Development News

As anyone who lives in the Junction will already be aware, the distinctive old Handyman Shop hardware store at 3077 Dundas Street West, rumoured to have started out life as a court house, has collapsed and is being rebuilt.

Though the new owners of the site, Irka Firchuk and Peter Dunn, did not make themselves available for comment, locals had heard as early as last July that in the course of renovations, a load-bearing wall had been removed that had affected the structural integrity of the building.

According to a source close to the project who declined to be identified pending permission from the owners, the new building, at the southeast corner of Dundas and Quebec, will be a reproduction of the old building, complete with curved front, with a third floor added on, possibly for residential purposes.

There's no word on who the main commercial tenant will be, and the building is currently for sale.

 

Writer: Bert Archer

Construction is to begin later this month on the final, 36-storey tower in the Essex condo community at Kipling and Dundas in Etobicoke.

Park Nuvo, the fifth tower on the lot, will have 333 units. Designed by Mississauga firm Graziani & Corazzo Architects, who have also worked on Aura and College Park, as well as one of the existing Nuvo towers on the site, which is being developed by Tridel.

The development began in 2000 and at the time, the area was an unknown quantity to condo buyers, according to Tridel spokesman Samson Fung. "Sales were slow for that first one because no one knew the area," he says. "We had to educate people about what kind of area it was."

The lot is just southwest of where Dundas, Kipling and Bloor all intersect, bordered by Aukland and St. Albans Road just north of the railway tracks. In addition to its proximity to three major thoroughfares and commercial strips, the towers are right next to Kipling subway station.

 

Writer: Bert Archer

Source: Tridel

The competition to redesign the north building of St Lawrence Market, which has spent much of its existence in the long shadow cast by its more picturesque sister across the street, now has a shortlist.

On Feb. 3, Mayor David Miller and the St Lawrence neigbourhood's city councillor Pam McConnell announced the five-strong list. Adamson Associates Architects and Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners; Cohos Evamy + Hotson Bakker Boniface Haden Architects; Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects; NORR Limited, Architects Engineers Planners; Taylor Hazell Architects and Montgomery Sisam.

Phase two of the competition now begins, with the winning design to be announced in June. The building is slated for a 2014 completion, with the Saturday farmer's market and the Sunday antiques market which are currently the building's main attractions being housed in temporary digs at 125 The Esplanade.

"We are extremely fortunate to have a distinguished list of jury members to help us realize the City's vision," said Councillor McConnell. "This is an exciting, once in a lifetime opportunity for the jury and for our city to build a legacy. We are all eager for the short-listed teams to unveil their models and concepts in May."

The jury consists of Christine Couvelier, President of Culinary Concierge; Dr. Ron Dembo, Founder and CEO of Zerofootprint; William N. Greer, B.Arch., FRAIC, CAHP, Professional Heritage Consultant; Andrea P. Leers, FAIA, Principal at Leers Weinzapfel Associates; Peter Ortved, B.Arch., OAA, FRAIC, Principal of CS&P Architects; Claire Weisz, Founding Partner of WXY Architecture.

There has been a market building on the northwest corner of Front and Jarvis since at least 1820.
 
Writer: Bert Archer
Source: City of Toronto

Ryerson University announced last week that they'd signed on Toronto's Zeidler Partnership Architects and Sn�hetta of Oslo to design their new $45-million Student Learning Centre, which will fill the sad hole left by their recent demolition of the old World of Posters, Future Shop and, of course, Sam the Record Man at the corner of Yonge and Gould.

"I think it's going to be a compilation of everything," says Ryerson spokeswoman Heather Kearney, of the design-in-progress and the presentation the two firms gave of their previous work on libraries and campuses around the world that won them the commission. Zeidler is most famously responsible for Ontario Place (1967-71), the Eaton Centre (1974-81) and the Queens Quay Terminal refurbishment (1979-83), and Sn�hetta made their reputation with the Alexandria Library (1989-2001).

Kearney estimates there will be a year of design work on the 160,000 square foot, 10-storey building, which will include a library, so construction is not expected to begin until sometime in 2011, with a 2013 completion date set.

The $45 million is all provincial funding though with no design, there's no word yet on whether that's going to be the entire budget. "I assume they're going to work within that budget,' Kearney says, "but whether it's realistic or not I don't know."

 

Writer: Bert Archer

Source: Ryerson University

The last motel in the city's core is gone.

The TraveLodge, the discount motel right in the heart of what has become the designiest part of the King West strip was demolished in December and January, its prominent sign's last message an ad for its used mattress sale. In its place, but not for several years, will be the Thompson Hotel chain's first attempt at residential living.

"It's basically going to be full-service luxury condominium services, with � la carte services provided by the hotel across the street," says Anthony Declari, the development director for Freed Development, the the company that's putting its stamp on the area, with several condo and hotel projects in the works within a several block radius. "It's what we call hotel-inspired."

The hotel across the street will be Canada's first Thompson Hotel at 550 Wellington, slated for completion later this year.

