New Richmond Hill Town Hall | ?m | 8s | Town of Richmond Hill | H+P?

[innsertnamehere]

Richmond hill is planning a new Town Hall (how the heck are they still a town and not a city?) at Major Mackenzie and Yonge street. Appears to be H+P, not really sure. Project cost is nearly $200,000,000... a very fancy town hall.

https://www.buzzbuzzhome.com/us/baif-don-head


H+P looks like they got put on the project because they are also working on the BAIF project around it.

The Town of Richmond Hill is calling it a “momentous decision”. Councillors voted this week to build a new civic centre in the downtown core, moving town hall back to the centre of the community.

The proposed all-season community space at the corner of Yonge Street and Major Mackenzie Drive will include new municipal offices, an expanded Central Library and public gathering areas and is expected to cost the town almost $200 million.

Discussions and public consultations for the long-awaited civic facility have been going on for two decades, and Mayor Dave Barrow says now is the time to make it happen.

“This will be the first time Richmond Hill will have a civic square and town hall in one place.”

The current municipal offices at 225 East Beaver Creek Rd. are expected to exceed capacity by 2023.

The downtown project includes a public square, a reflecting pool/skating rink, amphitheatre, pedestrian promenade and pedestrian plazas.

“Through numerous public consultations including the visioning process conducted in 2012, the residents of Richmond Hill made it clear that a central gathering space is needed for the community,” Barrow said.

“Up until now we have been in retrofitted buildings. This project will meet our capacity for future growth to serve the residents and provide a gathering space back in our downtown core.”
This new so-called civic precinct project is also expected to be a catalyst for downtown revitalization, an area that has struggled in recent years.

“Our civic precinct will be a milestone legacy project for Richmond Hill,” said Karen Cilevitz, Ward 5 councillor and chairperson of the Civic Precinct Task Force. “It will become both a place of municipal business and a gathering place for our residents to value and enjoy, now and into the future.”

Council voted on the project at a special meeting Wednesday, with all but one councillor in favour of the project.

Ward 1 Councillor Greg Beros was the sole dissenting vote, suggesting the town could save money by scrapping the idea of a new town hall on the property and reconfiguring or adding to the offices currently located on the border of Markham and Richmond Hill.

A preliminary estimate of the total project cost – including the civic precinct and expansion of the central library — is $191,497,000.

Richmond Hill currently has about three quarters of the estimated budget in reserves.

Staff is expected to present a draft financial plan with options to fund the remaining portion, along with a timeline for the new build, in 2017.

http://www.yorkregion.com/news-stor...ld-new-civic-centre-gathering-place-downtown/

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Sadly what most 905 municipalities couldn't get right is the urbanity of the civic precinct. This continues the tradition.

AoD

 

[neuhaus]

I agree with everyone's comments.
This is long overdue and the current civic buildings are housed in aging nondescript repurposed office buildings with no sense of civic presence or pride.
The cul-de-sac drive off Atkinson Street where the Richmond Hill Central Library is located was there to accommodate this civic centre vision, but due to cost budget issues and the fact that area has water table issues, only the library portion was built (in 1993, designed by A.J. Diamond) and the land around was vacant ever since. I grew up in that neighbourhood and the library was very impressive at the time and still is today.
I fondly remember seeing a beautiful watercolour drawing of the entire masterplan back in the 90's but couldn't find anything online.
This rendering looks a bit haphazard and a mish-mash of buildings, and it's unfortunate that it doesn't integrate the existing library into the landscape. Also the overall grand vision of developing the entire cul-de-sac in a harmonious gesture is gone. The four low-rise office or condo buildings on this cul-de-sac really shouldn't be there, it creates a rather bland and disappoint sense of arrival, but I'm sure those are just placeholders and the overall design has a long way to go.
What I do appreciate is the central corridor created in the Baif development where it is aligned with the entrance to the Library which rises dramatically in height to the north, however the space between the two low-rise office/condo buildings are rather close to each other which creates an unfortunate blocked view of what could have been a temple on the hill kind of aesthetic.

Interesting fact: the pinwheel condo development (Dynasty) that was built in the 90's southwest of this development was involved in a huge lawsuit as windows and walls started to crack after completion due to the foundation in proximity to the unusually high water table. The developer eventually settled with the homeowners and pumps were installed around the foundations to prevent further soil movement.

