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+--- Thread: Q Condos (20 Queen St N) | 34 fl | Proposed (/showthread.php?tid=1546)
RE: Q Condos (20 Queen St N) | 34 fl | Proposed - jeffster - 06-02-2021
(06-01-2021, 10:31 PM)Lebronj23 Wrote: I’m wondering what the fuss with interior preservation is all about. A lot of Toronto heritage preservations are stripped down to the bones except for one or two exterior walls. This gets approval without question. Never the less, I hope this isn’t an issue here
We have lost a lot of ‘good’ buildings because of heritage rules. The city will end up being the owner, do the absolute minimum to keep it to some sort of standard, then eventually, it gets condemned.
The developer here has great intentions, and is keeping th facade (so the look and feel) so heritage folks should be happy with this, but apparently they are not.
RE: Q Condos (20 Queen St N) | 34 fl | Proposed - ac3r - 06-02-2021
The heritage committee has voted to designate the current building at 20 Queen N a heritage property, so we'll have to see how this impacts the proposed condo, if at all: https://outline.com/r7vKxA
RE: Q Condos (20 Queen St N) | 34 fl | Proposed - Acitta - 06-02-2021
(06-01-2021, 09:25 PM)nms Wrote: Seen from above, the current building has an H-shaped footprint and is appears to be the result of one if not two additions. Beyond the portion that immediately fronts Queen St, I wonder how much of the rear portion has the fine woodworking interior.Why do downtown condo owners need parking? It is a 5 minute walk to the ION stations and several bus routes.
I also wonder what condo owners in the building will do once the Duke St parking garage reaches capacity. Will it be a cat-and-mouse game of parking in a non-8 Queen designated spot and hoping that you're not ticketed? Will the Museum be able to handle the drop in car traffic from visitors?
RE: Q Condos (20 Queen St N) | 34 fl | Proposed - ijmorlan - 06-02-2021
(06-02-2021, 03:36 PM)Acitta Wrote:(06-01-2021, 09:25 PM)nms Wrote: Seen from above, the current building has an H-shaped footprint and is appears to be the result of one if not two additions. Beyond the portion that immediately fronts Queen St, I wonder how much of the rear portion has the fine woodworking interior.Why do downtown condo owners need parking? It is a 5 minute walk to the ION stations and several bus routes.
I also wonder what condo owners in the building will do once the Duke St parking garage reaches capacity. Will it be a cat-and-mouse game of parking in a non-8 Queen designated spot and hoping that you're not ticketed? Will the Museum be able to handle the drop in car traffic from visitors?
The real question is why we insist on not letting the market work in parking as it does in other areas. Not saying we always want the market outcome, but if parking becomes scarce the price should go up. This is basic economics. Then we don’t have to ask why condo dwellers want parking — if they want it, they pay for it. I don’t wonder (except idly) why other people at the grocery store have particular items in their shopping carts.
RE: Q Condos (20 Queen St N) | 34 fl | Proposed - jeffster - 06-02-2021
(06-02-2021, 03:36 PM)Acitta Wrote:(06-01-2021, 09:25 PM)nms Wrote: Seen from above, the current building has an H-shaped footprint and is appears to be the result of one if not two additions. Beyond the portion that immediately fronts Queen St, I wonder how much of the rear portion has the fine woodworking interior.Why do downtown condo owners need parking? It is a 5 minute walk to the ION stations and several bus routes.
I also wonder what condo owners in the building will do once the Duke St parking garage reaches capacity. Will it be a cat-and-mouse game of parking in a non-8 Queen designated spot and hoping that you're not ticketed? Will the Museum be able to handle the drop in car traffic from visitors?
Lots of reasons. Not every workplace is close to reliable transit. Not everyone has the same work schedule as the transit either. But obviously if you're buying a condo like this, you need to be thinking if you can rely on transit solely, or other methods (like walking, biking).
Ideally, you work close, or at least on the mainline, and have no need for a car. Ideally.