 

Writer: Bert Archer

Source: Freed Corporation

The 76,000 square foot Rutherford Village Plaza at the corner of Bathurst and Rutherford is taking shape, with a Longo's that opened on Dec. 2, a 17,000 square foot Shoppers Drug Mart and an LCBO already in place, and a new RBC opening up in May, relocated from their nearby Thornlea location.

Known in its planning stages and during construction as the Rutherford Market Place, it was a source of much local speculation in this close-knit, mostly Jewish Vaughan neighbourhood. Aroma Caf�, the Israeli chain with a flagship store at the corner of Bloor and Albany in the Annex, was rumoured to be opening a location there, but plans have either shifted or been put on hold, possibly a reaction to Second Cup being one of the Plaza's anchor tenants.

According to First Capital, the realty corporation behind the development, there are 13,412 residents within 1km of the Plaza, forming 4,148 households with an average household income of $113,482.

 

Writer: Bert Archer

Source: First Capital

The long-rumoured, long-delayed Festival Tower is finally up to its 39^th floor, close to its final height and slightly higher than its original planned 37 storeys, and is set for a fall occupancy.

The tower is part of the Reitman Square project, named for a $22-million donation from the family of Canadian movie producer and director Ivan Reitman, that also includes the Toronto International Film Festival's future headquarters, Bell Lightbox at the corner of King and John streets.

The project takes up an entire city block. Bell Lightbox has been at the centre of TIFF's $196-million fundraising campaign, of which 82 per cent had been raised by the end of 2009.

The condos, of which there are "five or six left," according to Heather Lloyd of development partner Daniels Corporation, have been selling for between $400,000 and over $2 million.

Restaurateurs Oliver & Bonacini have announced they will be occupying part of the ground-floor retail space.

The complex was designed by Bruce Kuwabara of KPMB Architects, in association with Kirkor Architects and Planners.

 

Writer: Bert Archer

Source: Daniels Corporation

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities has given the city's Tower Renewal initiative, one of Mayor David Miller's favourite projects, a $346,000 shot in the arm in the form of a green loan.

According to Miller's aide de camp and senior advisor for planning, Chris Phibbs, the loan is "to study a range of initiatives in the four pilot sites, to take a look at them and find out what kind of interventions can be done to reduce energy consumption, water use and amounts of waste generated."

Tower Renewal, headed by project director Eleanor McAteer, seeks to revitalize the city's jungle of concrete slabs built from the 1950s to the 1980s, making them simultaneously greener and more pleasant places to live.

The pilot sites are located at Kipling and Finch, Markham and Eglinton, Don Mills and Sheppard and Jarvis and Wellesley.

 

Writer: Bert Archer

Source: City of Toronto

 

Though it's been on the books for several years, excavation and demolition just began last week on what will eventually be the Milan condo tower on the southeast portion of what was until recently the flagship Canadian Tire store at the corner of Yonge and Church.

According to a source at the Conservatory Group who didn't want their name used because they were not authorized to talk to the press, crews started destroying Canadian Tire's old underground parking lot last week, but are now on temporary hold for unspecified reasons. It will probably be about a year before construction reaches ground level.

Occupancy was originally slated for December, 2010, a date that still comes up on the building's website.

The site is of some historical significance as well. According to Toronto history expert Stephen Otto, it was the site of one of the first downtown supermarkets (possibly a Piggly Wiggly) in 1922 (the same year the Billes brothers opened the first Canadian Tire at the corner of Gerrard and Hilton streets near Broadview), and before that the site of the Severn Brewery, built around 1835, five years after fellow brewer Joseph Bloor founded Yorkville. Bloor and Severn, who also served as the Reeve of Yorkville, and the reason there's a keg in the Yorkville coat of arms.

 

Writer: Bert Archer

Source: Conservatory Group, Stephen Otto

The LCBO's latest downtown shop, which opened on Dec. 9 at the southeast corner of King and Spadina on the site of the old Budget car rental lot, is the Board's stop-gap measure to quickly respond to exploding demand in the condo-rich neighbourhood. The deal the Board signed with its landlord on the site includes a provision to move to what LCBO spokesman Chris Layton calls "a higher density location" � probably the bottom of a condo building � as the landlord acquires more properties in the area.

"What our priority was here is that there was such a demand for service in that area that we wanted to get into that particular location as soon as we could," Layton says. "Our market research projects that the area's population will grow by more than 40 per cent in the next 10 years.'

At 11,500 square feet, of which 8,000 is shopping space, the new store is one of the 15 biggest in the city, carrying 2,150 kinds of liquor, including a 500-strong Vintages fine wines and spirits section. The store employs 10 people, and features 6 check-outs in anticipation of steadily high traffic.

Writer: Bert Archer

Source: LCBO

Demolition and excavation for the large underground parking lot has begun on the site of the future L Tower, architect Daniel Libeskind's next contribution to the city's cultural landscape.

