Toronto Wellesley on the Park | 194.15m | 60s | Lanterra | KPMB

^ 880 Bay has gone through the planning stages - the project will be put on hold for 4-5 years prior to construction (i.e. long-term project). A needs assessment at 11 Wellesley would likely come up with other potential uses then office (i.e. affordable housing, health related, civic, public, potential mixed-use partnerships with the private sector etc).
 
Here's what would work well at that location:

1)Ground floor: cafe+101st TPL branch
2)2nd-4th floors: new alternative public high school for at risk youth
2)5th-7th floors: new welfare etc offices to replace those dated ones at Wellesley E and Church
3)8th-10th floors: public medical/dental etc offices
4)11th-50th floors: TCHC housing

That would really piss off those Bay St snotty condo owners the most, and we all know gov't loves doing that! :D

Why it won't happen: the gov't lacks common sense! They want to make life harder for the poor, so scatter seemingly related services around the city.
 
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urbandreamer said:
Here's what would work well at that location:

1)Ground floor: cafe+101st TPL branch
2)2nd-4th floors: new alternative public high school for at risk youth
2)5th-7th floors: new welfare etc offices to replace those dated ones at Wellesley E and Church
3)8th-10th floors: public medical/dental etc offices
4)11th-50th floors: TCHC housing

That would really piss off those Bay St snotty condo owners the most, and we all know gov't loves doing that! :D

Why it won't happen: the gov't lacks common sense! They want to make life harder for the poor, so scatter seemingly related services around the city.
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Pissing off snotty Bay Street condo owners aside, you support ghettoizing low income earners?
 
I'd like to see a urban park similar to Byrant Park in NYC. Only I'd have it go all the way to Yonge street. This would turn the southwest corner of Yonge and Wellesely into one of Toronto's most vibrant intersections. See attached pic.
 

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TCHC is rent-geared to income. I support making life easier for the poor. Years ago (as a student) I was poor and needed access to some of these services, it was frustrating (when you're poor ttc tokens are used sparingly) how one office would be downtown, another out in parkdale, another at Yonge and Eglinton, etc. It was like they were purposely trying to make it hard to get assistance. So if you combine all these services with residential, school and a library, (and ideally, a cheap grocery store) you are actually doing the poor a jolly good deed indeed! Being right by the subway, close to other gov't services, close to many jobs downtown, close to UofT and Rye High, my vision for the site is ideal!
 
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urbandreamer said:
TCHC is rent-geared to income. I support making life easier for the poor. Years ago (as a student) I was poor and needed access to some of these services, it was frustrating (when you're poor ttc tokens are used sparingly) how one office would be downtown, another out in parkdale, another at Yonge and Eglinton, etc. It was like they were purposely trying to make it hard to get assistance. So if you combine all these services with residential, school and a library, (and ideally, a cheap grocery store) you are actually doing the poor a jolly good deed indeed! Being right by the subway, close to other gov't services, close to many jobs downtown, close to UofT and Rye High, my vision for the site is ideal!
Click to expand...

I agree 100% with affordable and subsidized housing, make no mistake about it but I strongly believe that mixed income neighbourhoods work best. Your point is well taken about government services being hard to get to which can be especially difficult for those living independently with psychological problems, drug/alcohol issues, the elderly and those who are physical challenged. Perhaps smaller satellite support offices scattered strategically around town would be the better way to solve the problem of access to services. If they can put a dry cleaner and coffee shop into every condo being built why not use some of those smaller spaces for government support offices instead of big sprawling offices such as the one at Wellesley & Jarvis?
 
Hey, if you can have a hostel of all places, in the entertainment district..then you sure can have a welfare office, TCHC living, resi-school and library, cheap grocery store, etc etc. etc. at Wellesley and Yonge.
 
toto said:
I'd like to see a urban park similar to Byrant Park in NYC. Only I'd have it go all the way to Yonge street. This would turn the southwest corner of Yonge and Wellesely into one of Toronto's most vibrant intersections. See attached pic.
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And destroy a large swath of the successful heritage retail strip along Yonge? Right.
 
Towered said:
And destroy a large swath of the successful heritage retail strip along Yonge? Right.
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Successful? Maybe. Heritage retail? See pics. I still would rather see a nice park ala Bryant with a few outdoor patio eateries. Althought I will concede, it might be way out of place considering the neighbourhood. Too much of an improvement, might be a bad thing.
 

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toto said:
Successful? Maybe. Heritage retail? See pics. I still would rather see a nice park ala Bryant with a few outdoor patio eateries. Althought I will concede, it might be way out of place considering the neighbourhood. Too much of an improvement, might be a bad thing.
Click to expand...

Below are true representations of the heritage buildings that you would like to see block-busted; diamonds in the rough.

Click on the thumbnail to enlarge, then click again on the image for full size.

 
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Automation Gallery said:
Why do i get the feeling that only Ryerson can do that with no complaints.
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Luckily we have a new City Councillor in Ward 27, Kristyn Wong-Tam. She ran, in part, on hertiage preservation issues which is a considerable change in philosophy than her predecessor who was very pro-developer - not a bad thing of course, where appropriate.
 
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