Toronto 2150 Lake Shore | 215.75m | 67s | First Capital | Allies and Morrison

Thanks for the sad link. I guess a subway doesn't solve everything.
 
^It's Toronto, everything we do here works in a 180 degree way compared to the way they should work. We've been building mass transit infrastructure to areas with little to no density for decades, while overdensifying many areas that dont have the infrastructure necessary to maintain that density.

It's nothing new really; the Portlands, Midtown, and Liberty Village are just a few examples of this exercise. HBS is just another example of this trend, but it's probably more extreme because it was never planned to have this kind of mass devlopment take place. 20 years ago no one would have picked this area to just explode population wise. Sad enough to say, not even the city foresaw this (even though they had direct control over what could have happened).
 
^It's Toronto, everything we do here works in a 180 degree way compared to the way they should work. We've been building mass transit infrastructure to areas with little to no density for decades, while overdensifying many areas that dont have the infrastructure necessary to maintain that density.

It's nothing new really; the Portlands, Midtown, and Liberty Village are just a few examples of this exercise. HBS is just another example of this trend, but it's probably more extreme because it was never planned to have this kind of mass devlopment take place. 20 years ago no one would have picked this area to just explode population wise. Sad enough to say, not even the city foresaw this (even though they had direct control over what could have happened).
Case in point: The secondary plan still in effect for this area is called "Motel Strip Secondary Plan".

Motel Strip.

When was the last time anyone associated this area with motels?
 
So why are we building a subway there instead of here? I'm so confused.

1. There is a GO Train service, that will get increased service to 15 minutes.

2. The Waterfront transit network is currently in the planning stage. It should bypass the mixed traffic on Queen Street. From link.
993c-Waterfront_transit_TTC-_briefing_v11-01.png
9523-ExPlaceLibertyTransit_v18_150-01.png

Note the dotted lines on the lower image to the left, marked with "LRT extension to Humber Bay Shores".
 
This OPA is way better than anything I expected. So there is a chance that by the time city bureaucrats and NIMBYs are through with it, my expectations will still be met. I would now like to take all the credit for how ambitious this proposal is. When I met up with Allies and Morison guys and gals, I asked for a supertall tower or two to be built here. When the suggestion raised some eyebrows I told them that they have to ask the city for something too tall so that by the time they are done randomly knocking down heights (as is their entire purpose, it seems), the developer is still left with what they secretly wanted in the first place. Looks like they took my advice to heart here. You may now thank me. Read with a healthy dose of sarcasm

Cons for me: if built with the massing as proposed looks like the 49-storey tower will block my view of CN Tower and one of the 61-storey towers will block my view of The One

Pros for me: I will have the view of this amazing development instead! ?

Pros for you: between myself and @Keyz , you will have a couple of @Michael62 's in this forum thread with a birds-eye view of the whole site:

view2.jpeg
 
This OPA is way better than anything I expected. So there is a chance that by the time city bureaucrats and NIMBYs are through with it, my expectations will still be met. I would now like to take all the credit for how ambitious this proposal is. When I met up with Allies and Morison guys and gals, I asked for a supertall tower or two to be built here. When the suggestion raised some eyebrows I told them that they have to ask the city for something too tall so that by the time they are done randomly knocking down heights (as is their entire purpose, it seems), the developer is still left with what they secretly wanted in the first place. Looks like they took my advice to heart here. You may now thank me. Read with a healthy dose of sarcasm
I was wondering about that aspect of this. Allies and Morison don't have a shop here in Toronto (soon to change maybe?) so I wonder where they were getting local planning expertise. I think someone mentioned that Adamson is acting as architecture of record so maybe from them, and perhaps First Capital has their own in-house team.
 
First Capital becoming a REIT:


First Capital Announces Receipt of Interim Court Order for Plan of Arrangement




TORONTO, Oct. 25, 2019 /CNW/ - First Capital Realty Inc. (the "Company") (TSX: FCR), one Canada's leading developers, owners and operators of mixed-used urban real estate in Canada's most densely populated centres, is pleased to announce that it has received an interim order of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Commercial List) authorizing various matters in connection with the Company's previously announced plan of arrangement under Section 182 of the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) (the "Arrangement") to convert the Company from a corporation to a real estate investment trust (the "REIT").

