Toronto Waterlink at Pier 27 | 43.89m | 14s | Cityzen | a—A

Alvin:

My fear was who would have take ownership and responsibility for the lands. Clearly, I would be opposed to the city of Toronto or it subsidary owning and being responsibile for it.

I'm aware it was Waterfront Toronto's who took the lead in securing the acre and half lot at the foot of Yonge, and I believe it needs to continue to be empowered political and financially to make things happen.

I'm also not confident with just assuming that TEDCO is no longer messing around with the Waterfront. I want it to be official, stamped and sealed for future years.

Louroz
 
You've got my support... This is more than just another lot... It has played a major role in the city's history and to some extent, Ontario... It was, just until 10 years ago recognized by Guiness as the worlds longest street... Just over 4 Yonge streets stitched end to end would cover the entire US/Canada border.


I don't think the condos will alter Yonge Street's length (1,896 km; 1,178 miles from Toronto's lakeshore to Rainy River, Ontario, at the U.S' Minnesota border ;)



I'm with you guys. This is one of the nicest projects going up in the city.


I completely agree. The Sales Office alone already improved that area. I'm confident that Pier 27 and Waterlink condos will be beautiful additions.
 
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Any news on the design / height of phase 3 + 4 buildings?
 
Yes, it will be interesting to see what they'll do for phases 3 & 4.

Also, they've made changes to phase 2. In Solaris' post (drawing posted by MetroMan), Phase 2's west building is shorter than Phase 1's east building.

Those 2 buildings are now of the same length in the Presentation Gallery/Sales Office.
 
And to the 2nd phase, they've added the bridge that will house the penthouses (similar to the one in the 1st phase).
 
Alvin:

My fear was who would have take ownership and responsibility for the lands. Clearly, I would be opposed to the city of Toronto or it subsidary owning and being responsibile for it.

I'm aware it was Waterfront Toronto's who took the lead in securing the acre and half lot at the foot of Yonge, and I believe it needs to continue to be empowered political and financially to make things happen.

I'm also not confident with just assuming that TEDCO is no longer messing around with the Waterfront. I want it to be official, stamped and sealed for future years.

Louroz

More Tedco "messing around":rolleyes:

A press release was issued by Cityhall this afternoon with great news for bicyclists and pedestrians on the waterfront. Find it below.

TORONTO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
media release
Toronto – July 17, 2008: TEDCO and Redpath Sugar Agree to Improve Public Realm

The Toronto Economic Development Corporation (TEDCO) announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Redpath Sugar Ltd. to end its lease of TEDCO’s railway lines along Queen’s Quay Blvd. East.

Redpath agreed to give up its lease of the railway lines in a generous effort to support the City of Toronto and all potential users of the waterfront. With the railway tracks removed, the eastern portion of Queen’s Quay Blvd. will become more accessible to bicycle paths, be more pedestrian-friendly and remove barriers for redevelopment along the waterfront.

As part of revitalization of the surrounding area, Redpath Sugar will remain part of the City’s mixed-use waterfront as reflected in the Central Waterfront Plan confirmed by City Council. This agreement allows further redevelopment of the East Bayfront area to proceed and will also help accommodate the new Jarvis Slip park to be named Sugar Beach.

“With this agreement TEDCO continues to help make revitalization of the waterfront a reality,†said Jeffrey Steiner, President and CEO of TEDCO. “Part of the dynamic of a mixed-use waterfront is the fact that we have active, interesting and productive employment uses in close proximity to institutional, residential and commercial development.â€

Jonathan Bamberger, President of Redpath Sugar Ltd. said, “We have worked hard with TEDCO to ensure the development of a vibrant waterfront as well as the continuity of our business. Losing the rail line is not positive for us but we felt the benefit to the City outweighed our concerns. We believe that this agreement is in the public interest and hope that careful thought is given to the interface of different types of waterfront users.â€

“The city’s precinct plan did not specifically call for the removal of the rail lines so Redpath has been a good and cooperative corporate citizen in contributing to a better public realmâ€, TEDCO’s Steiner added.

