Toronto Lower Don Lands Redevelopment | ?m | ?s | Waterfront Toronto

StCatharinesCitizen said:
Name one other politician thats been critisized other than Tim Hudak. This whole forum aside from actual architectural and engineering comments, consists of leftist views. Public funding, billions of tax dollars collected and spent on projects that go way over schedule and way over budget. Private companies dont want to lose money doing projects so they do them right and they do them fast. Government on the other hand has cash loads to rely on if the project goes overbudget seeing as our taxes in Canada are insanely high, although I give credit to Stephen Harper and the PC's for lowering taxes and improving the chances of private investment in this country by reducing corporate taxes which will in turn give us back far more money than we bargained for.

Sorry for getting political but I have strong views and like to share them.

Getting back to the subject, I believe Rob Ford will be successful in his plan through private investors aching to get their hands on prime waterfront property, but Waterfront Toronto WILL work with them to make sure there is still public access such as a board walk (like in front of corus and george brown). Give him a chance, this could be the greatest thing a mayor has ever done for the city. NO NFL STADIUM BY THE WAY. It was mentioned in the article, but I would be happy to see a cash cow like that move into the city anyways. Ferris wheels of the record-breaking scale seem to bring a world class standard to cities (Dubai, Singapore, London, Berlin etc.), I think it will be great to not only get a view of the city from up top, but also a birds eye view from the portlands with the full skyline in sight. Mall sounds like a good investment along with the parklands at the future Pan Am site and waterfront hotels are a great idea too.

BRING THE PUBLIC AND THE TOURISTS ALIKE TO THE WATERFRONT! VOTE ROB FORDS PLAN!
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Rob Ford and Doug Ford both want the NFL in Toronto. They want the satdium at the portlands.
 
StCatharinesCitizen said:
Its about the money. When a shopper goes out, they want a one stop destination where they can get everything they need, hence why malls exist and thrive. No matter where you build this thing, it will make money, the waterfront property is a bonus and they would absolutely incorporate the water into the mall which would look fantastic. Why not go for the biggest if someone else will pay for it. Its what almost every other major city in the world is doing.
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Malls like Galleria and Honeydale are especially thriving! A mall on our waterfront is a wasted opportunity. I think people would much rather see an outdoor 'main street' type of shopping district than another soulless indoor mall. *Gasp* - that requires vision and planning! We can't have that!
 
This just another thread trashing the Fords, but thats good cause there are now about 5 related threads on the go.... which means that for good or bad, they are the most talked about individuals in Toronto...
For every person in Toronto that hates them, theres 2-3 that like him..so who cares wtf they think of them on this forum...just more hot air to be blown around. lol:D
 
StCatharinesCitizen said:
Getting back to the subject, I believe Rob Ford will be successful in his plan through private investors aching to get their hands on prime waterfront property, but Waterfront Toronto WILL work with them to make sure there is still public access such as a board walk (like in front of corus and george brown).
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There is already private land on the waterfront which remains undeveloped because the city hasn't made the necessary investments to make it work. Without the West Don Lands project much land would need to remain empty because it was in the flood plain. They are calling what has been done already a boondoggle... like the public access such as the board walk, Corus, and George Brown. When the private sector owned property they built condos with no public access or sat on their land assets. The private sector planned a Home Depot on the waterfront. The port lands aren't developable without the investment Waterfront Toronto, via 3 governments, is making. The land is a contaminated flood plain with no sewer capacity and no public amenities. The property directly fronting the water has a view and the rest is derelict industrial land.

StCatharinesCitizen said:
Give him a chance, this could be the greatest thing a mayor has ever done for the city.
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Sure, the waterfront has been a project since the 60s and finally there is the organization that is making it happen with sound planning and international design competitions. Getting rid of that and whipping together a plan of a mall, monorail, and world's biggest ferris wheel on land the size of the waterfront to Dundas, Jarvis to University, has a chance of being the greatest thing a mayor has every done for the city? I don't think so. Two football buffs who had their dad's business handed to them are not going to pull off something that bests plans that have been winning awards on the international stage.

