Janes Walks in the area this Sunday

200 Annette Street - Committee of Adjustments

200 Annette Street - Committee of Adjustments

With lots of action around 200 Annette Street this week, I thought I would take a trip to Etobicoke and take a look at the proposal.  The developer’s website has some drawings of the proposal which closely resemble the drawings which I saw on file at the Committee of Adjustments.  http://terrafirmahomes.com/loft-in-toronto.html

The development requires 4 minor variances which are before the Committee of Adjustments on May 20.  The developer still has time to make changes but below is a laymen’s list of what was in the file on April 29.

• A 4.57m wide driveway is proposed, 6.0m is required bylaw.


• Parking Spot width of 2.74m is requested, 3.2 is required


• The dormer height on the north side is 10.42m, 10.0m is the maximum allowable height even though the roof of the church is much higher than 10.0m


• The proposed residential gross floor area (GFA) is 583m² which exceeds the allowable amount by over 350m².  The actual church is not getting significantly bigger with the condo conversion but GFA for residential is different than it is for churches.

Other notes:

• To accommodate the driveway and parking area the site plan calls for the removal of 2 mature trees including one large tree on High Park Ave and one at the back of the site.


• New entrance door on the west facade.


• Five new entrance doors on the south facade


• 10 new skylights on the south roof.


• The site plans notes “relocate bus shelter”.  I think this is to improve the unit 1 patio view but I wonder what the TTC is going to say about that.

I hope a few facts and drawings help clear up some questions about this project.

Martin Lennox JRA co-chair

Junction Arts Festival overview at the Junction Residents Association meeting

WHEN THE JUNCTION FLICKERED article

About the cinemas that once lined the West Toronto Junction article over at Heritage Toronto website.

Imagine an 800-seat theatre in the Junction, with an elegant marbleized lobby and a state-of-the-art theatre organ that could simulate a full orchestra.

Consider, too, management's efforts to lure children to the cinema with the prize of a Shetland pony for best attendance.

The Beaver Theatre opened Nov. 24, 1913 on Dundas St. W., east of Pacific Ave. That was just four years after the community, a then prosperous manufacturing centre crossed by four rail lines, was annexed by the City of Toronto

more? direct link

Brought to the blogs attention by David W.

CONTACT Photography in the Junction

CONTACT Photography is the world’s largest festival of its kind, designed to engage the public in celebration of the art of photography. For yet another year, The Junction will continue to distinguish itself as hosting the largest concentration of venues with photographic art in the Toronto area. Twenty one businesses will showcase the work of twenty eight local, Canadian and international artists.

All exhibits will be open to the public on May 1st through to the 31st. Our formal Opening Night reception will be held on Saturday May 8^th, from 6 to 9 p.m., at all 21 venues. At 9 p.m., we will present the screening of an internationally acclaimed short film at The Historic Junction Train Platform (2954 Dundas Street West at Pacific Ave.).

Join us this May and stroll from venue to venue. Check out our wonderfully eclectic selection of shops and highly regarded restaurants. Come celebrate CONTACT Photography in the Junction.

For more information, please visit www.thejunctionbia.com or contact: Junctionbia2010@gmail.com.

Brick repair at 200 Annette St.

The developer of the conversion of this church is beginning with brick  restoration.

Municipal Licensing and Standards report on monitoring of Hard Rock and Santos Excavating and Neon Disposal Ltd., 101 Union Street

Highlights from city the report.

City Council requests the Ministry of the Environment to investigate the

environmental and health concerns of the community, particularly the air borne contaminants and the effects of the noise and vibration on the nearby residential community.

Hard Rock and Santos Excavating and Neon Disposal Limited operate a commercial

business from the property at 101 Union Street.

As a result of neighbourhood concerns Municipal Licensing and Standards coordinated a

joint investigation of the operation of the business and the subject property to determine

compliance with municipal by-laws.

The joint investigation took place on February 3, 2010 and included staff from Toronto

Fire Services, Toronto Buildings, Transportation Services, Municipal Licensing and

Standards and the Ministry of the Environment and Parking Enforcement.

Toronto Fire Services identified issues and are dealing with blocked exits on the interior

of the building.

Toronto Buildings has advised that there are no matters of violation or concern under

their jurisdiction.

