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Toronto Waterfront gets $334MM for re-development
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| itikia |
Jul. 28, 2004. 06:53 AM
Waterfront gets $334M
Agency can start work on projects first dreamed of in 2001
Revitalization plan calls for new neighbourhoods along lake
KERRY GILLESPIE
CITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF
After months of running on the verge of bankruptcy, the corporation responsible for turning Toronto's waterfront into something spectacular finally has the money to do it.
The Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corp.'s board of directors was cheerfully told yesterday it now has $334 million to spend. "It means we can get going on things, we can get under way," chief executive John Campbell said.
The money comes from the city, Queen's Park and Ottawa, and will be spent on specific projects over the next five years. It's a down payment on the $1.5 billion promised when the corporation was created in 2001.
Among the projects the new money is intended to fund:
$170 million: Extending Front St. to Dufferin, so people can drive in and out of downtown without using the Gardiner Expressway.
$58 million: Improvements to Union Station and adding a second TTC platform.
$3 million: Environmental assessments for naturalizing the mouth of the Don River.
$60.7 million: Remediation of industrial property in the port lands so housing and parks can eventually be built there.
$12.5 million: Putting in a boardwalk along Harbourfront Centre and turning a parking lot into a waterfront plaza.
$16 million: Building a waterfront park at Port Union Rd. that will serve as a trail link between Highland Creek and Rouge Beach.
$6.5 million: Creating Mimico Park to link Etobicoke's Superior Park with two other small parks, creating new beaches and extending a waterfront trail.
$7.06 million: Planning for new neighbourhoods and parks along the waterfront.
$200,000: Feasibility study for a dragon boat rowing course.
"Governments, thank you very much," chair Robert Fung said yesterday after the board heard the financial presentation.
That's not a line Fung has been able to use in a while.
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`It means we can get going on things, we can get
under way'
John Campbell, waterfront
corporation CEO
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The corporation was created by all three levels of government to transform 46 kilometres of derelict lakefront into vibrant neighbourhoods full of homes, jobs, transit and parks.
It was promised $1.5 billion in government money to get the work going.
But up until now, only $58 million made it into the corporation's bank account.
Rather than turn the money over to the corporation in a lump sum, the governments have insisted on approving each project individually, a process that led to endless delays.
In March, things got so bad and the waterfront corporation so broke, it wasn't paying contractors for the work they were doing, said it would have to close its offices and was days away from declaring bankruptcy.
The crisis was blamed on Ottawa not paying its third.
The federal government delivered a cheque for $5.5 million just a week before the corporation would have closed its doors.
The rest was tied up by squabbles over the Front St. extension. The estimated cost of the project has escalated from $170 million to more than $255 million.
The federal government has said it won't pay more than its one-third share of the original estimate.
The waterfront corporation and the city say the estimate was always low and, because of changes the public wanted to the road's design, wasn't realistic.
The city refused to sign a document agreeing to the $170 million price tag, which held up agreements for the rest of the $334 million.
The city has now signed and broken the logjam, but it won't use the $170 million right away.
"We want to figure out what the actual price is before we move forward," Campbell said.
Until that happens, and governments agree to pay, no work will be done on the road, he added.
Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone said he isn't concerned about the fate of the Front St. extension, which the city wants built.
Pantalone said he's confident that the federal government will eventually agree on the price.
The rest of the $334 million will flow as the corporation is ready to spend it. |
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| starsearcher |
I didn't read the whole thing yet but I was just gonna say on that topic that I saw a plan - drawing of a park they are planning to "make" instead of an empty space there and it looked REALLY lame...I hope they come up with something a lot more inspiring and creative to spend the taxpayers money on...that thing was just pathetic...it's better than an ugly empty space as it is now but still...now back to reading the article :toothless
*EDIT*
read the article...sounds good - I like the plans, now I just hope their ideas are creative and interesting! :thepirate |
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| drgoodvibe |
| its about time! good to see things are finally happening.. and hey whattyah know, with a cash strapped lying liberal government -- wonders never cease! |
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| itikia |
Jul. 28, 2004. 01:00 AM
Waterfront principles take shape
CHRISTOPHER HUME
The future of the waterfront is still up in the air, but planners are working hard to bring it back down to earth.
Presenting its final plan for the East Bayfront, a team from the Boston-based firm of Koetter Kim painted a portrait yesterday of the lakeside as a fully engaged part of the city. Their vision of the waterfront includes a densely built up neighbourhood where tens of thousands of Torontonians will live, work and play.
Though many questions remain unanswered — e.g. the fate of the Gardiner Expressway, the configuration of Queens Quay and Cherry St. — certain basic principles are taking shape.
