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Great Streets: Getting the Design of Buildings Right at Ground Level
Mark Emery Weston Consulting Land & Development Conference Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Great Streets: Getting the Design of Buildings Right at Ground Level - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Great Streets: Getting the Design of Buildings Right at Ground Level - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Great Streets: Getting the Design of Buildings Right at Ground Level Mark Emery Weston Consulting Land & Development Conference Tuesday, May 10, 2016 Ground floor retail: Challenges with the current planning paradigm Toronto: Layers of
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Toronto: Layers of Policy
- City of Toronto Official Plan
- City-wide Avenues & Rid-Rise
Buildings Study (2010)
- Mid-Rise Urban Design
Guidelines (draft form)
- Individual Avenue Studies
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City of Toronto: Official Plan
Toronto Official Plan Map 2: Urban Structure (July 2015 Consolidation)
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City of Toronto: Official Plan
3.5.3 the Future of Retailing
- 3. Retail development along the Avenues is encouraged
and will suit the local context of built form and support the establishment of a high quality pedestrian environment. 4.5 Mixed Use Areas
- 1. Mixed Use Areas are made up of a broad range of
commercial, residential and institutional uses, in single use or mixed use buildings, as well as parks and open spaces and utilities.
- 2. In Mixed Use Areas development will:
f) provide an attractive, comfortable and safe pedestrian environment.
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- Queensway Avenue Study 2003
New buildings fronting on The Queensway should be designed to incorporate accessible retail, commercial
- r residential frontages that will animate the street at
the sidewalk level
- Queensway Zoning By-law 514-2003
– Avenue (AV) designation, permits mixed use – Maximum building setback of 3.0 m
The Queensway
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The Hive Lofts, 892 the Queensway
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Brampton Official Plan
4.10.3.1 Multi-Storey Buildings Mid-rise buildings should be permitted to develop to 3 FSI/FAR which generally allows four storeys with commercial uses at grade, and three storeys of residential uses above 4.10.3.6 Mixed-Use Development …in appropriate locations encourage ground floor retail, restaurants and other pedestrian friendly uses; creating interesting architectural character and built form specially at street level through massing, staggering frontage, display windows, the use of weather protection features such as awnings and canopies etc.
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George Street North, Brampton
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Maple Heritage District, Vaughan
Heritage Conservation District Plan, 2007 9.5.3 Commercial Development includes guidelines for Scale and Massing, Architectural Style, Storefronts, and Signage
Section 9.1 Architectural Styles
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New Mixed Use development in Maple
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Potential Challenges
Keele St and Killian Rd, Vaughan
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Demand for new housing in an area automatically anticipates demand for new retail (City of Toronto Avenue policies), which may or may not exist
Avenues with Retail-Commercial at Grade Required (Toronto Avenue Study, 2010)
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New mixed use buildings often attract the same types of tenant, with the same type of space
- Chain store, pharmacy, dry cleaner, dentist
(lower risk tenants)
- Poor mix and balance of uses may result in monotony
and/or sterility of streetscapes
Bremner Blvd, Toronto
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Commercial units are often built without the infrastructure and design needed to attract tenants – Retail floor plates may be inappropriately size – Lack of parking and loading facilities, or ventilation required for restaurants Types of cladding, glazing, materials, lack of doorways can contribute to a sterile streetscape
Kipling Ave and Woodbridge Ave, Vaughan
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Without the right physical design, or retail market, ground- level retail units can be challenging to sell or lease This can negatively impact the perception of the entire building
Bathurst Street and Bloor Street, Toronto
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Points for Consideration
- More thought given to retail floor plates articulation
- Design of façade and frequency of doorways
- Use of materials and landscaping to encourage interest
- Flexible ground-floor units: townhouses with no use
restrictions, allowing for the gradual evolution of the space as the street develops (less prescriptive)
- Provide additional guidance for designing more useful
and adaptable ground floor retail spaces
- More careful analysis of ground floor space and market…
not an “afterthought”
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Thank you
Front Street and Jarvis Street, Toronto
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