Toronto Market Street Redevelopment | ?m | 2s | Woodcliffe | Taylor Smyth

Edward Skira

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There goes another downtown car shop
http://www.thestar.com/article/261754

`This place is as old as I am,' Pontieri says sadly, making way for a condo
Sep 29, 2007 04:30 AM
Tony Wong
business reporter
The last customer in Tony Pontieri's neighbourhood garage shop drove a black Honda Civic.

She had wanted a front licence plate put on her car, for which the dealer wanted to charge her an hourly rate. Pontieri did it free.

"I'm going to really miss you," she told Pontieri, 49.

So will a lot of other customers. Independent garages in downtown Toronto are a rarity, and now one of the city's oldest establishments is selling out for an undisclosed sum.

"It's going to be tough leaving. I'll really miss the customers," said Pontieri, in shorts and a T-shirt, packing a skid as he prepared to move out by Monday. "This place is as old as I am."

The Pontieri story is a familiar one. Toronto's real estate boom has meant older, established businesses are cashing out to new development. Earlier this year, the iconic Addison on Bay Cadillac dealership closed its doors to make way for a condo.

"I've had people tell me they want to buy the place to start another garage. And I tell them, you must have too much money. You'll never make back what you paid fixing cars." The area has changed considerably from the time father Frank Pontieri opened the shop in 1958. "There were train tracks and hobos living in abandoned trains. Now I'm surrounded by million-dollar condos."

Even the St. Lawrence Farmers' Market next door has gone upscale. A sign outside advertises Organic Gourmet Tofu.

Pontieri figures at least half a dozen local garages have ceased to exist over the past decade. Downtown now belongs to "Canadian Tire and the dealerships," he says. "It's just too expensive to operate in the city for the little guy."

The property has been purchased by Woodcliffe Corp., a heritage developer with major holdings in the St. Lawrence Market area, including the landmark Flatiron building.

Over the past several years, Woodcliffe has purchased the entire Market St. block where Pontieri's is located, including the LCBO building at 87 Front St., going south to 8, 10 and 12 Market St.

Pontieri's shop was the last piece of the puzzle. "It's a ... historic street, and we want to do something special," said Woodcliffe executive vice-president Mitchell Cohen. "Right now, we're not quite sure what we're going to do. We're at the doodling on napkins stage."


One thing Pontieri won't miss is the nightly ritual of jamming 15 cars on to his tiny lot.

Frank Pontieri didn't have that problem when he started the business about the same time Pontieri Jr. was born. Pontieri has pictures of himself in the garage when he was 2. At the age of 8, he changed his first water pump in the garage, on a Oldsmobile Delta 88.

"I failed Grade 3 because I was always in the garage," he said.

The garage, in its prime location never lacked customers. In later years, it became busy with fleet clients, including the Toronto Parking Authority and GO Transit.

Pontieri plans to be working in Bolton, where he and his artist wife, Doris, live. He already has a garage there that looks after his race car, a 1957 modified Chevrolet Bel-Air.

Earlier this week, a 6-year-old boy asked Pontieri for some air for his basketball. But the pump was already in Bolton.

"I felt terrible," Pontieri says.

"In a way, it's going to be good to get out of here. It's just torture being here and moving stuff, but not being able to help anyone when they drive up."
 
Torture? It must be just terrible, all those 0s in his bank account now!

Still, if they were honest mechanics, then Toronto's loss is Bolton's gain...

42
 
Interesting that they have accumulated all properties along Market Street.

Lot size, form and building issues of this land reminds a little of the Five Corners lot, both running from The Esplanade to Front, both dealing with Heritage buildings, and both on a street with an incline.

The heritage buildings on this site have been sitting in a state of disrepair since they tried to market them as condos.
 
Interesting that they have accumulated all properties along Market Street.

Lot size, form and building issues of this land reminds a little of the Five Corners lot, both running from The Esplanade to Front, both dealing with Heritage buildings, and both on a street with an incline.

The heritage buildings on this site have been sitting in a state of disrepair since they tried to market them as condos.
 
Paul Oberman of Woodcliffe Properties made a presentation to the St Lawrence Neighbourhood Association last night about his plans for the LCBO on Front Street. Work has already started on repair to the front wall of the old Fish Market restaurant on Market Street and when that's finished the rest of that building will be demolished and rebuilt, to the same height. The LCBO will then move into the lower floors (along Market Street) while their present space at 87 Front Street is refurbished and they will then return there and to the second floor of the Fish Restaurant buiilding (which is on same level as the current LCBO space.) The LCBO will also take over the second floor of the 5-floor office building further south on Market Street and that building will be upgraded and repaired. Finally the garage at Market and The Esplanade will be demolished (soon) and a 3 floor building erected there - it will actually have two high floors and it will be retail. They hope that the LCBO will move to their temporary quarters in early summer 2011 and that the whole project will be finished by spring/summer 2012. The street level part of the Fish Restaurant will be retail once the LCBO's temporary use is over. The SLNA Delegates were very supportive of this development, which may (eventually) include closing Market Street to cars
 
Excellent news - the Old Fish Market site has been vacant and crumbling for what seems like forever. I used to love eating their flounder.
 
Bye bye Pontieri.

MarketStreetWoodcliffe1.jpg


Hello new Fish Market.

MarketStreetWoodcliffe2.jpg
 
This is an incredibly exciting development... and a very Important Opportunity... this is smack dab in the middle of SLM and a chance to truly make a strong impact.

I really hope the city allows them to make Market Street pedestrian-only. It would be an utter FAIL if they don't (not a failure of Woodcliffe, but of the city). A row of cafes and restos with patios and a charming walk between The Esplanade and Front alongside St. Lawrence Market is almost a no-brainer and a must. It feels natural as a walk-way versus a road as it is and is used mostly for parking and a short cut for those that know to do so.

Really looking forward to seeing such progress!
 
This is an incredibly exciting development... and a very Important Opportunity... this is smack dab in the middle of SLM and a chance to truly make a strong impact.

I really hope the city allows them to make Market Street pedestrian-only. It would be an utter FAIL if they don't (not a failure of Woodcliffe, but of the city). A row of cafes and restos with patios and a charming walk between The Esplanade and Front alongside St. Lawrence Market is almost a no-brainer and a must. It feels natural as a walk-way versus a road as it is and is used mostly for parking and a short cut for those that know to do so.

Really looking forward to seeing such progress!
Though I am in favour of pedestrianising Market Street it is worth noting that not everyone in the neighbourhood is. Mostly the complaints come from the south Market vendors who seem to think that the parking provided there is vital to their viability and that lots of people use Market Street to park and collect packages.
 
That comes as no surprise.

Those vendors need to see the big picture and realize that there is always a solution to everything. It's human nature to be against change, especially when future benefits aren't realized.

If Market Street becomes an attraction versus a delivery depot then these vendors will reap the benefits.
 
It's really too bad that something a bit higher than three storeys can't be built on the site of the old garage. The blank brick face of the adjacent building on the Esplanade (it looks to be around eight storeys) is clearly demanding that something be put up against it.
 
The blank brick face of the adjacent building on the Esplanade (it looks to be around eight storeys) is clearly demanding that something be put up against it.

Although I'm OK with there being more open air in that corner, I thought the same as you. How old is that building on the Esplanade? I'm surprised there are no windows on the east side. Did they always assume that a similar sized building or tower would eventually go up?

Since Woodcliffe is anticipating the retail to mainly be restaurants, I wonder if a rooftop patio is in store? I think that would complement the area well.
 

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