On Dundas Street between University Ave (St. Patrick station) and Yonge St (Dundas station) there are two blocks on the south side of the street that offer great opportunities for future high rises.
Looking down Dundas from University towards Yonge:
and from the other direction at the same site:
And one block further east looking down Dundas towards Yonge:
and from the other direction:
The location is ideal because of how close it is to two subway stops, as well as its proximity to a major retail centre - Eaton Centre and Yonge-Dundas Square. It is also located on a streetcar line. While these buildings are certainly old, they do not offer certain aesthetic beauty that the buildings on the northside of the street (one block further east) offer:
The two blocks of 2 story buildings should be redeveloped into midrise to tall buildings (15-30 stories) because the neighborhood can support that level of densification in terms of transit and and amenities. The ground floor should contain retail as is currently the case. Because of the tight space available, the buildings will be pushed all the way to the sidewalk, keeping the urban dynamic of the street intact. The base should be about 4 stories tall and the main towers would ideally be fairly skinny, and should possible be placed at an angle to allow for proper light to go between the buildings to the south.
For the towers, a blended use of some office space, as well as residential would be ideal. The city would benefit from some added social housing (3 bedroom units) in the highrises as well. As the city grows it needs to make sure that its working poor are not pushed further into the outskirts of the city. The city benefits from a blend of uses and people from various socio-economic statuses to create a vibrant city centre.
The neighborhood could use a grocery store, but presumably one of the new developments on this strip would contain one. The only major element missing in this burgeoning neighborhood is a park. There are some surface parking lots just north of Dundas in this area and that area would allow for potential greenspace. The city should be able to secure enough section 37 money from the theoretical developers of these two blocks to add park space to a concrete area.
Just down the street from this area of potential redevelopment is one of my favourite new condos in the city, One City Hall:
This building has fantastic scale and relationship with the street. Construction is almost finished and soon retail should occupy the ground level. In Saturday's Toronto Star, this building and area was also given a very positive review.
Right next to this building on Bay Street will be phase two, currently projected to be 50 stories:
This street and neighborhood is rapidly changing. The city has an incredible opportunity to grow right in the middle of its core.
