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Showcase Building on Carlaw
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Cooper on -
"As for the view, I just feel bad for whoever does buy in the building I am renting in, as a lot of people were told by realtors that nothing would ever go up in that lot."
LOL. You gotta love realtors. I wish more of them would encourage their clients to research the zonings and permits around their prospective homes before making offers. It would save folks from disappointments down the road. I learned that lesson the hard way.
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Permalink Reply by Ara Mamourian on -
Alright Cooper, let's not turn this in to a Realtor bashing session. We are professionals that are bound by a strict code of ethics. I guess I can only speak for my self but I know most of the active realtors in the area and none of them would every stoop so low as to flat out lie to a client. We simply don't do that! I'm sorry that you've had such bad luck with Realtors but the majority of us are honest, hard working professionals that are excellent service providers not snake oil salesmen.
Anyone with two brain cells (realtor or not) knows that there was going to be a development there and a simple phone call to the local planner would have answered that question. Good Realtors always ensure that their clients are informed and if a Realtor knows about a development and does not disclose or even fails to research it for a client then that realtor is considered to be negligent and the public does have recourse against negligent realtors. So if you know of people that have seriously been lied to and can prove it then they should be encourage to file an official complaint.
Also, the printing factory is not really affected by the development unless people value the view to the North West of the ugly apartment buildings. The Garment factory at 233 Carlaw is severely affected as people below the 7th floor will have their West view completely blocked. Anyone who bought there would have known that. I live on the 8th floor and knew that before I bought (thank goodness my view is safe!!!).
Let's keep this thread relevant and not let it go off on some realtor bashing tangent please and thank you.
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Permalink Reply by Nancy on -
Ara, the thread will become whatever it becomes. This is a community site.
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Permalink Reply by John L on -
Ara, you can't say "I can only speak for myself" and then speak about the other active realtors in the area. You may be the greatest guy in the business (I don't know) but there are plenty of snake oil salesmen in every business, including realtors in Leslieville. We bought our house from one. We love our agent, but the guy on the other side was a snake (with apologies to actual snakes... who can be quite nice.)
Back to the design: congratulations on everyone who put time and energy into getting the design changed. While the new design isn't going to win a Pug award, it won't make me weep as I walk by.
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Permalink Reply by Cooper on
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Hey Ara. I take it back. My comment was meant jokingly, but a cheap shot is still a cheap shot. Apologies. But I'm sure you agree with the point that home buyers should look at zonings and permits for surrounding properties before making offers.
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Permalink Reply by Marla Good on -
Regarding community gardens/dog parks and density - not to derail too much:
Community gardens:
There is a community garden (not an allottment garden) off the laneway behind the IZone lofts, at the north end of the row of Nathalie townhouses on their side of the chain link fence. A few years ago, an neighbourhood boy of about 12 years old worked with Paula's office to raise funds to install it, and it was a lovely photo op in one of the small papers. It's gone a bit feral since, but it's still there. Same with the one at the top of Boston, that curved around the corner from Dundas. Once again - one burst of effort from the community, a nice blurb or two and some rah! rah! - then neglect. Everyone says they want community gardens, but you have to have enough committed people to maintain them for years after and people who will keep working with the city to milk whatever support they'll give.
Carlaw & Gerrard Parkette was supposed to have a community garden feature in the southwest corner, but that never happened after they cleared trees (which were supposed to have been used to contain the soil), fenced it as tendered and dumped the wood chips. We'd had it plotted out and had people who were interested in doing square-foot gardening in a pattern of raised beds that would allow access from all four sides and had started the process - but whomever took over the design of that park ignored those wishes and completed the park with no regard to the plans the Dog Owner's Association was asked by Paula to work on. The cage fencing and gates were supposed to have been re-used to protect it from the dogs, but it's all long-gone now and four of the couples who were going to maintain it have since moved.
Here is the city's page on starting community gardens: http://www.toronto.ca/parks/engagement/community-gardens/community_...
The main issue with having any sort of community garden to do with the new development is going to be water access. If, as part of being good neighbours, they would consider adding a tap close enough that the John Chang neighbourhood park could be better maintained, with effort from those who use it, that would be a VERY GOOD THING. Our neighbours at 51 Colgate, Jan and Ed, often run their hose across the street to do their best, but they can't do enough. Since that park was supposed to be "the buffer" from the development, and now people love the park so much there's demand for a buffer from the buffer - it may not hurt to ask what could happen to improve the park's conditions. I'd like to see the row of five trees that used to run along the laneway put back. They died within the first and second year they were there, likely due to lack of water.
