Downtown Eastside - Old Town - Corktown : Development News

Construction finally finished this month on the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute at Shuter and Victoria.

The latest addition to St. Michael's Hospital, the two-building, $103-million facility, comprised of the 270,000 square foot Keenan Research Centre and the Li Ka Shing International Healthcare Education Centre, are now connected by a 17-metre helix-shaped glass bridge, constructed in Germany from Italian materials and shipped in one piece to Toronto, where it was installed in October. Glazing of the structural glass was just completed two weeks ago.

"When we started, we didn't submit the bridge for approval," says Matt Smith, project architect for Diamond and Schmitt, "because it was unclear whether the city would permit us to build the bridge, and so it was added as an eleventh hour addition to the project linking the main hospital to the knowledge institute, and as it turns out, its everyone's favourite part of the building.

"St Mikes is sort of a three-legged stool of research, education and chair and the bridge has come to represent that connection."

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Matt Smith

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You know Toronto's development scene is fully back on its feet when new developers are starting to want in on the action.

Like the five law partners at the southeast corner of King and Sherbourne. Together, they own the 3-storey brick building their firm operated out of, and they're planning on developing it, as Plus Development Group, into 17 storeys of condos.

"We assembled some property to the south of the main building, and to the east of the main building," says partner Steve Macaulay, "and our vision was to develop the corner with a condominium that would fuse together the historical building with a modern condominium tower on top of that."

The tower's height will include the current three storey building, which will include 4,000 square feet of retail space supporting the 132 loft spaces above, designed by Tact Architecture Inc.

Though the building, originally named Bauhaus and now being marketed as King Plus, was just launched last week, the partners are optimistic about their timeline.

"If we had our druthers, I think we'd like to start construction sometime in the fall this year," Macaulay says, "and then its probably an 18-month or so horizon for completion of the project."

The building was designed by Tact Architecture Inc.

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Steve Macaulay

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In the future, let's hope all subsidized housing is as green as the Sackville-Dundas Apartments.

Architects Alliance has been nominated for a Toronto Green Award for their work on this first phase of the Regent Park overhaul.

Owned by the Toronto Community Housing Corporation, the complex was able to use 75% of the materials from the demolition of the public housing disaster whose place it's taking (saving 20% on construction costs). It has green roofs with cisterns to capture storm water that are connected to the irrigation system for the grounds. There's a heat reclamation system hooked up to the two hottest rooms in each apartment, the kitchen ad bathroom, to heat the building's water, there are motion sensors in the stairwells for lighting control and the exterior walls are half masonry, half glazing, to improve their thermal performance. There's also plenty of parking for bikes.

"It's important to have as many ways as possible of letting people know that the city is committed to sustainability," says  Mary K. McIntyre, Architects Alliance's director of business development, talking about the prize, "and it's important to highlight projects that are sustainable. In an ideal world sustainability is not a placard you wear around your neck, it's just the way you build. With a lot of these buildings that win, I think people will say, 'Wow, I didn't know that was a green building.' It's becoming not an exception that adds costs, but just a part of the building code, that's what we're aiming toward."

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Mary McIntyre

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Starting on April 4, the authors of a city-sponsored report on the future of Toronto the Vertical will present their findings to the public in search of comment.

The meetings are taking place in the three wards --- 20, 27 and 28 -- covered by the report.

"There will be information up on boards," says the city's Tall Buildings project manager Helen Bulat, that will give people the opportunity to look at what's being proposed, and speak to the representatives of the architecture firm of Hariri Pontarini and Urban Strategies, Inc., "then there will be a Power Point presentation that highlights what the report is about.

"The point," she says, "is to get feedback � on what is it we have to do with these tall buildings to make them more palatable, in terms of their relationship with one another and their relationship to the street and surrounding parks and so on and so forth their impact on views, their impact on historical buildings and existing development "

The first meeting will be held in the parish hall of St. Basil's church at 50 St Joseph Street on the St. Michael's College campus, the second at Palmerston Library on April 7, and the third at the St. Lawrence Community and Recreation Centre's gym at 230 The Esplanade on April 11.

Anyone who wants to have their say but can't make it to any of the meetings can write in to [email protected].

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Helen Bulat

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The work being done to replace the water mains and sewers on Eastern Avenue and Front Street is set to be completed by July.

The $3-million project is dealing with Eastern Avenue from Trinity to Sumach, and Front Street from Jarvis to Eastern.

"The water mains were identified for replacement due the age of the water mains, and to coordinate with the planned road works," says Salima Jivraj, senior engineer with the technical services section of the city's Design and Construction: Linear Infrastructure division. "The sewer works on Front Street East were added to the program due to poor structural condition. There is no sewer work identified along Eastern Avenue."

There is one lane of traffic in each direction being kept open during construction.

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Salima Jivraj

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While plans are underway for a total reconstruction of St. Lawrence Market's north building, the venerable south building is getting its own makeover, starting as early as this month.