Transportation Services identified violations under their jurisdiction related to the illegal storage of disposal bins within the right of way (boulevard area) and roadway, in addition to illegal parking on the boulevard area. These matters were resolved with the cooperation of Parking Enforcement staff on March 4, 2010 where 10 vehicles were tagged and towed, (4 vehicles from the roadway and 6 vehicles from the City Boulevard).

The Ministry of Environment had no issues identified regarding noise or vibration. There was no evidence of air borne contaminants at the time of the inspection. The only concern was with the accumulation of household waste within the illegally stored bins.

This matter was resolved upon the removal of the bins from public access.

Municipal Licensing and Standards has communicated the requirement to expedite

repairs due to the condition of the existing fence (deteriorated corrugated metal).

At the last follow up investigation conducted on March 20, 2010 the fence has been

substantially repaired. At this time there was also a Zoning charge pending with the

courts to be heard July 27, 2010 regarding the use of the premises and a pending charge regarding non-compliance with a Notice issued under the provisions of City of Toronto Municipal Code Chapter 548, Littering and Dumping.

Vine Parkette covered sand box completed

A local architect has informed the blog, that now the sand box cover is complete the the sandbox usage has really gone up.

Stuff from the east side of the tracks - that is the Junction Triangle

The South Junction Triangle site has been changed to www.junctiontriangle.ca, to reflect the chosen name of the community, and the Fuzzy Boundaries project is complete.  they now have also added the Junction Triangle Rail Committee to the local portfolio of efforts.

Free Geek 51 Vine Ave Unit B

Post submitted by Sonny P.

I was out for a walk today when I stumbled upon a great community service.
It's called "Free Geek" and today (Saturday April 24th) was their open
house.  It started in 2000 in Portland, Oregon and has spread throughout
the states and Canada.  Free Geek has two central goals: to reuse or
recycle used computer equipment that might otherwise become hazardous
waste, and to make computer technology more accessible to those who lack
financial means or technical knowledge.

From their website:
"Yes, we do "give" good computers away at $0.00. You can get one in
exchange for volunteer work in our community technology center. Our two
main sharing programs, and the core of our non-profit, have varying levels
of learning and time commitments:
Computer Adoption
Computer Build

Our other activities, such as our Thrift Store, help support these programs.

No previous computer experience is necessary! We teach you all you need to
know. You keep both the complete computer you earn, and the free
education. No tuition fees are required, either. The main requirements,
besides your getting here, that we build upon are the good old-fashioned
skills of reading, writing and arithmetic.

Funny, huh? Those are the traditional 3 Rs, and yet there is now another
meaning for "3 Rs": Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Free Geek Toronto, like all
Free Geeks, focuses on Reuse first, ethical Recycling second, and the
overall goal is to Reduce the environmental impact of electronic waste."

They give PC's away FREE to customers in exchange for volunteering at the
center.  So not only are they reducing the waste of computers being thrown
in landfills but they are also training the community on computer repair
and giving computers to those who might not be able to afford such
machines.

I just donated an old computer and mouse and I encourage anyone in the
area to donate your old PCs, keyboards, monitors and software to them.
They're also looking for furniture, cables and building supplies
(http://www.freegeektoronto.org/?q=node/5)

Another plus is that they are occupying the once derelict building and lot
of 51 Vine which if you recall was a scrap yard only 2 years ago!

Website: http://www.freegeektoronto.org/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/FreeGeekToronto

Junction Residents Association 244 High Park update

Post By Martin Lennox JRA co-chair

I’m happy to announce the Committee of Adjustment unanimously rejected the proposal to sever 244 High Park Ave.

On behalf of the Junction Residents Association I would like to thank the dozens of people who wrote the Committee of Adjustment, attended the community meetings and spoke today at the hearing.

A focused community effort proved successful but our fight for the preservation of the Junction my not be over.  The developer can now appeal the decision to the Ontario Municipal Board.
We’ll be ready for that fight later but for now take a walk down High Park Avenue and enjoy some of the historic homes of our small town within this great city.

Troubadour bar to close up

The Troubadour will be closing up because of the sale of the building, in which the new owner wants to use the building.

Always good music coming out of the place and so many people liked it.