NO NFL STADIUM BY THE WAY. It was mentioned in the article, but I would be happy to see a cash cow like that move into the city anyways.
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A cash cow? Many cities with stadiums end up needing to put a stadium tax on tourist amenities because they are financial sink holes much like the SkyDome was.

Ferris wheels of the record-breaking scale seem to bring a world class standard to cities (Dubai, Singapore, London, Berlin etc.)
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Who heard of those places before the ferris wheels? Lord knows I want to see all four cities for the ferris wheel.

I think it will be great to not only get a view of the city from up top, but also a birds eye view from the portlands with the full skyline in sight.
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Sure, Toronto doesn't really have a place to see the city from up top. Being in the port lands you need to get up high to see over the water which in windy conditions can swell up over a foot high.

Mall sounds like a good investment along with the parklands at the future Pan Am site and waterfront hotels are a great idea too.
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Yes, a mall is a good investment... which is why the football twins are suggesting it rather than investors. Investors are of course a timid bunch who sit back waiting for someone to scribble on a napkin. Woodbine Live is going gang busters. Versace wants to open more stores in Toronto but they can't afford the high rents family run laundromats are being charged.
 
Automation Gallery said:
This just another thread trashing the Fords, but thats good cause there are now about 5 related threads on the go.... which means that for good or for bad they are the most talked about individuals in Toronto...
For every person in Toronto that hates them, theres 2-3 that like him..so who cares wtf they think of them on this forum...just more hot air to be blown around. lol:D
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Not its not. Come ON man. I all want is a credible stadium plan before I fully support the NFL. And another plan for the feris wheel, etc. That's all, no agenda.
 
Automation Gallery said:
For every person in Toronto that hates them, theres 2-3 that like him..
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You really think the majority of the city likes him? More people voted against him at the election, than for him. And now suddenly you think those that voted against him, like him?

What's that ... Ford math? 2+2 = -2343.45
 
nfitz said:
In the mayoral election thread ... Giambrone, Miller, Pantalone, Thomson, Rossi, Smitherman, Lastman, McGuinty ...

None perhaps as harshly as Rob Ford. But that seems well deserved.
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Bravo on your research.

Smitherman wasted billions of dollars on an e-health scandal.

Pantalone is litterally one of the most ditzy and oblivious people anyone could know.

McGuinty has wasted billions on useless government programs and the polls have changed against him for the upcoming election.

They all have reason to be bashed. Rob Ford may be bashed equally by the leftists, but he is criticized far too much for how little he has done wrong. He got rid of a Transit City plan that was expensive and not viable (Imagine a three car lrt blocking an intersection on a left hand turn instead of the one car streetcars that we currently have, its a disaster)and cut out an Olympic bid idea because that would only create more debt in the hole already dug by Miller. He has proposed a viable plan including an improvement to our transit system, tourist destination, world-class status waterfront while still maintaining an accessable waterfront. Waterfront Torontos plan includes far too much private residential development that will prevent the public from travelling from one end of the waterfront to the other and denying access to patches all over the waterfront. The Olympics was a grand vision, so why do you take this as such a stretch?
 
Automation Gallery said:
This just another thread trashing the Fords, but thats good cause there are now about 5 related threads on the go.... which means that for good or bad, they are the most talked about individuals in Toronto...
For every person in Toronto that hates them, theres 2-3 that like him..so who cares wtf they think of them on this forum...just more hot air to be blown around. lol:D
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Where are you getting those stats from? The Rob Ford school of mathematics?
 
StCatharinesCitizen said:
He has proposed a viable plan including an improvement to our transit system, tourist destination, world-class status waterfront while still maintaining an accessable waterfront.
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Good grief. Are you completely and absolutely bonkers or something?