For instance, planning consultant Fred Koetter argues that the public promenade that runs along the water's edge should be between 20 and 25 metres wide. Some will complain that's not enough, but based on research done in successful waterfront cities around the world, that seems ideal. Such a strip would be broad enough to accommodate pedestrians, retail, residential and institutional use as well as vehicular traffic when required.
Anything wider would be too wide; after all, the intention is to transform these former industrial lands into a fully urban district. That means the water's edge must be fully accessible at different times and seasons for different reasons, not just leisure and amateur sports. In other words, it must include working people and residents, not just tourists and Sunday-afternoon picnickers.
Bordered by Jarvis and Cherry Sts., Lake Shore Blvd. E. and the water, the East Bayfront will also have a major cultural component. Though details are still not determined, officials of the Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corp., which is overseeing the multi-billion-dollar project, imagine a floating concert venue, maybe an enclosed botanical garden and an aquarium.
The foot of Jarvis would be set aside as a primary public area, with landmark attractions and a tall, thin skyscraper that acts as a kind of waterfront beacon. In contrast, the bottom of Sherbourne St. would be turned into a compact green space, surrounded by buildings on three sides. The old silos at the end of Parliament St. could find new life as a hotel, a museum, shopping complex, whatever. The point is that they could anchor Queens Quay at the east end, serving as a place of transition between the urban precinct to the west and a more natural area on the other side.
Of course, transit is key to opening up the waterfront and Koetter suggests a streetcar line running along the centre of an expanded Queens Quay all the way to Cherry St. and beyond. Though Toronto has had some bad experiences with its LRTs, here the idea makes sense. Properly landscaped and integrated, it could provide the kind of access to the waterfront that is critical to its revitalization.
Koetter also proposes that buildings along Queens Quay, which would be widened to 43 metres, would be no taller than 40 metres. Closer to the lake, the height limit would be half that, but up to 60 metres by the Gardiner.
As it stands, however, fully 60 per cent of the land in the East Bayfront remains in private hands. Though waterfront corporation staff are optimistic, the scheme will depend on owners' agreement. They would be hopelessly wrong-headed not to go along with the corporation, which will, don't forget, ultimately increase the value of their property beyond anything they could do individually.
In the meantime, the provincial minister of infrastructure renewal, David Caplan, is waiting for a review of the corporation's governance. This report, due in September, will examine whether the agency has the powers it needs to do its job. If its authors have done their job, they will tell Caplan the body must be able to make real estate deals, borrow money and even expropriate land when necessary.
With all that in place, waterfront renewal can finally become a reality. Koetter would like to see the first projects happen on Lower Sherbourne. The mix of public and private initiatives would give understandably skeptical Torontonians a chance to see what the city could become if we let it. |
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| MarkT |
It's about bloody time!!!!! Our waterfront is a *joke* compared to other major cities in North America, nevermind the world...so much wasted space!
I was pleased to read this today too. Still a lot to be done before anything actually happens though, but finally the various levels of gov't are stepping up with the necessary $$$ :) |
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| loconet |
That's awsome.
Next I would like to see our public transportation beef'ed up . :D |
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| starsearcher |
| quote: | Originally posted by loconet
That's awsome.
Next I would like to see our public transportation beef'ed up . :D |
Indeed cause right now TTC means Take The Car for me :happy2: |
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| MarkT |
| ^^^ YES! 24-hour subway service would be a start, IMHO...and better co-operation with transit providers around the GTA to encourage people in the burbs to drive less when travelling to and from the core. |
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| loconet |
^^^^
Yup, my trip in europe this summer made me realize that our public transport system is lightttttt years behind. |
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| striptease4me |
| quote: | Originally posted by MarkT
^^^ YES! 24-hour subway service would be a start, IMHO...and better co-operation with transit providers around the GTA to encourage people in the burbs to drive less when travelling to and from the core. |
I wouldn't take the bus from mississauga to Toronto if they paid me. It would still take 2 hours. The go train is great for me.. it only takes me about 20 minutes to get to union.
What would be nice is if the GO TRAIN came more than once and hour on off peak hours because getting to the station and watching the train pull away as you get off the bus is a total pain in the arse literally while you sit there for an hour waiting for the next train.
:whip: |
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| QryS |
I think Toronto needs more outdoor parties with DJs or live bands in places like High Park, the beaches, and Sunnybrook Park. Toronto needs more Cherry Beaches! After 9 months of winter the City should be able to take advantage of whatever summer it's got.
Yonge-Dundas Square was the biggest waste of money ever. The only scenery you see there are freakin' advertisements. I won't be surprised if the sole purpose of redoing the Eatons Centre entrance is to create even more advertising space. It's gonna turn into a wannabe NY-TimeSquare. |
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