May 13, 2009
Toronto construction sites sit idle as developers wait for improved outlook
IAN HARVEY
correspondent
The recession is cutting into activities at some prominent local job sites, but the full impact of the downturn probably won’t be felt until late summer, said the head of the Toronto construction sector’s largest union.
“We’re still seeing demand for our labour,” said Jaime Melo, president of the Labourers’ International Union of North America Local 183.
“Still, there has been a drop-off for what you might call casual labourers, though the skilled trades are still in demand.
“I think there’s enough in the pipeline on the high-rise side to keep going until about August, but after that, I think we’ll feel it. Low-rise and single-family residential homes are dead, though.”
The one bright spot now, he said, is that there are still reports of brisk condo sales at the preview stage.
With projects like the MaRS Discovery District expansion on hold because private funding sources have hit the wall in the global credit meltdown, there are more than a few quiet jobsites in and around Toronto.
Among them is the Bohemian Embassy, a chic industrial-style condo in the heart of the West Queen West district that has been galvanized by the Drake Hotel and Gladstone Hotel.
The nine-storey mid-rise is joined to a 19-storey tower with suites starting at about $270,000 and hitting $869,000 for penthouse units.
“It’s been temporarily delayed while they get some refinancing in place and redo some contracts,” said Teresa Roppo, manager of sales and marketing for high-rise at Baywood Homes, the developer.
“We should get back full force in a couple of weeks.”
She said the crane hasn’t been dismantled at the site, a sure sign of a project being mothballed.
However, that’s not the case at Buttcon’s Element and Aloft Hotel project, which started last spring and was expected to open in January 2010.
The crane has been dismantled and sources within the company, who asked not to be named, said the trendy boutique 10-storey Element’s 227 suites and the 13-storey Aloft’s 153 rooms on Front Street will be delayed indefinitely until both the economy and financing availability improve.
Meanwhile, it looks as though work has been halted at Monarch Construction’s Nautilus at Waterview on Marine Drive in Etobicoke.
It is a 37-storey tinted-glass tower on top of a three-storey precast and glass podium with panoramic views of Lake Ontario and the Toronto skyline.
The project is simply delayed because of logistics.
“Just waiting on a crane permit and foundation permits,” said Danny DiFazio, Monarch’s high-rise project manager.
Source:
http://www.journalofcommerce.com/article/id33735