New view of Medland Ave on Pacific Ave

The differing views abound in the Annette St area over the past few years with all the changes being made.

...from road work to church conversion more views like this are coming.

Before all this conversion of building began happening you  could look from most yards and see a church. It was wonderful, yet is nice here that the bulk of the church will remain.

Do we need this type of restaurant in the Junction?

There is always a lot of interest of the retail mix on the Junction strip.  In terms of food establishments, does the Junction need service, character and design consideration to establish the right elements for a good eating establishment?

To illustrate this point this author offers the example of Woodys Burgers  om Lakeshore Blvd in Longbranch., This restaurant has a clean, well designed interior, a welcoming exterior, and a wonderful view of the food on offer.

They also have a assortment of sides to have with your burger all clearly viewable under glass.  And place is clean really clean, crisp.

This restaurant inexpensive meal out, or great for take-out. While the meal image  may give the impressions the portions are small, go for dinner, and you won't be disappointed... they are just right. Try the special side dishes that you can't find in the usual Junction  places,  and see if you think we need a place with a menu like it has in the Junction.

3795 Lake Shore Boulevard West
Toronto, ON M8W 1R2

www.woodysburgers.com
(416) 546-2093

King St condo sales and realtor modes of operation

Along a stretch of fence for a hundred meters just south of King St West by the old Massy lands is this collection of realtor lock boxes.

200 Annette Street – Czechoslovak Church conversion to condos counts eight

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="490" caption="The current situation"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_6489" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="developers rendition of the Annnete St elevation "][/caption]



I thought before I wrote anything about this I'd ask for opinions on the development.

What do you think of the side of the church facing Annette changing so much?

Are eight units too many?

Is the loss of another Annette St church an issue?

Developer Link

Thanks to Martin L co-chair of the Junction Residents  Association for alerting this to the blog.

something interesting,

vu ja de means,

It's when you know you have never been there before. (2)An experience like nothing you have ever seen or felt before. (3)  Never have imagined living the moment. <--- I like that line

above from Urban Dictionary

...and the sign typography is great.  and the bright colours in the window really make a scene for the eye in an a strip of stores that are basically monotone.

anyone know anything about this store?

Industrial repairs in the community, yea!

Always like to see the industrial gang making efforts to stick around!

In the image below, much needed work is being done on the Keele Centre bi-level industrial mall, at 530 Keele St.



...and in the image below the CPR is cleaning up and laying down some new fill on the area that was last used by them for their Iron Highway effort.

Sat, 24 Apr Neighborhood clean up days, in The Junction and North Junction

Sat, 21 Apr 2010 08:30 Neighborhood clean up day, Bags and gloves will be provided.

Annual  city of Toronto Community cleanup day

Start point The Green P Pacific Ave, pick up Bags and gloves here

Keele – Mulock Parkette

North Junction Clean up

starting at 9am

There will also be a neighbourhood Clean-up starting at 9am and meeting at the Keele – Mulock Parkette. Gloves and Bags will also be provided.. Gloves and Bags will also be provided.

brought up from comments area  from a comment by North Junction resident

Princes' Gates at Exhibition Place restoration update photo post

Working with funds from the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund major work is being done restoring the gates.

Keele St subway continues with unloading of concrete panels

Structural upgrades generally consisting of the construction of five new piers within the parking lot to provide additional support of the bridge deck. All work is being conducted within the property of the commuter parking lot.

10 large diameter caisson holes were augered into the ground; 5 holes on either side of the bridge. Each pair of caissons were joined with a concrete beam that was formed below grade and poured over the caissons. A steel frame will be placed and permanently rest on each of the concrete beams. The steel frames will be jacked up to the underside of the bridge to provide added support.

text from TTC

Why didn't Max's market come to the Junction

Why didn't Max's market come to the Junction?

Would they have come if the old Mc brides building was available?

Was the new retail space in the Village by the Park not suitable?

What was wrong with the old Shopper drug site (now a private community family centre)

Max's Market is a gourmet grocer in Bloor West Village. They sell a wide selection of specialty products, cheeses and prepared foods.

The Bloor West Village foodery is opening a new store at 871 Islington Avenue, is an rather odd location to get too. You cannot even access the store from Islington Avenue, but have to access the store via  Queen Elizabeth Boulevard.