The East Bayfront area consists of a mix of public and private land between Jarvis Street and Parliament Street, south of Lakeshore Blvd. The area will be transformed into a mixed-use community with employment, institutional, cultural and residential uses as part of a precinct plan developed by Waterfront Toronto.

TEDCO’s Corus Entertainment office and broadcast building is currently under construction just south of Queens Quay East which will employ more than 1,300 knowledge workers with occupancy slated for the fall of 2009.

TEDCO is the principal redevelopment corporation for the City of Toronto focused on commercial, industrial and mixed-use projects. Incorporated in 1986 as an Ontario Business Corporation, TEDCO plays a key role in brokering private and public sector partnerships to advance city building initiatives.

-30-

For more information:
Eva Varangu
Director, Communications & Public Affairs
Toronto Economic Development Corporation (TEDCO)
416.981.3869
evarangu@tedco.ca
www.tedco.ca
 
i was going to the guvernment last night and passed the sales center.

looks like they put some fabric on those long rods and support pieces.

DSC08725.jpg
 
pretty nice sales centre...looks like a mini pier...prob one of the best sales centres I have seen to go along with Four Seasons!
 
Thank the Lord the city of Toronto didn't get its hands on the lands at the foot of Yonge! It would have pained me to see another piece of prime waterfront real easte continue to sit vacant for decades.

To date, this city and its agencies (TEDCO) have managed a horrible track record of developing, nevermind redeveloping the land it presently owns.

I can think of two other large parcels of prime waterfront sites that have long sat underulitized and today continue to major eyesores:

1. The massive parking lot on the north side of Queen's Quay and east of York Street, right where the city is "thinking" about studying a proposal to tearing down a useless Gardiner off ramp. A no brainer that was first proposed a good 15 years ago, and from the sounds of it will take another 10 years to study and actually tear down.

2. The parking lot north of Queen's Quay, directly north HTO Park and south of the Rogers Centre - Skydome. I have confirmed that the city of Toronto has not turned over this land formally to Waterfront Toronto and has no plans or money to do anything with it anytime soon.

Sure, the city talks a good game about building new public spaces and blah blah blah. Yet good luck that happening within our lifetime. How long did it take them to get HTO Park off the ground? 30 years?

Ideally, the city of Toronto should have had a strong planning department, along with inspired political leadership in helping guide this development to contribute greatly to the greater public realm. Sadly this wasn't the case at the time, (the city has finally begun to make some minor, yet important steps recently).

Frankly we were lucky that this developer is going with a bold architectural designed to act as an icon gateway along the waterfront. Thankfully the city does require the building a public promanade around the edges of the site, which will nicely connect with the 1.3-acre piece of property at the foot of Yonge Street owned by Waterfront Toronto.

I also understand that the under section 37, the developer will spend over $1.1 million over the course of the project on new public art projects to animate those public spaces.

Simply put, I am strongly opposed to the city buying prime real estate sites that will sit empty for years with no clear project plan or funding, while I would be pleased to see more good city-building private developments guided by strong city leadership.

Louroz


Three brief points:
1. I think it is unfortunate that there remains such an inferiority complex in this city that we are grateful when developers present us with designs slightly better than mediocre. We should demand, and receive, excellence in planning and design in exchange for the privilege of building in this city. As for the one million dollars given to animate public spaces, this is a pittance and further evidence of our small-town attitude: the “Bean†sculpture in Millenium Park alone cost over twenty million and draws millions of tourists.
2. Doing something (building a condo) is not necessarily better than doing nothing (leaving it as a parking lot). City building is slow. Importantly though, if one is rightfully upset with slow and poor leadership, one should do something about it: write to your councilor, attend meetings, write letters to the editor etc.
3. I wonder how many actually bother to wander down to the central waterfront on a sunny Sunday afternoon. The lone patch of green abuts a parking lot, behind the atrocious hotel, with people searching for a spot to play Frisbee or lounge in a city short on public space. It is an outrage. While New York and Chicago protect their waterfront and park, somehow a glass bridge joining two towers – didn’t we see this at Ontario Place thirty years ago? - is design enough to shunt public interest.

