Toronto Union Station Revitalization | ?m | ?s | City of Toronto | NORR

Not a huge grocery shop, but a steak, couple of potatoes, a veggie, and a bottle of wine isn't a tough load to bring home. And far faster than stopping at a huge suburban grocery store on the way home from the GO station.

Yep. This is exactly why I see commuters as their main target. Nearby residents already have great grocery options nearby that aren't swarming with stressed-out crowds.
 
I would certainly shop for a few things, like a few ingredients. It would cater to my market.

Also, commuter density inside the Toronto Union building is going to go __VERY__ dramatically down at Union, so lugging a single bag of boutique groceries will not necessarily be a big bother. The brand new York concourse is refreshingly relatively empty today, and also that is even before Bay gets enlarged and even before the 135,000 square feet retail level opens.

In 2018, when the Union revitalization is complete long before GO RER, Union below track level will be far less crowded, with something like a whopping 6x the amount of floor space as today (Tripled GO concourse + new Retail level). Unlike the Bay pandemonium, the new York concourse is not stressful at all, it, impressive as it is, is even slightly boring with no stores open yet. The Union station is transforming from a stressful commuter hub to something with a promise of an interesting destination into itself. Many Torontoians will be surprised how uncrowded Union is during 2018, with plenty of nooks and crannies to be far removed from the peak flow from TTC.
 
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Maybe it is time to open a Union Station Retail thread in the Retail forum.

...if more than 50 percent of posts may become retail related ...

It seems as though your recommendation is spot on as almost ALL posts since these posts have been about the retail. Maybe that isn't a bad thing though...

Given the biggest reveal for a couple years has just taken place the only 'major' developments in the near future will be the retail which is very much a part of the revitalization efforts.
 
Toronto commuters left high and (still) dry at Union Station thanks to never-ending construction
Six years ago, I reported on plans to remodel the station. The city said it would complete the job in 2014 for $640 million. The budget is now $796 million and the job is far from done.

To make way for the work, the city kicked out the barber and Harvey’s and, on June 30, 2011, evicted the last bar, Commuters. Today the great hall looks worse than it did six years ago. A few clerks sell VIA tickets; there is a lotto centre, a Hertz counter and a “city tours, Niagara Falls, attractions†booth. You cannot buy a coffee, a baguette, a newspaper or a God-forsaken bottle of beer.
We are welcoming the world to the Pan Am Games with this?
http://news.nationalpost.com/toront...n-station-thanks-to-never-ending-construction
 
Toronto commuters left high and (still) dry at Union Station thanks to never-ending construction
Six years ago, I reported on plans to remodel the station. The city said it would complete the job in 2014 for $640 million. The budget is now $796 million and the job is far from done.

To make way for the work, the city kicked out the barber and Harvey’s and, on June 30, 2011, evicted the last bar, Commuters. Today the great hall looks worse than it did six years ago. A few clerks sell VIA tickets; there is a lotto centre, a Hertz counter and a “city tours, Niagara Falls, attractions†booth. You cannot buy a coffee, a baguette, a newspaper or a God-forsaken bottle of beer.
We are welcoming the world to the Pan Am Games with this?
http://news.nationalpost.com/toront...n-station-thanks-to-never-ending-construction

Sadly we are scraping the bottom of the barrel with Peter Kuitenbrouwer and Christopher Hume and their hyperbolic diatribes at opposite ends of the spectrum.
 
Sadly we are scraping the bottom of the barrel with Peter Kuitenbrouwer and Christopher Hume and their hyperbolic diatribes at opposite ends of the spectrum.

Haven't read Hume on this yet but agreed about Kuitenbrouwer - generally a decent writer, but occasionally tries hard to make something out of nothing. Station's not finished yet, get over it.
 
New trees to be planted on Front:

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Nice! And it looks like they are planting somewhat mature trees as well.

AoD
Let's hope they plant these new Front Street trees quickly...so they survive past PanAm. These need all the help they can get.

These kill street trees:
- small dirt openings in brick (too little water)
- poor dirt (not enough fertilization)
- salt during winter

It's a very hostile environment for trees: Limited opening in brick/concrete for rainwater, salt in wintertime, and poor dirt/poor fertialization. Let's hope the brick-free dirt opening in the ground is big and fertilized and watered enough to sustain the trees, rather than a tight brickaround that prevents rainwater from getting to these trees... Let's also consider road salt, since front of Union has many curbs removed, and sidewalks may be salted, so salty water may flow more freely. Do they even have a modified de-icing plan in front of Union to avoid salt? I've seen MANY trees die in downtown Toronto in impermeable waterproof brick going all the way to almost touching the trunk. Other cities do a better job making sure trees survive on their roads. Including cities with weather similar to Toronto. Betting 10-to-1 that at least 1 tree will die within 12 months. And after that, then betting 3-to-1, an ugly looking stump will persist in the ground for at least 12 months, not being replaced immediately. A lot of construction crew don't know anything about all the above. An aborist needs to supervise such flagship trees!

Good looking trees though!

Hoping that a good aborist is being involved, to maximize the chance of tree survival! (Not just during PanAm)
 
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did they finish construction of the road yet? or is it still not done? thanks

No, it's still down to one lane, eastbound from University/York to Bay (which means the University/York/Front intersection is a bit of a circus, still). It involves part of the south side and part of the north side ... still some work going on under the road/sidewalk here and there.
 
Let's hope they plant these new Front Street trees quickly...so they survive past PanAm. These need all the help they can get.

These kill street trees:
- small dirt openings in brick (too little water)
- poor dirt (not enough fertilization)
- salt during winter

It's a very hostile environment for trees: Limited opening in brick/concrete for rainwater, salt in wintertime, and poor dirt/poor fertialization. Let's hope the brick-free dirt opening in the ground is big and fertilized and watered enough to sustain the trees, rather than a tight brickaround that prevents rainwater from getting to these trees... Let's also consider road salt, since front of Union has many curbs removed, and sidewalks may be salted, so salty water may flow more freely. Do they even have a modified de-icing plan in front of Union to avoid salt? I've seen MANY trees die in downtown Toronto in impermeable waterproof brick going all the way to almost touching the trunk. Other cities do a better job making sure trees survive on their roads. Including cities with weather similar to Toronto. Betting 10-to-1 that at least 1 tree will die within 12 months. And after that, then betting 3-to-1, an ugly looking stump will persist in the ground for at least 12 months, not being replaced immediately. A lot of construction crew don't know anything about all the above. An aborist needs to supervise such flagship trees!

Good looking trees though!

Hoping that a good aborist is being involved, to maximize the chance of tree survival! (Not just during PanAm)

They've used silva cells on the north side of front so good chance these will survive. People will also like the nice substantial and somewhat ornate black grates and surrounds that will protect these trees.
 

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