PRA’s May 1st Parkdale Village Walk

from the Parkdale Residents Association...

Parkdale Village Walk: A Sense of History and Community

The Parkdale Residents Association invites you to join us in an exploration
of Parkdale on Saturday, May 1st, starting at 2 pm. The walk will begin
outside of the Parkdale Library at 1303 Queen St W.

This walk will be as diverse as the neighbourhood of Parkdale. Walkers will
be given a brief history of the Village of Parkdale as we begin in the Village
Square. From there, we will walk a small section of this “unique village
within a metropolis,” looking at and exploring the history, architecture,
green spaces, spiritual places, cultures and people that make this a true
melting pot. The walk ends back at the Village Square with light
refreshments in what was the Fire Hall and is now the Masaryk-Cowan
Community Recreation Centre.

A Parkdale Village Walk is one of the international Jane’s Walks, named in
honour of the late urban planner, Jane Jacobs.

The walk will last approximately 1 and 1/2 hours. The rain date is Sunday,
May 2nd, at 2 pm.

You may email info@parkdale.to or call 416-533-0044 for more
information.

Hello everyone

Hi everyone

the blog was hacked at the hosting company (network solutions) along with hundreds of others.

I have just finishing doing a 3rd scan of all 10,000 or so files that make up the blog and found no threats.

(network solutions did their own cleanup too probably more through that mine I used both Norton and Eset )

Now I am rebuilding the plugins and other stuff back into the blog, will have new posts up this morning. Monday afternoon the 12th still fixing things  updated  9:57pm Sunday

Metrolinx drops West Diamond appeal

The Toronto Star is reporting....

In a major victory for Toronto’s Junction community, Metrolinx has agreed to drop its appeal of a decision that limits the amount of noise it can make in the west-end neighborhood.

In December, the CTA ordered GO to limit work hours and use quieter methods at the rail crossing. GO had already implemented quieter technology and shrouds over the pile drivers to try to reduce the noise.

About 85 per cent of the 2,400 piles required have been completed, Thomas said. But the project, which was to have been finished last year, now won’t be done until the end of this year.

link to full story at TS

Thanks to blog reader Helen for bringing to the blogs attention

Most interesting retail building in the Junction in terms of character

In terms of character of use with a VW enthusiast specialist shop on the retail level and self promoting actor on the second this building has some real character.

Studio space in the Junction...

[caption id="attachment_6282" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="43 Junction Rd lease sign too bad it's not for studios"][/caption]

The top image in this post which is  from a building in the Junction Triangle would be a welcome site in the Junction.  Studio space in the Junction for "makers - those who design and construct" is almost non  existent.

Now one of the best options for this use is simply renting as storage space.

Streetlevel - Stale candy Out, What In?

Are there opinions on what the Junction needs as a retail business in this store front?

This author has begun thinking about what does the Junction retail strip really need to serve the community in terms of a retail effort right now. May I suggest with the addition of the High Park family center that we have enough businesses serving the young families in the community...or am I off the mark there?

What is the most needed retail type now? ...to round out the strip...this author finds it difficult thinking.

A deconstruction of situation as developmental related art

Images................................  Carleton Village/ New Number 11 police station







The situation of place in Carlton Village area around Old westion Rd. and Davenport is changing rapidly, yet during the changes their our some wonderful sites such as above.

The Village by High Park, options for cars

link to site

The Village by High Park to have the Options for Homes Car service?

Wondering?

Railpath.... wet beauty

This image of the  Railpath gives rise to the though of what a great idea the path was and is. In addition is serves as a monument to the  greatness of the work of all the people who made it a reality.

At this point in the path route their is a large paved tarmac path as well as an expanse of trees and vegetation.

Oh not to forget the exciting trains to the right!

St Helen's Meat Packers Limited organically grows

The Junction Meatpacking District is growing and entrenching with the new addition to the St Helen's Meat Packers Limited firm.

Using a open space found at the east south corner of their building and a the portion of their building that served as a major entrance to the building they are created new working and travel space for their enterprize.

The new stairway in the  smaller image above is in the area of a until recently main entrance.

So glad to see this company building up the industrial character of the community

f