Toronto Union Park | 303.26m | 58s | Oxford Properties | Pelli Clarke Pelli

[CanadianNational]

Thanks for that link, TOareaFan.

“We have nearly a mile now of Front St. that we will be able to play with over the next several decades,” he said. ``I am hoping that someone is going to look down and say that was a good decision” to buy the MTCC complex.

“We are very optimistic that over time that we can make this whole site spectacular, and it can involve more retail, it can involve more residential density,” he said.

Oxford has just completed a “global review” of the Front St. corridor involving architects from the U.K., the U.S. to begin the work of redevelopment. Oxford intends to announce the team that will work on the project for the next couple years and bring the various decision makers onside. “We are hoping that we can do something transformational, working both with the Convention Centre and the city in this whole corridor.”

Lordy!

 

[AHK]

Thanks for the link TOareafan.

Does that mean the own the Station Road telco hotel site as well

According to the Allied Properties press release for their 2011 Year End issued yesterday, Allied still owns the 171 Front Street West complex (telco hotel, Station Road, plus the building on the south side of Station Road), with plans currently being prepared to submit to the City for redevelopment.

 

[taal]

According to the Allied Properties press release for their 2011 Year End issued yesterday, Allied still owns the 171 Front Street West complex (telco hotel, Station Road, plus the building on the south side of Station Road), with plans currently being prepared to submit to the City for redevelopment.

Did Allied Properties end of year report have an update regarding QRC ?

 

[unimaginative2]

That stretch of Front is distressingly one of the most popular spots for tourists. I always want to go up to them and shout "The city isn't all like this! Go elsewhere! Anywhere!"

From a pedestrian standpoint, it would be hard to make it worse. The MTCC and Royal Bank buildings are both interesting, but I could accept well-designed replacements that are a bit friendlier to the street. I really can't wait to see what they have in mind. This is a mind-boggling project...I could never have imagined that we could see that entire stretch completely redeveloped. It's a great spot for some super tall office towers.

This is kind of like a second try for Metro Centre. First go didn't work so let's have another.

They should build a DRL as part of the project.

 

[AHK]

Did Allied Properties end of year report have an update regarding QRC ?

Yes - still in leasing. Focus has shifted to finding clients in the 50,000 sf range, rather than a large single tenant to get the building started. Strong interest reported for smaller amounts of space, but still working on putting the required initial lease commitments in place.

The conference call, available on the Allied Properties web site, also talked about all four intensification activities underway in Toronto, including a new tenant and associated upgrades to the Skywalk building, as well as the revisions to and pending resubmission to the city for the 171 Front Street building.

URL is: http://www.alliedpropertiesreit.com

 

[p5connex]

As was stated previuosly, the convention centre replacemnet will most likely end up on the south side of the tracks, but not necessarily spanning them. The will of course, maintain if nit expand current facilities in order to make this work. If and when this is done, the Front St. corridor can be demolished, repurposed for the densification process. Further to this, yes there was talk about decking over the tracks, however it is not necessarily cheap and without doing it Hudson Yards style, you will end up with limitations as to buildable heights and densities upon platform.

I dont believe this has anything to do with Bjarke Ingels - he js involved with Cadillac Fairview, but who knows?


UK Architechts: yes, you guessed it Rogers and Foster

USArchitects: SOM, KPF and another

Oxford Properties, while maybe nit to biggest player locally, they are globally. Toronto may be booming with condos and a few smaller scale office towers, we are not buildign the kjnd of portfolio pieces they are interested in. This may very well change this. According to their mandate from OMERS, they are to invest approx. 10 billion a year in aquisitons, building construction and retail purchases. On a global stage they are much more involved in cities like London, New York, Tokyo etc. Either buying properties or developing them like Hudson Yards.

This project is all about reorganization, from relocating the existing MTCC North building, reconfuguring the hotel to incorporate new retail flagship(s) stores, adding a lot of retail along or parallel to front (capitalizing on tourist and under serviced residential densities), reconfiguring connections to the southern parts blocked by mammoth block and adding new office and residential densities.

I think the plans and ckncepts from invited competition might be made available at some point in the near future. I think...

p5

 

[taal]

Yes - still in leasing. Focus has shifted to finding clients in the 50,000 sf range, rather than a large single tenant to get the building started. Strong interest reported for smaller amounts of space, but still working on putting the required initial lease commitments in place.

The conference call, available on the Allied Properties web site, also talked about all four intensification activities underway in Toronto, including a new tenant and associated upgrades to the Skywalk building, as well as the revisions to and pending resubmission to the city for the 171 Front Street building.

URL is: http://www.alliedpropertiesreit.com

Wow that was quite enjoyabling to listen too ... gives you the presetive of a developer / landlord.
I hate to say it, but they seem TOO optimistic about downtown Toronto.

