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Leslieville / Studio District

It's a not yet completed big box retail plaza in Vaughan

AlvinofDiaspar said:
RRR:

What is the intent of the rendering? Depiction of a development with a distinctively "urban" feel. Did the results turned out anything like that?

AoD
Click to expand...

My guess is the 'gravel' will be grassed once the construction is finished. It's true that they put in asphalt instead of the brick walkways in the parking lot... which would make the place no more urban than what it is now -- parking for a big box plaza.

Every friggin' tower that went up with its ass against the Gardiner had a rendering with a beautiful, flowing blue/green line where the elevated highway was located. This is a way less egregious example of a rendering. They're made to SELL THE PROJECT (in the Foundry case to the public/OMB, in a condo's case to the luckless investors from Europe/Asia who didn't have a rep. come down to the site.)

You've got some solid arguments against this project, or at least issues which need to be addressed (size, parking, access to the bikepath and Leslie Spit, alternative uses), but there seems to be more grasping for straws than cogent arguments, with the exception of O'Callaghan.

Has anyone gone to the Board of Trade to recruit them to lobby for tech companies looking for downtown space? Has anyone tried to enlist Canada Post/Purolator or Brinks or Addison to see if they need/would like brand spanking new space (not all of those are 'high value-added jobs', but they're the big non-industrial companies along the strip.) What about the Feds and whatever bureaucrats are using the building east of Loblaw's?

I will reiterate my comment above: I hope y'all channel your energies into getting a retail shopping centre you can live with once the OMB rules for the project. Because the OMB is pro development, and without an appealing alternative plan that will develop the site, my bet is they will rule for the development on offer.
 
RRR:

My guess is the 'gravel' will be grassed once the construction is finished. It's true that they put in asphalt instead of the brick walkways in the parking lot... which would make the place no more urban than what it is now -- parking for a big box plaza.
Click to expand...

Exactly. And what is the Foundry District project? Big box plaza.

Every friggin' tower that went up with its ass against the Gardiner had a rendering with a beautiful, flowing blue/green line where the elevated highway was located. This is a way less egregious example of a rendering. They're made to SELL THE PROJECT (in the Foundry case to the public/OMB, in a condo's case to the luckless investors from Europe/Asia who didn't have a rep. come down to the site.)
Click to expand...

Exactly, and unlike this particular project, those buildings did not uniformly demand 1. a change in land uses en masse; 2. that it will somehow "benefit" the area as whole. to the extent that the Foundary District project claims it does and 3. that the scale, materiality, urban design for the project is a reason for its' approval. You've raised the question yourself - selling to the public/OMB - in the context of the points I've just raised. To argue that this is just a rendering and that the reality doesn't really matter - when the very image is used as an argument by the proponent for the project sounds a bit fallacious to me.

And let's not go into a) the state of the waterfront condos, b) what the previous/current planning regime had to do with that (to be generous) somewhat mixed outcome.

Has anyone gone to the Board of Trade to recruit them to lobby for tech companies looking for downtown space? Has anyone tried to enlist Canada Post/Purolator or Brinks or Addison to see if they need/would like brand spanking new space (not all of those are 'high value-added jobs', but they're the big non-industrial companies along the strip.) What about the Feds and whatever bureaucrats are using the building east of Loblaw's?
Click to expand...

The lack of effort to recruit companies on the part of the city (which, TEDCO was responsible for until they had been excluded from activities in the area because of previous controversies surrounding Corus/First Waterfront Place; I suspect the TEIG will also change the demand a bit) does NOT equate to a planning carte blanche, i.e. land-uses that go contrary to the stated goals of the "employment lands" zoning AND the economic development as a whole. To argue otherwise is basically saying that if a piece of land left vacant, it should be used for ANY purpose so long as there is no immediate (not long term) negative impact. That's not planning - it's opportunism.

As to the land uses on the part of the feds or the provinces - they are pre-existing land uses. Not to mention, some sort of long term vision for that area is currently in the works.

I will reiterate my comment above: I hope y'all channel your energies into getting a retail shopping centre you can live with once the OMB rules for the project. Because the OMB is pro development, and without an appealing alternative plan that will develop the site, my bet is they will rule for the development on offer.
Click to expand...

