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someMidTowner

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http://app.toronto.ca/DevelopmentAp...ion=init&folderRsn=3873994&isCofASearch=false

1025 THE QUEENSWAY
Ward 05 - Etob. York District

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Proposed amendments to the Etobicoke Zoning Code (Site Specific By-law No. 514-2003) to permit a mixed use development on the northern portion of the site with 4 residential apartments (three 12-storey buildings and one 20-storey building for a total of 588 residential units) with commercial at grade, an open space area, and an underground parking garage.
Proposed Use Mixed Use # of Storeys 20 # of Units 588
Applications:
Type Number Date Submitted Status
Rezoning 15 264792 WET 05 OZ Dec 14, 2015 Under Review

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Wow, this is for the giant parking lot right in front of the Cineplex Queensway cinema. Great news.
 
I assume the 20-storey building is being proposed for the corner of Islington and The Queensway where the Milestone's is right now, and that the three 12-storey buildings will replace the Montana's, the Kelsey's, and the Scotiabank. What I'm most curious about is how far into the Cineplex parking lot the proposals will go, and whether the south side of the proposals will be treated like a new street edge, or whether the parking lots will just kick in right away. Plus, how big will the open space be, and how big underground garage be? I can't imagine that, at least initially, all of the surface parking would disappear. That would be too good to true.

The restaurants are all quite successful as is the Cineplex, and I believe it's still considered the chain's flagship location in fact. I'd love for this site to gradually morph into a version of The Shops At Don Mills, but with better integrated residential… so we shall see. Here's hoping for something adventurous and ambitious.

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Despite its massiveness, that parking lot is always overflowing with cars. Went to see a movie there a few months ago and it took us 20 minutes to find a spot. I'd guess any parking that this development eats up would be replaced underground.
 
So it seems like Queensway is becoming a development hot spot. Are there any plans for higher order transit to serve all of this development? I think Queensway would be an amazing candidate for a system like VIVA.

Otherwise, I expect traffic is going to be an absolute disaster in this area.
 
At one time, I would have liked to see a Queensway streetcar/LRT median through Etobicoke, connecting to the 501 at Humber Loop, and I can still dream about it. Ideally, in my mind, both the 501 and the Queensway streetcar could terminate at a DRL station at Roncesvalles or somewhere in Parkdale.

Route 80, despite intensification already along the Queensway, is lightly traveled. Most transit ridership through there is north-south to and from the subway.
 
Route 80, despite intensification already along the Queensway, is lightly traveled. Most transit ridership through there is north-south to and from the subway.

I thought so, but figured better transit along Queensway itself would help reduce the need for parking, and help keep traffic at bay on Queensway, which is already pretty busy at times. The residents of these developments are going to need to go grocery shopping, visit the LCBO, go to restaurants, see movies etc. Queensway literally has it all, but the existing transit will just push people to drive instead, making it more difficult to remove parking/find existing parking.

Perhaps an East-West BRT that terminates at subway stops may be the answer for now?
 
While much of the Queensway is 6 lanes wide, there are 4 lane stretches that would require significant expropriation for either a BRT or LRT corridor through it, so there will be tough choices in the future.

A GO RER station in the Park Lawn/Humber Loop Area would be the obvious place for a new transit hub in the area, and could spur more ridership along the 80 route.

Meanwhile, Sobey's has plans for a new supermarket 1 block west of this site, so groceries would be walkable for anyone moving in here.

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A streetcar could operate in an ROW where widths allow and in mixed traffic where they do not. No need for expropriation along the narrower stretches east of Royal York (which, coincidentally, are some of the only pedestrian friendly and walkable lengths along the whole Queensway).
 
Meanwhile, Sobey's has plans for a new supermarket 1 block west of this site, so groceries would be walkable for anyone moving in here.

LCBO across the street, Cineplex in the back and a Costco a few blocks east. A walkability score of....?
 
A streetcar could operate in an ROW where widths allow and in mixed traffic where they do not. No need for expropriation along the narrower stretches east of Royal York (which, coincidentally, are some of the only pedestrian friendly and walkable lengths along the whole Queensway).

For goodness sake, there are 3 ramps to the Gardiner Expwy on that run, couldn't this thing just get buried,
are we still living in the 80s here in TO:eek:
 
I'd love for this site to gradually morph into a version of The Shops At Don Mills, but with better integrated residential… so we shall see. Here's hoping for something adventurous and ambitious.
I agree 100% with this, but I have a feeling that if these developments go through (which they most likely will since the city is trying to intensify The Queensway), any chance at seeing that style of development will be pretty unlikely. It doesnt seem like there is a master plan for the site as a whole, so development will just be patchwork here.

In regards to transit on The Queensway itself, it is pathetic and everyone knows it. The 80 bus is a joke and everyone avoids it in favor of the north-south routes (ie: 110 and 44) to connect with the subway. There are no plans for LRT, BRT or even improved bus service west of the Humber River. The earliest you would even be able to see BRT would be 7-10 years from now, and LRT would be at least 10 years away (due to the fact the neither mode of transit is actually planned for the stretch).

To be honest, I don't know how The Queensway and Gardiner will handle all the increased traffic once Queensway is intensified.
 

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