scarberiankhatru
Senior Member
If 'meh' is what you all want for the site where our main street meets the waterfront, you certainly won't be disappointed with Pier 27.
If - as the City proposes - they buy 35 street meat carts, perhaps some of them can be parked on the promenade south of Pier 27 from time to time? Then, the poor souls who can't make it a few metres along the waterfront without hoovering down sustenance, can receive succour.
My second proposal contrasts the first in that it does not propose any retail. On the 'Great East Lawn' a small podium/stage could provide a space for impromptu concerts. These could either be open for the public to perform, or run on a schedule, organized by either Pier27 itself, or the city (probably the latter). I was inspired when I visited New York where such concerts are common. While Toronto has a relatively active busking scene, sometimes I'm left...wanting more...out of my urban Toronto acoustic experience. New York's (I know I'm going to get blasted for this comparison) concerts benefited from their...'guerrilla' nature; an experience rarely felt outside Kensington, in Toronto.
Well worded, excellent post.
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About Pier27,
I believe there are two alternatives.
When retail has been considered in the nether regions of three pages ago, it is always been relegated to the realm of fast food, dry cleaning, convenience stores and other public conveniences. In a past post I referenced Jamie Kennedy as a potential candidate for the space at the foot of the mighty 'superblock.' While partially kidding at the time, the more I think about it, the more I'm intrigued by it. Why not line up a *relatively* high-profile chef and use the space as a 'boutique restaurant;' to quote developer jargon. The views would be spectacular and in appropriate weather a patio could further guests' culinary 'experience' (there I go with the jargon again).
My second proposal contrasts the first in that it does not propose any retail. On the 'Great East Lawn' a small podium/stage could provide a space for impromptu concerts. These could either be open for the public to perform, or run on a schedule, organized by either Pier27 itself, or the city (probably the latter). I was inspired when I visited New York where such concerts are common. While Toronto has a relatively active busking scene, sometimes I'm left...wanting more...out of my urban Toronto acoustic experience. New York's (I know I'm going to get blasted for this comparison) concerts benefited from their...'guerrilla' nature; an experience rarely felt outside Kensington, in Toronto.
From Building magazine: