By Pepper Parr
November 29th, 2017
BURLINGTON, ON
The condo set along Lakeshore Road may not want high rise on their turf – but there is no NIMBY response along Fairview where the residential properties are more limited.
Looking from the west: tower 1 is nearing completion with tower 2 not far behind. They are changing the skyline of the city.
The Molinaro Group is in the process of erecting their Paradigm five structure development with the first ready for occupation in 2018.
The development, which will have the population of a small village, bigger than Burlington was in the early 1900’s, is changing the skyline.
Looking from the east – Tower 1, nearing completion is tucked away on the left – Tower 2, well underway, is in the center, tower three is on the right and is now early stages. The development is on Fairview right next to the GO station.
The east and west views of the development show where the development is today.
Interesting to note that the highest tower in the Paradigm tower is still lower than the Bridgewater condominium will be.
And while Fairview is wider than Brant Street it carries a lot more traffic – the GO station is right next to the Paradigm.
Some development projects slide through the public’s perception with not as much as a speed bump; if it is in the downtown core they have hurdles to get over.
5W’s, and location, location, location. Sales of these units was brisk – lots of amenities in the building, near downtown, 30sec walk to GO train, Wal-Mart right next door, everything you want is available on Fairview, and it’s smack-dab between Burlington’s two malls. Compare that to the length of time it took the developer @ south-east corner of Walkers + Upper Middle to get enough sales to begin construction – feels like they’ve had a sales office there for 10 years. Sure we’ll be able to see the Paradigm buildings clear across the City – at least they are interesting looking buildings, and aren’t blocking any residents existing sightlines (that I’m aware of).
Excellent succinct comments that I think reflect the essence of how many people in Burlington feel about development – how much and where.
I really can’t add to this sentiment. More or less, I think the same.
Paradigm is exactly where it makes sense to go upwards. Not destroying neighbourhood character. Bringing energy to what was under-utilized space. Many Burlingtonians commute to the east on GO. Install a few ZipCars so they can get to the mall (and/or improve the frequency of buses) and you can have a good number of people who don’t all own cars, which will be essential if we’re to increase population without bringing the whole city to a standstill and taking a wrecking ball to all its charm. Downtown not so much. There isn’t enough transit and the streets are too narrow with no room to expand.
The fact that Paradigm doesn’t raise a hue and cry shows that Burlington doesn’t blindly oppose condo towers. It’s a matter of where.
Big difference – is there a Lakeview that is irreplaceable at the GO Station. No comparison at all.