This is a city short on ideas and inspiration, one where apparently the sales centre for a condo building is worthy news. I hope Torontonians demand more, starting with this project.
 
A. 1.1 million is a massive contribution from a developer especially considering when most north american cities throw subsidies at them just to anything built.

B. A far longer stretch of Chicago's waterfront consists of a thin strip of sand, a 16 lane "boulevard" and 200-400 foot wall of concrete that puts Harbour Square to shame than what you see around Millenium Park. New York?!? forget about it.

Toronto is hardly perfect so I don't mind the criticism but the LAST thing this forum needs is another "grass is always greener" complainer
 
A. 1.1 million is a massive contribution from a developer especially considering when most north american cities throw subsidies at them just to anything built.


B. A far longer stretch of Chicago's waterfront consists of a thin strip of sand, a 16 lane "boulevard" and 200-400 foot wall of concrete that puts Harbour Square to shame than what you see around Millenium Park. New York?!? forget about it.

Toronto is hardly perfect so I don't mind the criticism but the LAST thing this forum needs is another "grass is always greener" complainer

$1.1 million is certainly not massive when you consider the size and prestige of the project and its location on the last chunk of downtown waterfront at the foot of yonge street. At the very least something like "The Bean" should have been considered for this important site. 1.1 million is actually kind of an insult for a "world" city, especially when you consider that some families spend that much on a friggin wedding reception.

This city needs more vision and less tolerance of mediocrity. The rallying-cry here seems to be, "Another parking lot bites the dust!" rather than, let's construct something our grand kids will be proud of.

And this forum does need critical thinkers who can put together a decent argument, even if it is of the glass-half-empty ilk. A endless string of Toronto boosting Pollyannas can make for some pretty tiresome reading.
 
What a couple of posters seem to have missed here, is that Pier 27 is indeed one of the best projects we have seen in the entire boom..."slightly better than mediocre"??? I think you had better get glasses, this could easily be in the top 5 of all projects underway in Toronto...

Irish, I am going to respectfully disagree with you, I think it is waaay better to suffer an overabundance of positive energy on the forum, rather than sink into the absolute negativity that infects so many areas of our lives....

Negative criticism has never accomplished anything, anywhere in the world...the whole fucking world is negative, it is only the very few who are strong enough to hold onto postiive thinking, who ever accomplish anything...and that includes city-building..

This project gets 2 enthusiastic thumbs up from me...
 
What a couple of posters seem to have missed here, is that Pier 27 is indeed one of the best projects we have seen in the entire boom..."slightly better than mediocre"??? I think you had better get glasses, this could easily be in the top 5 of all projects underway in Toronto...

Irish, I am going to respectfully disagree with you, I think it is waaay better to suffer an overabundance of positive energy on the forum, rather than sink into the absolute negativity that infects so many areas of our lives....

Negative criticism has never accomplished anything, anywhere in the world...the whole fucking world is negative, it is only the very few who are strong enough to hold onto postiive thinking, who ever accomplish anything...and that includes city-building..

This project gets 2 enthusiastic thumbs up from me...

Well said. :)
 
What a couple of posters seem to have missed here, is that Pier 27 is indeed one of the best projects we have seen in the entire boom..."slightly better than mediocre"??? I think you had better get glasses, this could easily be in the top 5 of all projects underway in Toronto..

It's great that you've got such enthusiasm. But I think we want people to put forward good discussion, even if it is negative. Sure, I also think this is a good project architectually, but I still have problems with the site plan, and would have also liked to see more public use, particuarly as this is where Yonge Street meets the lake (not where it once met the lake, because for most people that doesn't matter). But if a condo is built here, I guess one should be pleased that this, going up for 2009, will be far superior than if this was a project by a generic condo developer working in a 1970s context. There's plenty of shades of grey.

Oh, and watch the language. We'd like this to be a family-friendly forum. Or at least attempt to be one. :)
 

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