But here are some interesting bits:

Apparently the 171 front development is 3 weeks away ! From marketing that is. They have slighly resdisgned the project so we should see renderings soon.
They were planning on holding off on this development for sometime, but due to the 'hot market' want to push it aggresively now.

The big compontent in the project is the 200,000 square feet expansion of the 'internet data center' apparently there are tenants lining up for such space ... I can actually imagine this much. The rest of the space, 500,000 wold be new offices.

They also discussed a 'automated parking' as a solution for acodmate that.

Moreover, they indicated they are moving ahead with the Front and Peter propety which is about 700,000 square feet, apparently all the retail has been taken off and it is now completely commerical space.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Thanks for the additional info p5 - this is getting rather exciting indeed. Wonder how they can expand the convention centre solely south of the tracks - that portion of the site is rather small, hemmed in on all four sides by extant developments. Maybe a Moscone North-like vertical expansion? Even then still I don't think they will be able to get a large, contiguous exhibition space there.

AoD

 

[Filip]

I heard there is a lot of demand for data centre space on Front.

Make your own conclusions.

 

[canarob]

Thanks for the additional info p5 - this is getting rather exciting indeed. Wonder how they can expand the convention centre solely south of the tracks - that portion of the site is rather small, hemmed in on all four sides by extant developments. Maybe a Moscone North-like vertical expansion? Even then still I don't think they will be able to get a large, contiguous exhibition space there.

AoD

If there are "limitations as to buildable heights and densities upon platform," maybe this means the convention space itself would be over the tracks? It certainly wouldn't need to be very tall, and I agree that you couldn't build large enough floor plates to the south of the tracks.

 

[fiendishlibrarian]

Would future electrification of the rail corridor affect what can or can't be done in terms of building over it? Recall that the Hudson Yards are for Long Island Railroad trains which use third rail, whereas GO plans to use overhead catenary.

 

[CDL.TO]

Would future electrification of the rail corridor affect what can or can't be done in terms of building over it? Recall that the Hudson Yards are for Long Island Railroad trains which use third rail, whereas GO plans to use overhead catenary.

It should only define the necessary clearance. There are lots of examples of lines with centenary being built over, such as the leads to Central Station in Montreal.

 

[grey]

That stretch of Front is distressingly one of the most popular spots for tourists. I always want to go up to them and shout "The city isn't all like this! Go elsewhere! Anywhere!"

Hahaha, I feel the exact same way and tell this to people all the time.

Would future electrification of the rail corridor affect what can or can't be done in terms of building over it? Recall that the Hudson Yards are for Long Island Railroad trains which use third rail, whereas GO plans to use overhead catenary.

NJ Transit uses electrified trains with overhead cables from Newark to NY Penn Station. Diesel trains can’t be operated in the tunnels to New York.

 

[Woodbridge_Heights]

Isn't there a pinch point on the tracks at the MTCC site. Wouldn't it be in GO's (or Union Station's for that matter) interest to find a way to accommodate an extra track or two into any planned redevelopment of the site? Taking that thought further why not move the planned Bathurst satellite station here, the Milton, Barrie Go trains, and ARL can stop here.

 

[AlbertC]

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1229753--another-potential-casino-site-front-street

Another potential casino site? Front Street

Published on Saturday July 21, 2012
David Rider
Urban Affairs Bureau Chief

Oxford Properties Group is incorporating a possible casino-entertainment complex into discussions of a major redevelopment of its part of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and surrounding properties, the Star has learned.

Two independent sources confirmed the talks, but portrayed Oxford, owned by pension giant OMERS, as joining in the casino discussions with less zeal than others such as MGM Resorts and Caesar’s Entertainment.

The plan, they said, includes retail, office space, condominiums and — pending agreement from city council to host a casino, and an Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. procurement process to select a builder and operator — gambling on one floor that could jut out over adjacent rail lands.

Since late June, the Star has asked four Oxford executives to confirm or deny that discussions are taking place about a casino. All have refused.

Oxford’s purchase last year of part of the convention centre gives the company control of “nearly a mile” of Front St., Hutcheson told Property Biz Canada in March. “We are very optimistic that, over time, that we can make this whole site spectacular, and it can involve more retail, it can involve more residential density,” he was quoted as saying.

The sources could not say if Oxford Properties was among the companies that submitted a “Request for Information” to OLG by July 4. The province wants to see potential casino proposals, builders and operators. Oxford could wait and, if a Toronto casino looks likely, offer to partner with one of the gambling giants.

City-owned Exhibition Place is a leading potential location — MGM Resorts is proposing a multi-billion-dollar entertainment complex there — along with Woodbine racetrack, the Port Lands and Downsview Park.