Toronto Tyndale Green | 61.9m | 20s | Collecdev-Markee | KPMB

AlexBozikovic

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Jennifer Keesmaat is launching a new development company together with partner Jason Marks to build a mix of market and affordable rental. The first project is on the campus of Tyndale University.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/can...aat-launches-markee-developments-with-a-goal/

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Website for Markee Developments:


Introducing Tyndale Green.

We are excited to begin a discussion with the community about a shared vision for Tyndale Green: A residential community that will be affordable, vibrant, beautiful, livable, sustainable, and sensitive to its surroundings.

Though details of the project will be developed through community consultation, the vision is to set a number of exciting precedents for affordable housing in the City of Toronto. Walkability, environmental sustainability, excellence in architectural and landscape design, respect of heritage context and character and, of course, affordability, will be guiding principles as the vision for the project is developed with the community.

The first in a series of virtual public consultations will take place in early December to give the public an opportunity to shape the development of this new affordable residential community.

Sign up below if you would like to be notified when the project website launches with additional details about the community and the public consultation process.
 
There is a lengthy history of partnership between colleges or universities and private developers to undertake developments on college or university lands. The first I know about was the building of the Colonnade on Victoria College land in the early 60’s. More recently, there was the development of U condominiums on St. Mike’s land. Another couple of developments are on the way in the same area. Farther afield, UBC, together with a number of associated colleges, is a major developer.

In the developments I know about, the land isn’t sold, by the way. It is leased for a lengthy period, usually 99 years, with payment for the lease upfront. I don’t know if this is the case with the Tyndale Development. At any rate, this is not surprising for institutions that may be land rich and cash poor.
 
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There is a lengthy history of partnership between colleges or universities and private developers to undertake developments on college or university lands. The first I know about was the building of the Colonnade on Victoria College land in the early 60’s. More recently, there was the development of U condominiums on St. Mike’s land. Another couple of developments are on the way in the same area. Farther afield, UBC, together with a number of associated colleges, is a major developer.

In the developments I know about, the land isn’t sold, by the way. It is leased for a lengthy period, usually 99 years, with payment for the lease upfront. I don’t know if this is the case with the Tyndale Development. At any rate, this is not surprising for institutions that may be land rich and cash poor.

There is also McKinsey on Charles St. - it's on leased land owned by Victoria College as well.

AoD
 

Markee’s first development proposal is in the works and slated for the Tyndale University lands. The large property houses a private Christian university and a lot of open space that backs onto Don Valley ravine lands. Here, Keesmaat hopes to create a leading-edge community that places affordable housing and sustainability at its centre.

But, there are varying definitions of affordable housing. For Markee, it’s a model that targets middle-income earners.

“So nurses and teachers and health care workers who are earning a salary and employed, but are still outside of the cost of an average market rent in relation to their salary,” she explained.”Middle-income earners are the key workers that we’ve really targeted with our model.”

In viewing the development plan through this lens, Keesmaat said a number of things become very clear including the amenities required on the site such as child care, coffee shops and the like, in addition to ensuring it is a walkable community with easily accessible public transit.

“This site presents an opportunity to create something that doesn’t exist today, and that is a community hub,” said Keesmaat. “And a community where you can do a series of things within walking distance, including for the existing neighbourhood today. There will be a coffee shop on our site and a bookstore, and a daycare. There will be amenities within walking distance where they don’t exist today.”

Keesmaat is also interested in creating a link to the Sheppard Subway Line located to the south of the site, which could be accessed by cycling with new infrastructure.

“Bayview has a significant amount of space that could be allocated to a cycling lane,” she said. “It’s really only a short bike ride to higher-order transit on Sheppard if you have that separated bike lane. But right now there isn’t a bike lane. But we can very easily, I think in this city, given what we’ve seen over the past six months, envision that future where you’ve got a great separated cycling lane on Bayview.”

Because the site backs onto the Don Valley and connects to the ravine system, there are additional conservation considerations as well as opportunities regarding expanding active transportation that will also be a part of the proposal.

Keesmaat said it is important to note that the “majority of the site will not be developed.”

“Part of what we want to do here is thinking really carefully about how we can add some density in a very careful way while creating a community hub that respects the ravine landscape, and really complements and strengthens the function of the university on the site,” she continued. “Most of the site is actually going to stay green space, and the areas where we are putting buildings, we’re going to make them greener.”

Also, key to the Markee plan for the Tyndale site is sustainability. Keesmaat said there will be an announcement coming very shortly regarding the impact. And it sounds like a big one.

“We’ve been doing a lot of work in that area, and we potentially have a very exciting announcement that we’re going to be making about it, but we didn’t want to get ahead of ourselves,” she said. “But I can say without hesitation that we’ll be exceeding the city standards for sustainability.”
 
I don't understand why in areas like this, instead of putting bike lanes on the road, why don't we extend the sidewalk and put the bike lane on the same grade as the sidewalk?
 
I don't understand why in areas like this, instead of putting bike lanes on the road, why don't we extend the sidewalk and put the bike lane on the same grade as the sidewalk?

This is a picture of Bayview immediately adjacent to Tyndale:

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From Streetview

In terms of utilizing the existing boulevard adjacent to the northbound lanes (if you weren't claiming any road space), the electrical/streetlight poles are a material encumbrance. I don't think there's even 1.5M to be had, net of the poles, and no room for railings or other separation from either the sidewalk or the road.

There is no boulevard available adjacent to the Southbound lanes.

Worth adding here, from what I can discern, somewhat imprecisely, using google, it appears the sidewalks on both sides of the road fail to meet the minimum City standard of 2.1M wide as well. As such, with any construction, room would have to be found to widen those.

Now, if you look at the road, the middle section, as indicated by the solid yellow lines is pretty much 3.0M precisely.

That means you can find 1.5M for a bike lane in each direction; albeit with no room for a buffer.

The challenge is that this space is also used to accommodate left-turn lanes frequently along Bayview.

In some locations that space could be recovered from adjacent boulevard; but in others, mature trees or bus stops would make that a challenge.
 
Article in the Star looking at the need for affordable housing discusses this project.

Jennifer Keesmaat is quoted as saying the application to the City is targeted for April.

Normal link here:

Via Outline here:
 

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