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Dog parks:
At the redevelopment meeting for Jimmie Simpson last year, the issue of how many dog parks are proposed for this area was covered. Neither Jimmie Simpson nor DeGrassi will not get an official dog park because of the ones mentioned above. There was one proposed for a little bit west of here - near Boulton, I think - but I don't know what became of that because it's not convenient to us so I didn't follow up. There's also Hideaway, though that's tiny and stressed - - and Cherry Beach. Otherwise, no other parks in the neighbourhood were deemed suitable for noise/fencing/existing public use reasons, which was why the approvals for C&G as a dog park exclusively went through so quickly. While Jimmie Simpson is patrolled about once a week, I think, by bylaw officers, to my knowledge John Chang doesn't get dinged hardly at all. But, with the number of people from the new developments who'll likely use John Chang too, increasing the number who use it solely as their dogs' bathroom, it's likely the complaints from those surrounding it who detest that use for it will rise. And though I try not to be the neighbourhood crank, and support dogs in the park because it's by far better than what used to go on there (and am a dog owner myself) I'm already noticing that in this nice windows open for sleeping weather, that after 11, the noise from people and dogs gathering there is getting to be a bit much at times. For the record, the acoustics in the park at night are such that I can hear pretty much every conversation through my upstairs windows - I wonder about the people on Natalie? On DeGrassi at Bruce MacKey, the dog owners self-police and have made truces with the residents across from the parkette, and will ask people to keep voices down and keep their dogs from barking to keep the peace and so complaints aren't called in. I can only hope that the green space designed for the north face of the new development allows even just a little grassy area for people to relieve their dogs (no landscaping was specified), otherwise John Chang is going to be pretty sorry-looking as a result - the grass just can't take that much urine and wear without watering and better maintenance from Parks & Rec.
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On density:
As for the growth, one of the issues is that sure, as Denise kept stressing at the meeting, lots of "better" businesses are moving in due to this new density - but I say it's at the expense of some long-established ones. Is it better to have a shiny little place move in and only last a year or two, than it is to have one that may not be pretty, but has been here for a decade and employs people just as well? A lot of the new businesses come in speculating, but don't have the experience behind them that the long-established ones do. How about along the stretch between Pape and Jones, where over a half-dozen small retail businesses have gone due to rent increases/changes in foot traffic/changes in neighbourhod makeup over the last two or three years, only to have been replaced with others that were more transient. Same with the strip from DeGrassi to Broadview. Having a lot of people come in to the neighbourhood is great - having a lot of house-poor people who can't afford to shop in the neighbourhood stores that have been attracted here isn't. Having to wait for three or four full Queen streetcars to pass in the morning rush hour is not better for the neighbourhood. And, having 230 cars added to the traffic in this neighbourhood isn't better either, when the lights are timed so badly at Carlaw/Eastern and Carlaw/Queen and considering the construction and bike path, Carlaw/Dundas. Having a big shiny new Shoppers that still doesn't open until 9 and where, say, spices are now over $3 each is not necessarily better - having a Boston Discount Store where spices are $1.50 a pack and that my husband can pop into before work is what means we can actually use our neighbourhood, not just live in it. The city wants this density, as Paula said - but they don't seem to consider what life is like with it. (That came out more ranty than I meant it to - but after ten years of living and working here in the neighbourhood, I've seen a lot of changes.)
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I'm enjoying this discussion - thanks, neighbours!
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Permalink Reply by Louise on -
Just a quick update to your post above - the community garden at the upper end of the Natalie Place lane has been cleaned up and is being maintained by some neighbours.
I hate seeing the John Chang park being used as an off-leash park for dogs - when it clearly states on the signs that dogs must be leashed. Poop everywhere and the grass looks horrible. When we first moved into this neighbourhood I used to do an Easter egg hunt for my kids in that park - now we can't even walk thru the grass. It would be really nice if dog owners could follow the rules, keep their dogs on leashes and pick up the poop.
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Permalink Reply by Leslie Barns on
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Dog owners following the rules? Cmon. Green space is for raising animals in the City, isn't it? Gerrard & Carlaw is what...a 3 block walk. Does anybody expect a dog owner to walk their animal that far? I know one whining fool that posts here on the Leslieviller, about how commercial dog walkers allowed a dog to take his doggie's ball. That's outrageous! Taking people's balls.
What I find hilarious is that these people have back and front yards, yet they need to foul up parks that are designed for children and adults. I feel for Gaelic.
Carlaw & Dundas, folks. Use it, not the parks, not my garden, not on anybody else's property.
Density: Land owners are businesses as well. Market demands the rates. Leasehold improvements are made (Carlaw Carburators). Tasty Chicken, The Queen's Grill are both long established. Long establishment also should have the ability to survive. Competition and economic pressures do close businesses. If the demographics change, then the market will take over. You can sell your assets and move on. Not really sure what you mean by spices. Reasonable growth in this neighbourhood means thousands of new citizens all using the infrastructure. Not to mention the population that will move in at the foot of Bayview. And the new buildings down there that are currently going up. But this neighbourhood was ripe for some real change. Then when the Port Lands get developed...watch out.
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Permalink Reply by Simon on -
They had a little shiny-shovel groundbreaking ceremony at the Showcase site on the weekend. I'd heard that sales hadn't gone well, but the developer has deep pockets and doesn't need 80% or whatever to get started. Leslieville Lofthouses on the south side of Colgate is gearing up as well - George Popper told me that he expects to start construction in late March or early April.
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Permalink Reply by Ara Mamourian on
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They've also announced (two times) via email that construction has begun, come get the units before they're gone! BS!!!! The sales manager told me they have 55% of the units sold. Pathetic, it's a sin not to sell out in the East end.
The Lofthouses on the other hand are a nice little gem in a great hood will be nice to see them go up. Those two little retail spaces are an interesting feature.
Simon said:They had a little shiny-shovel groundbreaking ceremony at the Showcase site on the weekend. I'd heard that sales hadn't gone well, but the developer has deep pockets and doesn't need 80% or whatever to get started. Leslieville Lofthouses on the south side of Colgate is gearing up as well - George Popper told me that he expects to start construction in late March or early April.
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