Onespace Unlimited won the competition to redesign the market's six entrances, which Onespace senior designer Isabelle Smith says haven't been renovated in the building's entire 160-year history.

Smith describes the modifications as primarily "adding wood and warmth to the place," and signs and bulletin boards to allow vendors to advertise and the market to announce its events.

The steel doors are also being replaced, though the carved wooden red ones are being retained, and another set of iron gates, which had been in storage, are being added to the front entrance to allow the market to open the vestibule and elevator to the public while the market as a whole is closed.

Three vestibules will be closed for a time as the work is done. Smith expects the work to be completed by Christmas.

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Isabelle Smith

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Construction has started on another condo project in Regent Park.

Dubbed Paintbox by developer Daniels, the condo is being built on top of the Regent Park Arts and Cultural Centre at 591 Dundas Street East.

Though Daniels is offering little particular information about the project except to potential buyers at the moment, Buzzbuzzhome reports that it will be 26 storeys with 284 units between 392 and 925 square feet. One thing Daniels is saying is that the prices will start in the low $200,000s, meaning that unlike Daniels nearby One Park West condos and townhomes, which start at around half a million, these condos are priced for people who might already live in the surrounding area (though not, at those sizes, for families).

Buzzbuzzhome is also reporting that the current plan is to incorporate a cafe into the development.

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Matthew Slutsky

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Build Toronto, the city's arm's-length property development agency, sold its first piece of surplus city property in December.

The 0.78-acre lot at 154 Front Street East, previously home to a Greyhound depot, sold for $19 million after a request for proposals elicited 9 responses, of which seven met the RFP's requirements.

The winning bid came from Cityzen, which plans to erect a residential development there, and estimates are that the lot, once developed, will be worth around $100 million.

"This is hugely significant for us," says Bruce Logan, director of communications and stakeholder affairs at Build Toronto. "The sale sets a very strong tone for Build Toronto in its first full year of operation by demonstrating how a dedicated real estate expertise can capitalize on market conditions, planning assessments and prepare a compelling offer. The result is the ability to realize the best possible outcome and highest value for our shareholder."

The City of Toronto is Build Toronto's sole shareholder, and new councillor Doug Ford sits on its board.

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Bruce Logan

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Work started earlier this week on Eastern Avenue and Front Street.

The water main is being replaced on Eastern between Trinity and Sumach, as well as Front Street around Lower Jarvis.

In addition to the water main replacement, there will also be some resurfacing, and a combined sewer is being replaced on Eastern between Sherbourne and Sumach, as well as bits of sidewalk on Front Street, also around the Lower Jarvis area.

According to a source in the office of the manager of structures and expressways who cannot be named according to City Hall communication rules, the cost is expected to be $3 million. The work will be completed in the spring.

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Mike Laidlaw

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An important part of the first phase of Regent Park's revitalization formally opened on Dec. 1, after several months of getting-to-know-you time that one planning and development co-ordinator says was absolutely necessary.

"There was a lot of confusion, and a lot of questions being asked by residents and other community members," says Alison Chan, who works for the Toronto Centre of Community Learning and Development, which is behind the Regent Park Centre of Learning, of the tumultuous process of re-building a neighbourhood, "so we wanted to give ourselves time to be able to establish a presence in the community before we did a formal opening. You need to have people know who you are before you can celebrate the opening of your centre."

The Centre, on the ground floor of a new building at 540 Dundas Street East, which is connected to 246 and 252 Sackville, seniors and family residential buildings respectively, all owned by Toronto Community Housing.

Though the centre started out as a literacy organization, they have moved into more diverse areas of education, for which the 2,233 square foot centre, with its conference room, multipurpose room, computer lab and classroom, is designed to be a hub. The Dec. 1 launch included what they're calling a community dialogue on creating a healthy community, something they're planning on making a series. The first one stayed general, and included Ontario Minister of Research and Innovation Glen Murray, city councilor Pam McConnell, and architect Ken Greenberg. Chan estimates there were about 100 people in attendance.

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Alison Chan

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Robert Sidi is not a fan of tolerance.

"For 25 years, most of my best friends have been architects," says the owner of Kiosk, the furniture store that just moved its residential location from Dupont and Christie to King and Parliament, "and we sit down and tell stories of frustrations, when so much talent goes to waste, when developers refuse to stray even a little bit from the Home Depot standard. Standard this, standard that. The tolerance for this is 3 inches, the tolerance for that is 6 inches. And I'm saying the tolerance for this is 3mm."

At first, you don't notice much beyond the acute angles, the porous planes that make up the two floors that both divide and join the three floors of the new shop that specializes in four-figure furniture, with the occasional foray into the fives. The floors are white, which is interesting, and the 20,000 square foot space is made both practical and intimate by being organized into staging areas, where scenes are set with various pieces and sets of furniture.

But it's only when you look at the places where the walls meet the floors, and where two walls meet in a corner of the ceiling, that you realize there are no tolerances here. There are no mouldings, no baseboards to hide drywall approximations. Then look at how the sprinklers are centred perfectly above panes of glass, or electrical outlets set flush inside concrete columns, and you'll begin to get a sense that this space is very, very well constructed.