Oh I wouldn't be surprised one bit by that outcome, knowing it's the OMB. Personally, I'd rather channel my energies into some kind of reform at the OMB instead.

AoD
 
OMB, do the right thing. Help reverse this trend by maintaining the current zoning of the Eastern Avenue properties as employment.

New national refrain: Can I help you?

HEATHER SCOFFIELD
Monday, May 26, 2008

OTTAWA — The ranks of the nation's Wal-Mart greeters, supermarket cashiers and baristas are swelling, as retailers surpassed manufacturers to become the biggest employer group in the country.

Hit by rising energy costs and the high dollar, Canada's manufacturing sector has lost its long-held position as the biggest employer in the country, according to new data from Statistics Canada. At the same time, the retail sector has been churning out jobs to satisfy Canadian consumers' growing appetite for home furnishings, gasoline, electronics and appliances.

But the shift away from an industrial-based economy could have far-reaching consequences for Canada's prosperity, since sales clerks are making just half of what employees make on the assembly line.

“Substituting manufacturing for retail jobs is outright wage deflation,†said Derek Holt, an economist at Bank of Nova Scotia.

On average, hourly wages for a typical manufacturing worker were $21.66, according to Statistics Canada. That's 46 per cent higher than the average hourly wage in the retail sector, where workers are typically paid $14.87 an hour. And retail employees are often part-timers, and work far fewer hours in any given week than factory workers. So the contrast in weekly wages in the two sectors is even starker.

In February, 2008, the average weekly earnings, including overtime, for factory workers was $950.84 a week, almost double the average weekly pay of $488.58 for retail employees.

Weekly manufacturing wages rose 2.6 per cent in the year, while retail wages rose just 0.9 per cent – not even close to keeping up with inflation.

The numbers show a deterioration of job quality in Canada as the country struggles to deal with the shrinking of the manufacturing sector, says Benjamin Tal, senior economist at CIBC World Markets. Central Canada, in particular, has been hit hard by the manufacturing slump and U.S. slowdown, and Ontario labour markets are showing the strain.

“Many of those great unionized jobs are going into low-paying sectors,†he said. “They're not finding better jobs unless they go to the West.â€

Job creation in the retail sector has contributed greatly to keeping Canada's unemployment rate at a generational low around 6 per cent, even at a time when manufacturers are laying off thousands of workers, Mr. Tal said.

Natural resources and government have also contributed to the employment boom.

Laid-off manufacturing workers seeking to maintain their standard of living often face stark choices: They can either take on debt to supplement lower wages found in retail or in self-employment, or they can uproot their families to work in the resource boom in the West, Mr. Tal said.

Many appear to be choosing the retail option. As of the end of 2007, factories employed 1,784,700 people, down 3 per cent from 2006. At the end of last year, 1,790,000 people were working in retail, up 4.4 per cent from 2006. (The health care and social assistance sector is the third-largest employer in Canada, with about 1.5 million workers.) The coming year does not hold much promise.

Manufacturing is under intensifying pressure, as the U.S. deals with a recession and the North American automotive sector undergoes major restructuring to deal with global competition and changing consumer tastes.

The retail sector is expected to continue growing, but not as much as in 2007. The housing boom that has enriched consumers and enabled them to borrow against their houses is winding down. Plus, credit is generally tighter in the wake of 10 months of financial market turmoil. And Central Canada is dealing with economic stagnation as the U.S. slows.

© The Globe and Mail

http://www.globeinvestor.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080526.wrretailstaff27/GIStory/
 
Sorry

Annoying, I know. I get the paper, but I haven't bothered to sign up for the site. I believe that the column will be free access tomorrow (link might change, though) for a period (month? I don't really remember) before it goes back to pay per view.

As you might expect from Peggy Sharp-Tongue, she tries to piss off as many people as possible, particularly throwing around NIMBY over & over.
 
M. Wente's column...

...can be summarized thus:

Her neighbours, residents of Leslieville ("NIMBYland"), are all in a lather over the possible arrival of Wal-Mart in their neighbourhood, "they know they are fighting the biggest battle in Toronto since ordinary citizens like them defeated the Spadina Expressway."

