The Hub | 44m | 14fl | Complete

[firex]

Also, just did some digging up top, and there are updated renders of this project:





Looks like they imposed a rendering model into actual photos of the site.

[tomh009]

"Development charges of $66 million were expected to be collected this year. Between Aug. 1, 2014 and July 31 just $38 million has been collected"

Where is the uncollected development charges... in default or collected at another time, or...?

Or projects delayed and not started yet.  I expect the $66M was just a forecast.

[notmyfriends]

Not a fan of the update compared to the original

[rangersfan]

Looks like they drained good amounts of creativity out of the design for the new renders.

[tomh009]

Looks like they drained good amounts of creativity out of the design for the new renders.

Personally ... I think the new concept is fairly similar to the original, the angled glass is still there, the brown brick trim is still there, the basic layouts look similar.  What they have done is tone it down some, and from my point of view, it still looks very good.  Certainly far, far superior to the student buildings on King Street.

[Spokes]

Looks like they drained good amounts of creativity out of the design for the new renders.

Personally ... I think the new concept is fairly similar to the original, the angled glass is still there, the brown brick trim is still there, the basic layouts look similar.  What they have done is tone it down some, and from my point of view, it still looks very good.  Certainly far, far superior to the student buildings on King Street.

That's what I'm seeing too.  Massing and a lot of design elements are unchanged, but it just seems a little more bland.  Could just be the colouring of the render.

Could be better, could be worse.

[REnerd]

I would rename this development from "The Hub" to "The Projects".

I don't like the 'inward focus' of the design. Street interaction is very limited as it surrounds other buildings. All those buildings along Columbia will look really silly dwarfed by the buildings behind them.

[tomh009]

I would rename this development from "The Hub" to "The Projects".  

I don't like the 'inward focus' of the design.  Street interaction is very limited as it surrounds other buildings.  All those buildings along Columbia will look really silly dwarfed by the buildings behind them.

But they don't own the properties on Columbia, so they can't very well incorporate those into the design.  I expect those properties will get developed at a later date, probably to a lower-rise mixed use.

In the meantime, I'm still happy with this -- assuming that it goes ahead, of course.  (I'm sure it'll be multiple phases in any case.)

[The85]

Looks like they drained good amounts of creativity out of the design for the new renders.

A lot of times when developers work through more detail design and site plan approvals with municipal staff, by no choice of their own, design elements need to be modified. This could be due to engineering requirements/realities or because more money than anticipated needs to go to some other less visible aspect of the project at the municipality's request, such as stormwater management or tree protection.

[tomh009]

Looks like they drained good amounts of creativity out of the design for the new renders.

A lot of times when developers work through more detail design and site plan approvals with municipal staff, by no choice of their own, design elements need to be modified. This could be due to engineering requirements/realities or because more money than anticipated needs to go to some other less visible aspect of the project at the municipality's request, such as stormwater management or tree protection.

And the original renders may at times be done by an architect only, before having worked with the structural engineers.  An engineering sanity check often reveals either impractical or very costly design elements that need to revised.  (Of course the level of revisions is highly dependent on the experience and adventurousness of the individual architect.)

[rangersfan]

The region has decided not to defer the development charges for this project :


http://m.therecord.com/news-story/618100...oo-project

[tomh009]

The region has decided not to defer the development charges for this project :

http://therecord.com/news-story/6181007-...oo-project

I agree with the region's decision.  But this line in the news item is misleading: "To allow the deferral, taxpayers would have to cover the development charge cost until Prica Group paid the money back. "

There is no "development charge cost" as such.  What the region would need to do is delay the development charge income, and possibly get additional financing if the the charges were deferred.

[Markster]

I'd consider that close enough for reporting to the general public.

[Pheidippides]

   
   
   
   
   

[rangersfan]

It looks like development is proceeding? The last news we had was the developer was holding out for a tax or development charges hold.