Canary District | Proposed | Pan Am Athletes Village

[current]

Their web site is accepting pre-sales registrations:

http://www.canarydistrictvip.com/?gc...FQYKKgodARvIGw

[Taller, Better]

I think that is going to be one fun area when the athletes move out...

[current]

I agree Taller, Better it is going to be a fun area to live with the Distillery District on one side, Don River Park on the other and East Bayfront to the south. The ground braking was today - Canada Newswire:

Ground-breaking event kicks off construction for first condominium in exciting new Canary District

CNW
May 15, 2012

TORONTO, May 15, 2012 /CNW/ - A team of award-winning architects, city officials and developer Dundee Kilmer Developments L.P. executives broke ground on Block 11, the first market condominium building of the Canary District to be constructed. Following the Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan Am Games, the area will transition from an Athletes' Village into Toronto's most ambitious city-building project in generations, with the cutting-edge residence rebranded as the Canary District Condominiums. Sales will begin in June, 2012....


...So, too, does the neighbourhood in which it's located. The Canary District features extensive pedestrian networks to ensure maximum walkability, open and transparent streetscapes, as well as large-scale building windows and balconies to offer a connection between residents living above and the bustle of streets below—a direct nod to the late Toronto urban planning visionary Jane Jacobs' 'eyes on the street' thesis. Street-level amenities will include retail stores, cafes and restaurants, as well as accessible community and recreational services at the base of residential buildings.

To connect the Canary District with the neighbouring Distillery District, materials such as masonry are being used at street-level, while a contemporary and modern design aesthetic has prevailed to exemplify the area's status as Toronto's most cutting-edge new community. The community's overall design maximizes green spaces throughout and meets LEED® Gold criteria, while honouring requirements of Toronto's Mandatory Green Building standard....


Read More: http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/9751...anary-district

[Taller, Better]

Wonder if the old namesake "Canary" diner will reopen as such at the end of it all? I used to love riding past it, and really wish I had stopped in for a burger or a Western sandwich while it was open.

[InTheBeach]

You know, I have been in the Canary a few times, but I don't think that I have ever actually eaten there.

[current]

The history of the Canary Restaurant building - Toronto Star article:
Is Toronto’s Newest Neighbourhood Named After a Yellow Bird?

Amy Dempsey
Staff Reporter
Wed May 30 2012

Long before it was a greasy spoon, the brick building that housed the Canary was the Palace Street School. Constructed in 1859, it is now the oldest surviving public school building in the city. The building spent a few years as a hotel starting in the late 1800s, first as the Irvine House, later as the Cherry Street Hotel and then the Eastern Star Hotel. In the mid-1960s, the Canary Restaurant crew moved in. Formerly at the corner of Dundas W. and University, the restaurant was redubbed the Canary Grill at its new location, though regulars continued to use the original name.

For years the harbourfront diner — run by the Vlahos family — catered to workers in the surrounding factories. It was a place where people spilled their problems over coffee, where taking your hat off to eat led people to suspect you were putting on uptown airs, and where you didn’t dare try to order vegetarian fare. The Canary’s kitschy diner atmosphere made it a popular period set for film producers. In the 1980s, many of the factories were torn down to make way for the planned Ataratiri development. The diner itself was almost flattened, but the building escaped the wrecking ball after the city decided its character and ambiance were worth saving.

Alas, the $1.2 billion Ataratiri plan never came to be and the neighbourhood soon became an industrial wasteland. In 2007, during a particularly rough financial time for the Canary owners, Nick Vlahos, who ran the restaurant with his mom and siblings, said he saw hope in plans for future development. “There’ll be some highrises going up,” he said. “Better times are coming.”

Two months later, the restaurant served its last meal...


Read more: http://www.thestar.com/news/article/...-district?bn=1

[Mollywood]

By this summer there should be a whole lot more cranes in the West Don Lands. I'd love to see them refurbish the old Canary Restaurant neon sign and put it back up in the neighbourhood. (I've got a thing for neon signs)

I hope this neighbourhood goes easy on the grey spandrel. We already have more than our share of new, grey spandrel neighbourhoods, so let's have a bit of colour, please. How about some beautiful yellow, in the "Canary District"?

A public square with an enclosed bird aviary/tropical garden, filled with beautiful canaries, would be a nice attraction. And yes, I am being serious. It could be a nice, original attraction to distinguish this neighbourhood and would be nice to visit on cold, winter days. Who doesn't love colourful birds?

[Innsertnamehere]

by razz at UT:

[Arkitexture]

Thoughts?

I'm quite interested in this development and have been in the sales centre looking at the units. A bit more expensive than I would have initially thought, but some of the layouts look pretty good. I wonder if it will turn out to be as family friendly as the advertising I've seen for it suggest.

[AndrewJM3D]

If it turns out as good as River City is then would be a great investment. It's located near three shopping entertainment districts (Riverside, King East, and The Distillery). It has access to 2 streetcar lines with one on the way to the area, and it's on the Don Trail. If you drive you have the DVP and Gardiner as well. The icing on the cake however may be that they are using some of Jane Jacob's teachings to build a pedestrian scaled neighborhood.