RE: Q Condos (20 Queen St N) | 34 fl | Proposed - Acitta - 06-03-2021
(06-02-2021, 07:53 PM)jeffster Wrote:If you have a car, you don't need to live right downtown. I moved to Kitchener 20 years ago specifically because it was affordable to live close to downtown and use public transit and bicycle to get around.(06-02-2021, 03:36 PM)Acitta Wrote: Why do downtown condo owners need parking? It is a 5 minute walk to the ION stations and several bus routes.
Lots of reasons. Not every workplace is close to reliable transit. Not everyone has the same work schedule as the transit either. But obviously if you're buying a condo like this, you need to be thinking if you can rely on transit solely, or other methods (like walking, biking).
Ideally, you work close, or at least on the mainline, and have no need for a car. Ideally.
RE: Q Condos (20 Queen St N) | 34 fl | Proposed - tomh009 - 06-03-2021
(06-03-2021, 12:18 AM)Acitta Wrote:(06-02-2021, 07:53 PM)jeffster Wrote: Lots of reasons. Not every workplace is close to reliable transit. Not everyone has the same work schedule as the transit either. But obviously if you're buying a condo like this, you need to be thinking if you can rely on transit solely, or other methods (like walking, biking).
Ideally, you work close, or at least on the mainline, and have no need for a car. Ideally.
If you have a car, you don't need to live right downtown. I moved to Kitchener 20 years ago specifically because it was affordable to live close to downtown and use public transit and bicycle to get around.
Right. And, conversely, if you want to live downtown and drive a car, you should choose a building that provides parking (or has other parking available nearby).
RE: Q Condos (20 Queen St N) | 34 fl | Proposed - Joedelay Highhoe - 06-03-2021
(06-03-2021, 12:18 AM)Acitta Wrote:(06-02-2021, 07:53 PM)jeffster Wrote: Lots of reasons. Not every workplace is close to reliable transit. Not everyone has the same work schedule as the transit either. But obviously if you're buying a condo like this, you need to be thinking if you can rely on transit solely, or other methods (like walking, biking).If you have a car, you don't need to live right downtown. I moved to Kitchener 20 years ago specifically because it was affordable to live close to downtown and use public transit and bicycle to get around.
Ideally, you work close, or at least on the mainline, and have no need for a car. Ideally.
I've lived downtown for at least half of my life, and I work in Cambridge. I used to take the bus to work (about an hour each way) for about 5 years after I graduated. Now I have a car (15-20 minutes each way). I don't need to live downtown, but I want to live downtown, and my quality of life is way better with a car. I go on road trips, play golf, drive to work, drive family members around, visit people out of town, camping trips, hiking trips, etc. I also walk and bike around my neighborhood, go to the market, cruise the iron horse, sit on patios, visit nearby friends, etc. I wouldn't buy a downtown condo without a parking space for the previously mentioned reasons.
RE: Q Condos (20 Queen St N) | 34 fl | Proposed - timio - 06-03-2021
The inside is nice, but likely requires a great deal of work to make it useful should any renovation be required. Natural light into the space isn't great and I'm assuming there's a bunch of fun surprises hiding behind the walls. the footprint isn't very practical for modern use. It's fine for the practitioners that use it now, but if they move out, it would likely need some re-jigging to fit any other uses.
RE: Q Condos (20 Queen St N) | 34 fl | Proposed - Coke6pk - 06-03-2021
(06-02-2021, 03:25 PM)ac3r Wrote: The heritage committee has voted to designate the current building at 20 Queen N a heritage property, so we'll have to see how this impacts the proposed condo, if at all: https://outline.com/r7vKxA
If the committee is so concerned about this property, why is it only designating it after a proposal has been made?
Is this normal, or do they go door to door in neighborhoods trying to make everything designated?
