4611 King St E | 30 & 25 fl | Proposed

[Bjays93]

I ultimately think it's a good thing that this proposal didn't go forward. This site is ripe for redevelopment, but what was submitted wasn't suitable for the area. 

The real issue is the city needs to step up and make major improvements for this site to be viable. Better public transit, sidewalks crossing under the 401 to Cambridge, the highway 8 WB ramps are sorely needed. 

I'd much rather see medium density/midrise housing here. There really is a huge missing middle problem across Ontario.

We've had this chicken + egg debate for a while, do you build the infrastructure first or the housing? At this point, lots of people are sick of waiting for the answer and proposing whatever they can fit on available land. My summary is that the province (and by extension, cities) don't want to build any services unless their arms are fully twisted - and if they have to, they'd prefer the developer somehow footed the bill for the initial build.

Either way, the current state of sidewalks is the most damning part of this whole "neighbourhood". Lots of people, some of them even called professionals, looked at this road during the latest rebuild and resurfacing and never noticed the tracks in the mud left from people who walk here every day and have for years. I suspect the MTO's usual callous and anti-pedestrian hands are all over this failure.

I mean, I think the LRT is a pretty good example of build the infrastructure first and the development will come flooding it. It doesn't even have to be built, you just need to know it's coming. I think there are times where it is also fair for the inverse, build the housing first, and the infrastructure will follow naturally. But there is a minimum level of infrastructure necessary for a building to be feasible. 

Obviously an extreme example, but if you put a 30 story high rise in the middle of a farmers field, you can't say, ohh we build the building and the roads and utilities will come later. 

Ensuring that the residents of this building can at minimum walk around the neighbourhood is a must imo.