Designed by Vancouver architect Omer Arbel, with construction overseen by Sidi, who took a seven-month sabbatical to make sure everything was perfect, the shop is a window onto what Toronto might look like if more owners and trades demanded perfection of themselves and each other.

As Sidi says himself, "Who gives a damn about furniture showrooms? Let's have our institutions like this."

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Robert Sidi

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Toronto's first shop dedicated to the Italian Calligaris line -- a mid- to upper-end Italian furniture designer -- opened last week on the increasingly dense King East furniture strip.

"We were looking for a particular square footage," says store owner and manager Yana Evlentieva, whose family has been in luxury retail in Moscow for 18 years, and recently moved to Toronto. "Real estate on the street is hard to come by. It just happened that at that time [that we were looking], the two units became available, and none of them worked for us independently, so we decided to combine the two spaces, and it worked out fabulous for us."

The total space is 5,000 square feet, part of which is in the old Imperial Bank building.

Evlentieva says the reason she approached Calligaris about opening a shop in Toronto is that their designs are especially well suited to condos.

"They're building 20,000 units of condos a year," Evlentieva estimated, "which is by far the highest rate in North America, so people are looking for furniture, and what we are offering is very functional furniture, [much of which] is meant for small spaces."

The renovation took about two months to complete, and was designed in Italy, modeled after the company's flagship store in Milan.

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Yana Evlentieva

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The St. James Cathedral's Parish House is getting its second semicentennial renovation care of Peter Clewes, Dalton construction and $16 million.

"The space was getting pretty tired," says St James' director of operations and finance Rob Saffrey, "which is probably being nicer than one might otherwise be."

They demolished the one-storey 1959 addition and are replacing it with a three-storey space, primarily to be able to offer parishioners and community members more space to meet and celebrate.

"One of the major programs we run is an outreach for people in the neighbourhood. We do a foot care clinic, cutting of hair, we serve a meal one day a week, so the space was not really adequate for that at all."

Other groups that have been using the space, and could benefit from more of it, include a mother-and-baby group, and a Muslim men's prayer group.

Saffrey says $5 million is coming from St James' coffers, and $11 million from donations and capital funds.

In addition to the space, St James and Clewes are also revealing some of the original 1909 architectural details that were covered up in the 1959 renovation, including some interior stone archways.

The renovation and addition, set to be finished by October, 2011, will also include a new slate roof, the cleaning and exposure of much original interior brick, and the installation of various audio-visual conveniences.

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Rob Saffrey

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An Esplanade condo development is trying to incorporate social networks to help sell units, and is offering as much as $2,500 in commissions to what they're calling their "virtual brokers."

"Most presales have really targeted the broker community, "says Robert Galletta, managing partner of BlackJet Inc., the ad firm that's orchestrating the campaign, based on a previous contest to name the building. "But what condo developers look for is a database of interested leads, which is what helps them read their sales effectiveness. That's always been the measure of success."

Anyone who provides the sales team a lead that turns into a sale will get $2,500, and their buyer will get $2,500 in upgrades. There are also movie passes for anyone who provides 10 registrants, iTunes gift cards for 25 registrants, and an iPad for 100.

"Beyond Cityzen," Galletta says, "this is something that may transition that traditional marketing model into something more effective."

The planned 36-storey tower, called Backstage, is being built by Cityzen, Fernbrook Homes and Castlepoint at 5-7 The Esplanade.

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Robert Galletta

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According to its architect, what promises to be a significant addition to the city's collection of streetscapes is just weeks away from getting its building permit.

At the moment, Market Street - the strip that runs from Front to The Esplanade on the east side of St Lawrence Market South -- is negligible. It used to be home to an excellent old-school bar and restaurant called The Fish Market, but now, the heritage designated buildings that used to house it and several other businesses are dilapidated and dis-used. The only visible tenant is the LCBO with its small Front Street frontage.

But Paul Obermann, the man behind the revitalization of the Five Thieves at Yonge and Summerhill, figured it deserved better.

"Our approach with how to keep that existing building, which has been patched and altered over the years, was quite a challenging one, made more challenging made by what Paul Obermann wanted to do," says lead architect Michael Taylor of Taylor Smyth. Obermann wants to "open up the whole ground floor of that building, one level below the LCBO, to create a whole new series of storefronts, which he imagines will have restaurants in them."

In this plan, the LCBO will be the major tenant, extending its reach all the way south to the The Esplanade. With them as anchors, Obermann hopes to attract a sort of Mirvish Village type of tenant collection to make the street a destination.

Taylor hopes to get the hoarding up in October, and to complete the whole project, including an entirely new building built in place of an old auto shop on the Esplanade, by late 2011 or early 2012.

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Michael Taylor

Do you know of a new building going up, a business expanding or being renovated, a park in the works or even a cool new house being built in the neighbourhood? Please send your development news tips to [email protected].