Infinity 3 & 4 | T/O | 35 st, 16 st, 12 st | ??? m | South Downtown

Just posted the following on UTO

Didn't want to start a new thread but searched in vain for the existing one.

Just to report that on my monthly Toronto walk I noticed that site preparation is underway for the third tower. I went in to the sales office and asked about a construction start. Excavation will start next month to coincide with the advertising campaign for the new 35 storey tower.

Lots of cranes, lots of activity, all over downtown and midtown T.O. as the photo updates on the forum continue to show. Not to switch gears here but I would like to make some comments on the Pinnacle project.

One thing I would like to comment on that is not readily apparent from photos is the fabulous street wall that Pinnacle will eventually have, in spite of the cul-de-sac car entry which is located in the middle of the southern side. I measured the width from curb to street wall. It's a massive space about 28ft-29ft. Four feet of interlocked pavers from the curb then four feet of concrete with tree planters interspaced then seven feet of concrete walk up to the Pinnacle lot line. That's a total of around fifteen feet of pavement. Then fourteen feet of interlocking brick to the store fronts. It really is quite impressive. Of course the piece de resistance is the metal clad concrete columns going all around the project, and this is a massive project. The streetscape is going to look great.

I believe this project is getting a bad rap. Forum members moan incessantly about lackluster architecture and lack of street presence. Well in this case, although the project might not be the "pinnacle" of architectural design, when you are at ground zero walking past the buildings' street wall the experience will be very pleasing indeed. Definitely the best example to date on any of the new builds of pedestrian friendly at street level. Even with the project on a main artery (Lakeshore West) there is a feeling of spaciousness that belies its location. Looking directly south at the Harbour Commission property I could not help but visualize how much more of a human scale at street level this area will be once that area is developed in a similar way.

Just a closing note. Yonge to Bay between Dundas and Gerrard is one area that is still really in need of help. I was hoping that we would see some new build action here before the current boom subsides.