1593 & 1603 Highland Rd W | 13 & 16 fl | Proposed

[westwardloo]

Not sure if a thread has been created for this or if it has been put in the general Suburban thread. This seems like a pretty significant development for the area. Not saying I am against it, but personally I would rather see this type redevelopment happen closer to the cores.

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.4229806,...a=!3m1!1e3

   

   

   

[danbrotherston]

Reminds me of this idiotic monstrosity at the edge of London:

https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.0143071,-...312!8i6656

The problem, IMO is not the location, but the failure to plan a community, there aren't even sidewalks...not only does this reinforce car dependency, it creates a safety issue, we've already seen one death on Highland Rd. as a direct result of the failure to have sidewalks, this just creates another 30 years of the same situation.

Basically, the city should actually plan communities including pedestrian, transit, etc. all present from day 1, they shouldn't be allowed to build a housing (of any type), without the right infra.

[jeffster]

I think it’s a good proposal. The region is changing Highland Rd in that area to include MUT’s by the time if/when it’s built. It’s also very close to Galena Towers, so it would fit in nicely with the neighbourhood.

[danbrotherston]

I think it’s a good proposal. The region is changing Highland Rd in that area to include MUT’s by the time if/when it’s built. It’s also very close to Galena Towers, so it would fit in nicely with the neighbourhood.

MUTs are planned for the eastern side of Ira Needles, I've seen no plans to expand them west of there.

[ijmorlan]

Reminds me of this idiotic monstrosity at the edge of London:

https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.0143071,-...312!8i6656

The problem, IMO is not the location, but the failure to plan a community, there aren't even sidewalks...not only does this reinforce car dependency, it creates a safety issue, we've already seen one death on Highland Rd. as a direct result of the failure to have sidewalks, this just creates another 30 years of the same situation.

Basically, the city should actually plan communities including pedestrian, transit, etc. all present from day 1, they shouldn't be allowed to build a housing (of any type), without the right infra.

I was going to say that bit of Britain looks very Canadian — then I clued in which London you meant.

Somehow, they’ve managed to build fairly high density housing in a way such that even if every other plot of land in the area is similarly developed it will still be hard to walk almost anywhere.

I’m actually OK with building stuff that seems out of place at first; but it should allow for nearby development to be easily walkable from it, and have a long-term direction that is much more friendly to non-motorists.

[Acitta]

If this development is permitted to go ahead, I see no reason why the region would not continue the MUTs along that section. I think that the future residents would expect it. After all, there is shopping within a short walking distance of the location.

[jeffster]

I think it’s a good proposal. The region is changing Highland Rd in that area to include MUT’s by the time if/when it’s built. It’s also very close to Galena Towers, so it would fit in nicely with the neighbourhood.

MUTs are planned for the eastern side of Ira Needles, I've seen no plans to expand them west of there.

It would be part of the development.

[Spokes]

It's a good looking project. The location isn't the most ideal, but that intersection is certainly growing

[nms]

Late to the party on this one. I'm not sure what I think about the trend to put outdoor amenity space several stories (or more) into the air. It does not lend itself well to casual interactions with people passing from the streetscape to the residential portion. If there were a pleasant plaza in front of the building, perhaps even something like café tables that were connected to a street facing café there would be more opportunities for community building.

[panamaniac]

Late to the party on this one.  I'm not sure what I think about the trend to put outdoor amenity space several stories (or more) into the air.  It does not lend itself well to casual interactions with people passing from the streetscape to the residential portion. If there were a pleasant plaza in front of the building, perhaps even something like café tables that were connected to a street facing café there would be more opportunities for community building.

Isn't the point precisely to avoid such "casual interactions".  Modern towers are simply vertical gated communities, no?

[tomh009]

To some extent, yes. But it also allows the developer to utilize space on top of the podium that would otherwise be wasted.

[ac3r]

Indeed, this lets the developer utilize otherwise unused space. Developers are running a business and this lets them offer some extras to generate more revenue. They especially have no interest in making these amenities accessible to the casual passing public. In fact, that's the draw for people who choose to live in such places - ultramodern condo, parking, security and private amenities you don't need to share with the plebeians. They're gated communities in the sky as someone said.

[danbrotherston]

MUTs are planned for the eastern side of Ira Needles, I've seen no plans to expand them west of there.

It would be part of the development.

This is a considerable distance away from Ira Needles, while it could be made part of the project for the developer to pay to construct MUTs in the right of way all the way to Ira Needles, it is by no means a given.

[danbrotherston]

If this development is permitted to go ahead, I see no reason why the region would not continue the MUTs along that section. I think that the future residents would expect it. After all, there is shopping within a short walking distance of the location.

There was no reason for the region not to build sidewalks or a MUT along the rest of Highland for 35 years...and yet here we are.

The region may act better today, but I'm not ready to trust them to do the right thing ... not by a long shot.

But that brings me to a bigger point...

Reminds me of this idiotic monstrosity at the edge of London:

https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.0143071,-...312!8i6656

The problem, IMO is not the location, but the failure to plan a community, there aren't even sidewalks...not only does this reinforce car dependency, it creates a safety issue, we've already seen one death on Highland Rd. as a direct result of the failure to have sidewalks, this just creates another 30 years of the same situation.

Basically, the city should actually plan communities including pedestrian, transit, etc. all present from day 1, they shouldn't be allowed to build a housing (of any type), without the right infra.

I was going to say that bit of Britain looks very Canadian — then I clued in which London you meant.

Somehow, they’ve managed to build fairly high density housing in a way such that even if every other plot of land in the area is similarly developed it will still be hard to walk almost anywhere.

I’m actually OK with building stuff that seems out of place at first; but it should allow for nearby development to be easily walkable from it, and have a long-term direction that is much more friendly to non-motorists.

Yes, sorry, being from London, I often don't remember to postfix it with ", ON". I'm not strictly opposed to building new, progressive, well planned, communities.

This is not that. Aside from the current state of affairs that makes walking literally impossible...(like death defyingly so)...this will NEVER be a building that has people not driving, it's far from the jobs in the city, there are no plans to ever offer high order transit here, and there is no plans to ever build a walkable community. There is a huge amount of parking, because there has to be, because the plan is for every single one of these people to drive everywhere forever.

This is just more car dependent sprawl, albeing one that generates more intense traffic.

If we were to say, grab a plot of land along a GO route, work with GO to build a station, and develop a dense walkable planned community around that station at say the outskirts of KW...I'd buy that as a positive part of the community.

This isn't it.

As panamaniac put it, it's just a vertical gated community, sprawl oriented.

And it makes sense there wouldn't be any street activation...there is nothing to activate...it's a busy (soon to be I'm sure 4 lane) road, nobody would ever walk there. Although it seems that gated communities are not the negative things I see them as to everyone. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hXLC323...yBeautiful)

[jeffster]

It would be part of the development.

This is a considerable distance away from Ira Needles, while it could be made part of the project for the developer to pay to construct MUTs in the right of way all the way to Ira Needles, it is by no means a given.

I don’t think it is that far. I haven’t measured it, but it looks to be 100 or 150 meters.