It's the most fucked up plan ever to be conceived. Doug Ford admitted to the press that he's been involved in back room discussions with private financiers. Not only is the plan completely bonkers ... it appears that the Fords are corrupt.

It's like old-fashioned corrupt politics out of the 1950s. It's no wonder Ford keeps mentioning Chicago ... is any US city as corrupt as Chicago?
 
EnviroTO said:
There is already private land on the waterfront which remains undeveloped because the city hasn't made the necessary investments to make it work. Without the West Don Lands project much land would need to remain empty because it was in the flood plain. They are calling what has been done already a boondoggle... like the public access such as the board walk, Corus, and George Brown. When the private sector owned property they built condos with no public access or sat on their land assets. The private sector planned a Home Depot on the waterfront. The port lands aren't developable without the investment Waterfront Toronto, via 3 governments, is making. The land is a contaminated flood plain with no sewer capacity and no public amenities. The property directly fronting the water has a view and the rest is derelict industrial land.



Sure, the waterfront has been a project since the 60s and finally there is the organization that is making it happen with sound planning and international design competitions. Getting rid of that and whipping together a plan of a mall, monorail, and world's biggest ferris wheel on land the size of the waterfront to Dundas, Jarvis to University, has a chance of being the greatest thing a mayor has every done for the city? I don't think so. Two football buffs who had their dad's business handed to them are not going to pull off something that bests plans that have been winning awards on the international stage.



A cash cow? Many cities with stadiums end up needing to put a stadium tax on tourist amenities because they are financial sink holes much like the SkyDome was.



Who heard of those places before the ferris wheels? Lord knows I want to see all four cities for the ferris wheel.



Sure, Toronto doesn't really have a place to see the city from up top. Being in the port lands you need to get up high to see over the water which in windy conditions can swell up over a foot high.



Yes, a mall is a good investment... which is why the football twins are suggesting it rather than investors. Investors are of course a timid bunch who sit back waiting for someone to scribble on a napkin. Woodbine Live is going gang busters. Versace wants to open more stores in Toronto but they can't afford the high rents family run laundromats are being charged.
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I want to avoid bringing politics into this thread as you have already done seeing as I said I would like to avoid politics in my initial comment.

First of all, OF COURSE THE CITY HASNT INVESTED, THEY DONT HAVE THE MONEY FOR IT! Which is why we need private investment on our waterfront almost desperately.

Second, OF COURSE YOU DONT GO TO A CITY FOR ITS FERRIS WHEEL! Major projects like these are built as a catalyst for growth in the industry. And there actually are alot of people that head to London to try out the eye.

Third, They are putting the proposal of a mall is being thrown out there so that private investors will know that the city is open to the idea and open to investment from the private sector on the watefront!

Fourth, again private investment will be the only way that Rob Ford allows a stadium to be built. Shouldnt have to worry about that too much seeing as not many private investors out there are willing to pay for an entire facility nevermind in Canada.

Private investors do a much better job and take zilch out of our pockets with the exception of possibly small grants the government of Ontario and Canada give. Look at the Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls. Almost as much of a gem as the falls themselves. The gardens are maintained tremendously and the facility contains far more than a casino with ballrooms, shows, halls, retail and dining. Lets look at another, Trump Tower was built quite quickly and stands currently as one of the most intriguing buildings to rise from the cities grounds in years. A Casino would be a great investment as well with far more to offer other than the casino itself, they are great for big spenders, the public and tourists.
 
nfitz said:
Good grief. Are you completely and absolutely bonkers or something?

It's the most fucked up plan ever to be conceived. Doug Ford admitted to the press that he's been involved in back room discussions with private financiers. Not only is the plan completely bonkers ... it appears that the Fords are corrupt.

It's like old-fashioned corrupt politics out of the 1950s. It's no wonder Ford keeps mentioning Chicago ... is any US city as corrupt as Chicago?
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Chicago also gets shit done. They have a full metro system and built stadiums.
 
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