Toronto Ontario Place | ?m | ?s | Infrastructure ON

The West Island of Ontario Place should be themed into an adventure-themed attraction for children and teens.

The pods could be used for restaurants, bars, and cabanas, as well as special event spaces. One pod could be dedicated to video arcades with redemption/escape rooms/VR/motion simulation.

Ontario Place needs to emphasize something Wonderland can't offer.
 
Johnny Au said:
The West Island of Ontario Place should be themed into an adventure-themed attraction for children and teens.

The pods could be used for restaurants, bars, and cabanas, as well as special event spaces. One pod could be dedicated to video arcades with redemption/escape rooms/VR/motion simulation.

Ontario Place needs to emphasize something Wonderland can't offer.
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The problem with all these above is that the Province should not be competing with private industry that's only a few minutes away. When it was build there was Canada's Wonderland and Ontario Place. Nothing else. Now we have Ripley's Aquarium, Rec Room, Cabana/Docks complex and a thriving restaurant scene.

What does this location have that cannot compete with other locations? (1) away from residential...outdoor music and (2) private water access. I expect that the Province will veer away from focusing on kids play and focus on all-ages play. Plus merging both existing music venues with the rebuild of the West Island

That is more music venues (which we sorely need for the talent that's in Toronto) and water activities (not a waterpark...more of a beach with a tiki bar to sell drinks plus volleyball courts). And to fund all that (plus bring year-round business) a casino
 
Amare said:
Some interesting details coming out about the bid process for the other half of the park have been exposed:

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/can...o-place-in-toronto-shelved-during-transition/

What I find laughable is Larry Tanenbaum's bid for the project; not only did it somehow make it in the top 3 and beat out 17 others on the shortlist, but he requested $500 million from the Province for essentially parkland and an educational campus. If his bid was selected, it would have been a huge travesty and an outright embarrassment. Actually, the fact that it was even considered is just questionable and ridiculous.
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Travesty and embarrassment -- huh? Tanenbaum himself is quoted in that article saying that number was grossly overstated, and it's further stated in the article that there are remediation and servicing requirements that drive whatever the real figure is, which doesn't sound like a wholly unreasonable ask to me. Also, I'm not sure there's enough detail about Tanenbaum's proposal in that article to fairly judge it, but from the graf below, it sounds like it's on the right track (certainly better than a film studio or casino).

Their concept, using a team of well-known urban planning consultants, would have turned much of the western half of Ontario Place into new “active park space,” and would have additionally included small-scale music venues, an “advanced education” campus and new space for arts events, Mr. Tanenbaum said in an interview.
 
ADRM said:
Travesty and embarrassment -- huh? Tanenbaum himself is quoted in that article saying that number was grossly overstated, and it's further stated in the article that there are remediation and servicing requirements that drive whatever the real figure is, which doesn't sound like a wholly unreasonable ask to me. Also, I'm not sure there's enough detail about Tanenbaum's proposal in that article to fairly judge it, but from the graf below, it sounds like it's on the right track (certainly better than a film studio or casino).

Their concept, using a team of well-known urban planning consultants, would have turned much of the western half of Ontario Place into new “active park space,” and would have additionally included small-scale music venues, an “advanced education” campus and new space for arts events, Mr. Tanenbaum said in an interview.
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Tanenbaum has a rather questionable history of civic development in the city (the original Union Pearson proposal for Union Station being one; the even older proposal to put the ACC atop the Union Station tracks along with lackluster office development is another).

AoD
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
Tanenbaum has a rather mixed history of civic development in the city (the original Union Pearson proposal for Union Station being one).

AoD
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Oh, for sure -- I'm no Tanen-booster, I just don't think there's enough detail in that article to label his proposal as a travesty.
 
Or it can just be as natural a place of peace and tranquility as can be in the middle of this hectic city, not competing with every other amusement, arcade or entertainment venue. When I was at the beautifully executed eastern side 2 weeks ago there were lots of people just relaxing on the grass picnicing or strolling or cycling, and I thought what a worthy goal had been achieved.
 
ADRM said:
Travesty and embarrassment -- huh? Tanenbaum himself is quoted in that article saying that number was grossly overstated, and it's further stated in the article that there are remediation and servicing requirements that drive whatever the real figure is, which doesn't sound like a wholly unreasonable ask to me. Also, I'm not sure there's enough detail about Tanenbaum's proposal in that article to fairly judge it, but from the graf below, it sounds like it's on the right track (certainly better than a film studio or casino).
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I think there is enough detail in the article, to get a general sense of what his whole plan was for the western half. Basically it's a park, with an educational campus and maybe* some sound stages tossed in. There's really nothing that make his proposal stand out.

I'll put it this way, if one submits a bid for something, the details are clearly laid out so they can be fully assessed and their contents very rarely deviate from what would actually be done if a company won a bid. Ontario Place would be no exception to that kind of process.
 
Although it's disappointing that this is being shelved for the time being, it's probably for the best. It seems like the bureaucrats who were running this process have no clue what their vision is for the space or how much they want to spend, and the private sector is having a difficult time responding to a very open ended rfp.
There also seemed to be very little consideration put into what the local and broader community, which has grown and changed considerably, might want to see in a publicly owned space. Hopefully the new government puts someone in that can have a clear vision of how this space can be revitalized.
 
Doug Ford sets sights on Ontario Place redevelopment
Premier Doug Ford, whose grandiose schemes for Toronto’s waterfront were thwarted when he was a city councillor and his brother was mayor, is setting his sights on redeveloping Ontario Place.

Sources told the Star that Ford wants to scuttle proposals that were being considered by the previous Liberal government and start anew with an international competition to rethink the sprawling green space along Lake Shore Blvd. W.
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https://www.thestar.com/news/queens...ts-sights-on-ontario-place-redevelopment.html
 
My prediction is that we see a Shoppes on Don Mills type complex anchored by a large casino.

“Vegas by the lake” DoFo will pronounce.
 
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DSC said:
The only vaguely good point is that if it is developed with condos and stores it will have to get decent transit! Ahhhhh
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C'mon now this is Toronto, transit for any given area is only a serious thought 50 years after any large scale high-density development occurs.

PinkLucy said:
Bring on the Ferris wheel.
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Don't forget about that monorail that will connect Ontario Place to the Portlands via the Financial District!
 
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