 

[salsa]

Richmond hill is planning a new Town Hall (how the heck are they still a town and not a city?) at Major Mackenzie and Yonge street. Appears to be H+P, not really sure. Project cost is nearly $200,000,000... a very fancy town hall.

H+P looks like they got put on the project because they are also working on the BAIF project around it.



http://www.yorkregion.com/news-stor...ld-new-civic-centre-gathering-place-downtown/

Yonge & Major Mac is a pretty good area that should be further intensified, certainly far nicer than the place where Vaughan built their new city hall. But for a city that has been lobbying so hard for the Yonge subway extension, their decision to build well beyond the planned subway suggests that they really aren't too serious about making necessary investments to make Richmond Hill Centre a "vibrant mobility hub".

 

[alexb]

With both this and Vaughan City Hall on Major Mac, they are starting to make a point for the Major Mac LRT. It's a shame there is little to none higher density development planned or in the works between the two.

 

[Johnny Au]

With both this and Vaughan City Hall on Major Mac, they are starting to make a point for the Major Mac LRT. It's a shame there is little to none higher density development planned or in the works between the two.

The Major Mac LRT would stretch from Canada's Wonderland and the new hospital to the new Richmond Hill Town Hall.

 

[innsertnamehere]

Lets get some VIVA service on Major Mack first.

 

[Adjei]

Lets get some VIVA service on Major Mack first.

Viva Silver is planned for this route

 

[p5connex]

I remember seeing these plans some time ago, and assumed that they had been shelved. Interesting that the town wishes to invest in this area, and yet, has let the old part of RH turn into a giant s--thole; with rundown and/or vacant stores and limited attention to maintaining what could have been a valid and somewhat decent heritage stretch. I doubt that the move back to this part of RH will remedy this lack of interest, but it might...

 

[innsertnamehere]

This is right beside the old part of Richmond Hill.. not sure what you are getting at.

 

[p5connex]

Just stating some facts about the state of affairs in that part of the town - and the fact that they are a neglectful bunch. The old part of the town has languished for years, aside from a few upgrades to some sidewalks etc. Otherwise, not trying to get at too much. What are you getting at?

 

[Edward Skira]

Just stating some facts about the state of affairs in that part of the town - and the fact that they are a neglectful bunch. The old part of the town has languished for years, aside from a few upgrades to some sidewalks etc. Otherwise, not trying to get at too much. What are you getting at?

That's not completely true. Tridel condo from a few years back that replace a strip club.

Richmond Hill Centre For the Performing Arts is also quite new.

Just north of the old strip. Office and condo complex.

New subsidized housing also just north of the old strip.

The old strip isn't great but they haven't totally neglected it. Would help a lot if it could be pedestrianized in some way. The problem is what do you do with Yonge Street and all its traffic. I wonder if there would be a way to divert Yonge around it?

 

[Leo_Chan]

Is there any news about this topic? I've seen somewhere that an update will come Q1 of 2017.

 

[interchange42]

From https://www.richmondhill.ca/en/find-or-learn-about/Civic-Precinct-Project.aspx

On February 22, 2017, Council approved the financial plan, governance structure and staffing requirements, as outlined in the Staff Report: Civic Precinct - Timing, Governance, Structure, Staffing and Resources Business Case and Financial Plan. Richmond Hill will now proceed with hiring the expertise required to manage all aspects of the project, followed by a functional program for the space, site and building design and planning approvals. The construction phase of the Civic Precinct project is expected to take 36 months and is projected to be completed in 2026. Although the majority of the project already has funding sources set aside by the Town, the Financial Plan approved by Council for this $233 million project includes about 20% funded from debt.​

2026?! Gaaaaah!

 

[Biljet]

This one is moving really slow, a small update nonetheless from the same source (https://www.richmondhill.ca/en/find-or-learn-about/Civic-Precinct-Project.aspx)

At a Special Council meeting on June 26, 2018, Richmond Hill Council Council voted confirming the inclusion of park space and other public amenities such as an amphitheatre, reflecting pond/skating rink, public promenade and gardens at the Civic Precinct. The Civic Building and underground parking were removed from the project by Council. Plans are still under consideration for expanding the Central library. Staff will report back to Council in 2019 with updated financials and alternate options for additional office space, as well as options for parking at the Civic Precinct.

In January 2018, Richmond Hill completed a procurement process to hire Colliers Project Leaders to manage all aspects of the project. The construction phase of the Civic Precinct project was expected to take 36 months and be completed in 2026. Timelines will shift due to the change in scope of the project.