was submitted sideways.

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Then Pemberton is cheating on their renderings. We are buying for their nice look balcony based on the renderings, not these ugly clear things. They have already delayed their occupancy by at least 1.5 years, and furthermore they are damaging the outlook of the building. Is such a big change (rendering vs actual ) legal?
Unfortunately, renderings are usually of the 'ideal' and more often than not the 'extras' are removed as part of the value engineering process. Sad, yes. Illegal, no.
 
the public realm of Met United is hilariously terrible. The east side along Church is a dirt mess of construction materials and crappy wire fencing and has been that way for years, and the parking lot is poorly maintained, has the abandoned building rotting along Shuter, etc. It's a shocking difference compared to how St Mikes and St James are maintained.

The Sunday Met Farmers' Market was closed in 2022 due to a "planned redevelopment of the park", but I didn't notice any work done last year. The market is apparently starting up again in June and while that's great for the neighbourhood, I guess that means the park will remain as is ... ?
 
While the renderings indicate more reflectance on the glass, there's zero indication of that here, it's simply glass or any reflectance quality, (but which would have to perform under extreme wind loads, etc)
So you're sayin' if they decide to make the aluminum backs hot pink with green and yellow polka dots...as long as it's reflective, it meets the requirements of the documents they submitted on that?
 
So you're sayin' if they decide to make the aluminum backs hot pink with green and yellow polka dots...as long as it's reflective, it meets the requirements of the documents they submitted on that?
Someone at the City would look at them funny… and probably try to talk them out of it, and be slower to pick up their phone calls …but ultimately they couldn't stop them if the materials all met performance standards.

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14th March 2023

First time noticing the effect the sun has on the balconies in the evening sun. Not sure if it's just because I usually avert my eyes away from this building or just the position of the sun at this time of year though.

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This building had interesting bones and potential, all wasted thanks to the worst cladding decisions.
why bother doing so much work on that balcony treatment only to use a cladding that disrupts and takes away, instead of enhancing the ripple effect?
the cladding could‘ve just been a different colour, costing the same but enhancing the design. It isn’t even about money but just poor judgement and design choices. Oh Toronto, always so close and yet so far…
 
I can only hope that the new towers around it will help block views of it.

Well the one going up directly across the street on the west side should thankfully block the most important view of it. Thank god it's going to be a shade taller as well so probably wont even see the top of the Social from the west.
 
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