Toronto Backstage On The Esplanade | 116.73m | 36s | Cityzen | P + S / IBI

Excellent news about the GO HQ.

I agree about the good news concerning the bus terminal expansion. Even if all-day service on more lines mitigates the need for all those bus bays, it does open up the possibility of using it for intercity and even casino buses later. Maybe Trentway would be a good idea to move in first, since it has less buses than Greyhound, and less reliant on transfer traffic.

Even a few more early evening and "shoulder" peak trains would really ease congestion. The worst time is around 7PM weekdays, when multiple buses load up for each corridor and line ups can be very long.
 
Globe and Mail

GO eyeing Union Station as site for head office

JENNIFER LEWINGTON AND LORI MCLEOD
October 21, 2008

GO Transit, a major user of Union Station, is considering a move of its head office into the historic city-owned building slated for an overdue facelift.

"We are looking at Union Station," GO board chairman Peter Smith confirmed yesterday. "The board believes we should be downtown, and obviously Union Station is an important part of downtown and part of the transit network."

He and others refused to say whether GO is the prospective tenant identified only as a "third party" expressing interest in a long-term lease of 87,300 square feet of the vacant west wing of the station. The potential lease arrangement is to be debated at council's government management committee today.

GO currently has 91,000 square feet of space at its headquarters at 20 Bay St., with a lease that runs until 2013.

Others see the regional commuter service, whose expansion plans rely on a refurbished station, as a natural tenant.

"It's a logical tenant for that location, and to the extent it would help with the revitalization for Union Station, I think it would be good for the business community," said Paul Morse, senior managing director and national practice director, office leasing, at Cushman & Wakefield LePage.

Last year, council gave a green light to efforts by city officials to work out a $388-million, private and publicly financed renovation of Union Station, Canada's busiest transportation hub.

A move by GO into the station, Mr. Morse added, would be a "sign of confidence" in the site, as city officials report next month on the progress of talks with pension funds and others as possible investors in new commercial and retail shops, including a new underground concourse.

The committee report says the city would make $16.6-million in building improvements by Jan. 1, 2012, with the costs recovered from rent payments by the tenant, which in turn would complete renovations at its own expense by Dec. 31, 2013.
 
Newer information about GO's possible move to Union Station can now be found in this thread.

We'll see what is proposed next for 5-7 The Esplanade...

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OPA / Rezoning application submitted

Came across this in the November 2008 issue of the "City of Toronto Development Applications" listing:

OPA / Rezoning application submitted on November 20, 2008 for 5 The Esplanade property, to permit "Proposed 19-storey office building wtih 6 levels of below grade parking; including new Go-transit head office. A path connection to 1 Front St. E. and over Yonge St. is proposed."

City File #: 08 223450 STE 28

City Planner: Al Rezoski (416) 392-0481
 
GO Transit is no longer part of this project since they're taking up the office space in the west wing of Union Station. I doubt the project's going to go ahead anytime soon as a result of them pulling out.
 
299 bloor call control. said:
GO Transit is no longer part of this project since they're taking up the office space in the west wing of Union Station. I doubt the project's going to go ahead anytime soon as a result of them pulling out.
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Clearly the plans for the "former GO HQ" building need to be revised but I think it may go ahead when the I Tower does as the parking for the "I" is in/below 5/7 The Esplanade and Castlepoint has just, I think, bought the site. One big question is whether the building can use the land where the rail tracks used to be in addition to the (tiny) carpark at Yonge and The Esplanade. This land is zoned for transport and unless the building is going to move I doubt that it can be considered transport. :) Any building on the rail berm may need an amendment to the Official Plan which gives the City lots of say on what happens - I know the local residents and Councillor McConnell were not to thrilled with the plans so I bet there will need to be significant changes and probably lots of Section 37 money.
 
In today's Star there is a statutory notice from the City about an application to amend the Official Plan and Zoning by-law "to permit a 31-storey residential apartment building having 260 units on 5-7 The Esplanade."
 
DSC said:
In today's Star there is a statutory notice from the City about an application to amend the Official Plan and Zoning by-law "to permit a 31-storey residential apartment building having 260 units on 5-7 The Esplanade."
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What a terrible location for a residential tower... just think of the noise generated by dozens of diesel train engines parked a mere few meters away. Hopefully the City and the OMB will shut this proposal down.
 
catcher_of_cats said:
What a terrible location for a residential tower... just think of the noise generated by dozens of diesel train engines parked a mere few meters away. Hopefully the City and the OMB will shut this proposal down.
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Damn! This is going to be one really skinny building!

If the nimbys next door were pissed over that last proposal, they are gonna go crossed eyed ballistic nuts over this one.

The residents with windows at the 'point' of that huge slab of cheese go from an incredible view of the CN Tower and city skyline to a view of their new neighbours windows or a concrete wall about 10 ft (if that) in their faces.

I wonder how many of those unlucky residents will be calling their agents in the next couple of weeks.
 
khristopher said:
I thought the Novotel was strictly a hotel?
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Seems to be a common misconception.
A lot of pople see the the Novotel sign and assume that huge building is the hotel. Its not. Its the small structure (with the quebecois style dormer windows on the roof) beside it.
 
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