Wal-Mart is reputed to ruin neighbourhoods, destroy other retailers, causes traffic jams, and sells crappy goods made in China under conditions of serfdom. "Worst of all, it creates crappy low-wage jobs [...] For progressive people all across North America, Wal-Mart has become the focal point for righteous NIMBYism."

The residents want "real" jobs, film industry jobs or their equivalent. But these resident are ignoring that "film jobs in Toronto have melted faster than the April snow".

They also ignore the positive social and economic effect of lower Wal-Mart prices on low-income households, and of forcing lower prices on competitors. In any case, people opposing Wal-Mart are generally not the type to shop there, they "are socially conscious types who buy fair-trade coffee at $14.99 a pound." Wal-Mart shoppers "are recent immigrants of slender means who've never heard of fair-trade coffee [...]" or "little old ladies on a pension, who don't look like the type to go for organic chicken breasts."

"Most of China's 800 million peasants would prefer a sweatshop [or a Wal-Mart job] to a pig farm any time. [...] And even a crummy job at Wal-Mart is better than no job at all."

Or to sum her column up: poorly paid Wal-Mart jobs are the best that Toronto's economy and business leadership can produce or hope for, but Wal-Mart customers and those working there will certainly feel the positive effect of lower prices in their diminished domestic budget.
 
Is retail best for Leslieville?

May 30, 2008 04:30 AM

Representatives of two groups offer opposing views on a proposed retail development in Leslieville, in Toronto's east end:

YES: SPINOFF JOBS COME FROM THESE DEVELOPMENTS

By Elizabeth Evans

There has been considerable public debate over the proposed retail development in Leslieville, in Toronto's east end. While debates about city land use development are critically important to our community, the one unfortunate part of this debate has been the misleading and negative portrayal of retail jobs and their value to the City of Toronto – and to the country.

As one of Canada's largest employers, the retail industry is becoming an increasingly vibrant and ultra-competitive industry that is being driven by technological innovation and creative marketing, creating new and attractive job opportunities for some 2 million Canadians.

Last year alone, retailers in Ontario invested roughly $3.3 billion in capital expenditures in our province. These investments create and enhance jobs in retailing and also drive employment and growth in supporting industries. The spinoff jobs that come from retail development and ongoing retail store operations are considerable – from architects, engineers, electricians and plumbers to transportation service providers, signage companies and advertising agencies. When we consider the impact of retail stores in our community, these indirect beneficiaries must not be excluded.

In addition, the retail labour pool in Canada is as diverse as our nation itself. Not only does retail present opportunities for professional, full-time employment for store managers, merchandisers, marketers, human resources professionals, loss prevention specialists, lawyers and accountants, to name a few, but it also serves as a critical portal to the world of work for young people, new Canadians, disabled Canadians and mature workers.

As the number of highly skilled retail positions has risen, we have seen post-secondary institutions play a larger role in being a part of the retail rise in Canada. Applications for entry to business degrees in retail management are among the fastest growing in the GTA, with today's youth seeing retail as an industry of growth, creativity and global expansion.

Opportunities for internships within retail companies are the entry point for management career path development, with experience starting at the store operations level. At the same time this experience provides much-needed income for young people to support their academic goals.

The future of Canadian retailing is an important priority and it is critical that we encourage retailers and developers to provide financial and mentoring support for new enterprise development. These initiatives have encouraged students to pursue their aspirations of turning a retail concept into a viable future business that will grow and contribute to the local economy.

Collectively, the advancement of retail innovation, academic research and the growth of a young dynamic population that views retailing as an industry of choice will increasingly contribute to the more enlightened perspective of retail as a professional career.

By all means, everyone with an interest in how our city's land is allocated should be given a voice in the debate. However, the narrow focus taken by most recent reports overlooks the millions of dollars that these businesses provide to support important community initiatives. For elected and unelected officials to speak disparagingly of retailers and the value of retail employment is an insult to the thousands of Torontonians who work in an industry with critical ties to the overall pulse of our economy.

Elizabeth Evans is director of the Ted Rogers School of Retail Management at Ryerson University.

NO: JOBS CREATED COME FROM SMALL STORES CLOSING

By Kelly Carmichael and Mike Sullivan

One of Ontario's largest developers of big-box retail power centres is determined to impose a 19-acre large-scale development on Eastern Ave. with 1,700 parking spots in the heart of Toronto's Leslieville. In the process, it challenges the right of our city and residents to plan for the kind of jobs that are needed. SmartCentres refused to accept the decision of the city to maintain employment lands, and triggered an Ontario Municipal Board hearing that will last more than four months.