Coke
RE: Q Condos (20 Queen St N) | 34 fl | Proposed - IronDev - 06-03-2021
https://www.therecord.com/opinion/community-editorial-board/2021/06/03/elitist-heritage-debates-do-nothing-to-improve-our-community.html
Someone needs to get this in front of Debbie Chapman. All these crazies are accomplishing is eliminating the ability of future generations to appreciate the building. I see this going the way of Mayfair/Barra if they don't become reasonable
RE: Q Condos (20 Queen St N) | 34 fl | Proposed - ac3r - 06-03-2021
(06-03-2021, 01:55 PM)IronDev Wrote: https://www.therecord.com/opinion/community-editorial-board/2021/06/03/elitist-heritage-debates-do-nothing-to-improve-our-community.html
Someone needs to get this in front of Debbie Chapman. All these crazies are accomplishing is eliminating the ability of future generations to appreciate the building. I see this going the way of Mayfair/Barra if they don't become reasonable
Great piece. I think she, naturally, may not fully understand the purpose of preserving old buildings and the merits in doing so, but she has great points by mentioning how it's often an elitist process and goal. She also says what I think more people should be saying: we desperately need more homes, affordable (or obtainable, as she puts it) or otherwise, because one of the core issues in our national housing crisis is a lack of obtainable homes. There just are not enough.
Protect what we can, but also build what we can and do not let elitist attitudes get in the way.
RE: Q Condos (20 Queen St N) | 34 fl | Proposed - tomh009 - 06-03-2021
(06-03-2021, 03:12 PM)ac3r Wrote:(06-03-2021, 01:55 PM)IronDev Wrote: https://www.therecord.com/opinion/community-editorial-board/2021/06/03/elitist-heritage-debates-do-nothing-to-improve-our-community.html
Someone needs to get this in front of Debbie Chapman. All these crazies are accomplishing is eliminating the ability of future generations to appreciate the building. I see this going the way of Mayfair/Barra if they don't become reasonable
Great piece. I think she, naturally, may not fully understand the purpose of preserving old buildings and the merits in doing so, but she has great points by mentioning how it's often an elitist process and goal. She also says what I think more people should be saying: we desperately need more homes, affordable (or obtainable, as she puts it) or otherwise, because one of the core issues in our national housing crisis is a lack of obtainable homes. There just are not enough.
Protect what we can, but also build what we can and do not let elitist attitudes get in the way.
And her point is that the interior (of a private building) is not visible or accessible to the public -- so why is that more valuable to the residents of the city than the community arts space?
RE: Q Condos (20 Queen St N) | 34 fl | Proposed - ac3r - 06-03-2021
(06-03-2021, 04:09 PM)tomh009 Wrote:(06-03-2021, 03:12 PM)ac3r Wrote: Great piece. I think she, naturally, may not fully understand the purpose of preserving old buildings and the merits in doing so, but she has great points by mentioning how it's often an elitist process and goal. She also says what I think more people should be saying: we desperately need more homes, affordable (or obtainable, as she puts it) or otherwise, because one of the core issues in our national housing crisis is a lack of obtainable homes. There just are not enough.
Protect what we can, but also build what we can and do not let elitist attitudes get in the way.
And her point is that the interior (of a private building) is not visible or accessible to the public -- so why is that more valuable to the residents of the city than the community arts space?
Yeah, exactly. Whether it's this or beautiful concert hall, her point seems to be that it's important to balance value. A venue she may never get a chance to enter outweighs one she and all members of the community could utilize.
RE: Q Condos (20 Queen St N) | 34 fl | Proposed - Spokes - 06-03-2021
(06-03-2021, 01:31 PM)Coke6pk Wrote:(06-02-2021, 03:25 PM)ac3r Wrote: The heritage committee has voted to designate the current building at 20 Queen N a heritage property, so we'll have to see how this impacts the proposed condo, if at all: https://outline.com/r7vKxA
If the committee is so concerned about this property, why is it only designating it after a proposal has been made?
Is this normal, or do they go door to door in neighborhoods trying to make everything designated?
Coke
Because we can't become Toronto