As previously announced, a special meeting of shareholders of the Company ("Shareholders") will be held at 10:00 a.m. (Toronto time) on December 10, 2019, at the offices of Torys LLP, 79 Wellington Street West, 33rd Floor, TD South Tower, Toronto, Ontario, M5K 1N2, to consider and approve the Arrangement. On or before November 1, 2019, the Company will mail meeting materials ("Meeting Materials") to Shareholders of record as at the close of business on October 25, 2019 (including holders of instalment receipts), which will include a management information circular, a form of proxy (or voting instruction form) and a letter of transmittal and election form. The management information circular and certain related Meeting Materials will also be available under the Company's issuer profile on SEDAR and on the Company's website.

Subject to the terms of the Arrangement, in exchange for each common share of the Company held, Shareholders will receive one unit of the REIT (each, a "REIT Unit"), unless the Shareholder is a qualifying Shareholder and elects to receive an exchangeable Class B limited partnership unit (each, an "Exchangeable Unit") of a limited partnership controlled by the REIT. The Exchangeable Units are intended to be economically equivalent to and exchangeable for REIT Units on a one-for-one basis and will be accompanied by special voting units of the REIT that will provide their holders with equivalent voting rights to holders of REIT Units. Qualifying shareholders considering electing to receive Exchangeable Units should refer to the management information circular for important details and restrictions and be aware that the deadline for electing to exchange common shares for Exchangeable Units is 5:00 p.m. (Toronto Time) on December 6, 2019.

If approved by Shareholders, the Arrangement is expected to become effective on December 30, 2019.
 
I like the look of the denser HBS skyline and the improved urbanization of that area (walking down Park Lawn to enjoy the area is rather bleak). My concern is the traffic issue that needs to be addressed. Immediately north of The Queensway is a residential neighbourhood that is comprised of single family dwellings and many low rise apartment buildings. I live in one of the low rise (6 storey) buildings and I would have an even more dramatic view than I already have. The only real entrance/egress points are Park Lawn/Lake Shore and Park Lawn/Queensway....both of which are so wholly inadequate unless going downtown. HBS residents and those that exit the QEW at Park Lawn cannot make the turn easily at Queensway. They choose to drive north and flood Park Lawn, Prince Edward and...trying to get south....side streets and Royal York....traffic is horrendous in the morning. While I understand the development....the city needs to perhaps putting in a ramp/interchange system at Park Lawn/Queensway in order to expedite the travel density that is already choking quiet residential streets.
 
I was wondering about that aspect of this. Allies and Morison don't have a shop here in Toronto (soon to change maybe?) so I wonder where they were getting local planning expertise. I think someone mentioned that Adamson is acting as architecture of record so maybe from them, and perhaps First Capital has their own in-house team.
If you read the front page story, you'll see that Urban Strategies are also on the planning job here, and no Toronto company is better or more experienced at master planning communities… so there's a huge, knowledgeable, expensive(!!) team behind this. Everything has been very carefully tweaked with local response in mind.

That said, and to repeat what I've said before, we have no idea how many changes there will be on the way to approval here. It's simply too early to get too attached to particular numbers.

42
 
The City also needs to expropriate land from the Food Terminal and make access to the westbound Gardiner from the right hand lane of Northbound Park Lawn. The traffic trying to turn left onto the Gardiner is backed up to Lake Shore every morning and already takes 10-15 minutes to move a few 100m. Many drivers chance it and go beyond the intersection and attempt a u-turn, or if unsuccessful just take a left at the Queensway and add traffic there.
 
The City also needs to expropriate land from the Food Terminal and make access to the westbound Gardiner from the right hand lane of Northbound Park Lawn. The traffic trying to turn left onto the Gardiner is backed up to Lake Shore every morning and already takes 10-15 minutes to move a few 100m. Many drivers chance it and go beyond the intersection and attempt a u-turn, or if unsuccessful just take a left at the Queensway and add traffic there.

I'd say that's very doubtful. The charter for the OFT has just been renewed. Maybe you should advocate for two northbound left-hand turn lanes instead. First Capital could include it in their development plans. They already seem to want a lot from government, like moving the GO station, adding bus and streetcar lines to the new GO station, and modifying the Lakeshore-Gardiner intersection at the Humber. These are likely to total over $100 million in project costs, money I don't foresee coming available.
 

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