In a well-financed lobby campaign, this developer suggests the community should be thankful that SmartCentres would bring "new" jobs, albeit low-paying, minimum wage retail jobs, to the area.

We need to understand that these are not necessarily new jobs. Experience shows that many of these jobs simply replace other jobs lost as local small businesses shut down – this has happened in community after community.

The city designated this area as employment lands for very good reasons. They are meant to provide a full range of job opportunities to people with skill sets at every level. Officially known as the Studio District, Eastern Ave. is home to the film, television and media sector that employs thousands at all levels – from actors and directors to camera people, carpenters and caterers.

Some time ago, the provincial government realized that turning over employment lands to retail development doesn't fit with its plan of retaining and developing good jobs, which are being lost at an alarming rate. For its part, the city wants to see these lands preserved and has designated them in its official plan.

In addition, council just passed community improvement incentives for a selected number of areas in Toronto, including Eastern Ave. These financial incentives are directed at creative industries and for cleaning up old industrial sites. They are to encourage the creation of long-term, non-retail jobs.

The East Toronto Community Coalition is made up of thousands in the community, including small businesses, seniors, young people, families, workers and unions representing many sectors of the local economy. It also supports this vision.

This issue is about striking a balance. Retail already flourishes everywhere across Toronto and the GTA. Work at minimum wage is available in almost every neighbourhood. There are already 11 SmartCentres within Toronto. One would hope the city, the province and residents can preserve what is already in Toronto's official plan and Ontario's Places to Grow plan.

What is also at stake is the vision that we as a society have collectively for our families and communities. So much of our quality of life derives from quality work and a quality environment. The province and city are committed to trying to stop the negative environmental spiral brought on by traffic, smog and sprawl that lead to thousands of premature deaths and take hundreds of millions of dollars from our health-care system. Leslieville residents and businesses have built a flourishing community that may be devastated by an influx of 10 million new car trips a year through local streets.

But most importantly, the community wants good jobs, jobs that are stable, where a week's work means enough money to keep a family above the poverty level. It's time to put the best interests of the city and residents ahead of this single private development.

Kelly Carmichael is co-chair of the East Toronto Community Coalition. Mike Sullivan is a member of the Good Jobs Alliance.
 
So, the Big Dream of slaying the Gardiner Expressway dragon is dead. The city plans to amputate its legs, but the heart of the beast beats on.

Waterfront Toronto is recommending the elevated expressway terminate at Jarvis St., rather than run into the Don Valley Parkway as it does now at the eastern end. [...]

They claimed yesterday that the taming of the eastern section of Gardiner will add just two minutes to the peak time commute.

Not many will believe that. [...]

http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/434569

I'd hope such news would force SmartCentres to re-evaluate the viability of a mall which will no longer be accessible by expressway. They're talking eight years to complete a tear down the east Gardiner and reconfiguration of Lakeshore, with all the associated traffic disruption during construction. Driving from Jarvis St. at 60 km or less isn't going to attract many retail customers from west of the Don who choose to drive to the SmartCentre. Currently, the ramp at the east end of the Gardiner pretty much ends at the proposed mall site. In the future, the Gardiner will end several km west.

Tearing down the Gardiner from Jarvis east will have no negative effect on the businesses currently operating in the the Eastern Ave. lands currently zoned as employment. It would have a neutral effect on the Film District.

Bring it on.
 
Gardiner death comes from the stub's example

When the Leslie stub was coming down, the specter of crazy traffic through Leslieville was brought up again & again. The amount of negative commentary, IMO, pressured the city into doing some downright great reconfiguring of Lakeshore from Coxwell to Carlaw, particularly the double bikepaths from Leslie east.

The fact that the traffic through the 'nabe never happened may well have been due to how well Lakeshore worked. I hope they can pull off the same with the next piece. Made a point of driving from Don Roadway to Jarvis on the weekend, and I think the auto lots on the south side are going to have to go to get 10 lanes. With the Gardiner down, that's go to be a good thing, because they're crap.
 
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