The tower, at the southeast corner of Yonge and Front and now estimated to be costing $280 million, suffered a major setback late last year when federal and provincial funding shortfalls deprived the design of its planned $75-million heritage and arts complex at the building's base. An abbreviated version of this aspect of the plans will now house condo amenities like an exercise room and pool, along with a public plaza.

According to Sharon Florian of Fernbrook Homes, one of the developers, about 85 per cent of the building's 585 units have sold, including at least one of the penthouse suites, which John Bentley Mays has described as "examples of this artist-architect's handiwork at its most daring."

According to Florian, the project will reach the concrete-pouring stage by the summer.

The project also includes a $30-million refurbishment of architect Peter Dickinson's 1960 O'Keefe-cum-Hummingbird-cum-Sony Centre.

 

Writer: Bert Archer

Source: Fernbrook Homes

There were no significant objections raised at the Jan. 27 public meeting convened to consider the proposal to rebuild 611-625 Queen Street West, destroyed by fire two years ago next week. As a result, as soon as developer Hamid Bahrami submits final architectural drawings and details that meet Heritage Services' exterior standards, he is free to proceed.

The destroyed buildings once housed Queen West retail icon Duke's Cycle, which had been in that location for 94 years, as well as Suspect Video's second location and apartments in the buildings' second and third storeys.

His plan is to replace the destroyed heritage designated commercial strip, the only commercial strip in Toronto to be so designated, with what planning department officer Nicole Ivanov describes as a three-storey mixed-use building with storage in the basement, retail on the first floor, and four residential units above, and no parking.

Though there's no definite date set for completion, Ivanov says work should begin shortly.

"People usually get started right away when the appeal period is over," she says.

Writer: Bert Archer

Source: City of Toronto Planning Department

If you've walked by the corner of Front and Church in the last week you will have noticed that the perpetual book blow-out shop on the southwest corner has finally disappeared, replaced by a hoarding from Vancouver-based Concert Properties.

From 51 to 61 Church, and from the book blow-out shop up to but not including the Christmas Market at 51 Front Street East will soon be The Berczy, a 13-storey terraced condo with retail on the bottom floor.

Designed by Young + Wright/IBI Group Architects, with interiors by the Chapman Design Group, the short tower is set to be finished by 2012, and will be incorporating the historic building that currently houses The Keg at 12 Church into its fa�ade. Previous Young + Wright/IBI Group buildings include One St. Thomas and the Sharp Centre of Art & Design. Chapman have worked on the famous Cotton House hotel on the island of Mustique in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the renovation of the residences at College Park.

According to Concert's Toronto marketing department, though prices have not been definitively set yet, they will likely start around $280,000 for the larger-than-average one-bedroom units, which will be just under 600 square feet (as a comparison, the smallest units in the L Tower a block west on Front will be under 500 square feet).

The Berczy is named for the park across the street, which in turn is named for William Berczy (1744-1813), an early Toronto painter and founder of Markham.

V. Tony Hauser, whose photography studio is at 55 Front Street East, will be relocating,

 

Writer: Bert Archer

Source: Concert Properties

A $17-million project to densify a small section of the Annex just west of Spadina Road is being completed this week, after several rounds of controversy with the local residents' association. The project, led by 59 Project Management for owners Hanfrow Holdings G.P. Inc., saw the building of two rental buildings at 88 Spadina, with a total of 91 units, and 12 townhouse condos at the corner of Bernard and Walmer.

The project was designed by Quadrangle Architects.

The Annex Residents Association opposed the 88 Spadina project, mostly as the result of shadows the original design would have cast on the backyards of some Walmer Road homes. According to 59 Project Management's Philip Marsland, the design was altered to break the building into two to allow more light through to address the residents' concerns. "The Annex Residents Association was quite strong and vocal against it," Marsland says. "The developer and the architect did a very good job in accommodating the desires of the residents and we had a very open discourse throughout the entire process."

This week, the finishing touches were put on the townhouse condos, designed in a neo-Edwardian style and built on the former site of the original tower's parking lot, which has been expanded and put underground. The first residents are expected to move in at the end of the week.

 

Writer: Bert Archer

Source: 59 Project Management

A new Indian restaurant focusing on takeout and delivery is opening this week at 21 Davenport, taking over the space previously occupied by the Ho Lee Chow Chinese food delivery business.

This is the fourth Amaya Express to open in two years. Owned by Hemant Bhagwani, the former sommelier for the CN Tower's 360 restaurant, and Derek Valleau. Amaya is looking to take advantage of the downturn by taking over spaces vacated by failed restaurants.

"You used to have to spend three or four times more money converting a place," says Bhagwani, "but when it used to be a restaurant, it's much less expensive."

Bhagwani says the renovation of the old Ho Lee Chow is costing him about $70,000.

Slightly upscale, with a $30 minimum order and a $3 delivery charge, Amaya Express seems to have tapped an under-served market. In addition to rapid expansion (another location is due to open at Queen and Leslie at the beginning of March, and Bhagwani is negotiating for another space on Queens Quay), Amaya has developed a line of sauces, which customers can currently order with their meals, and which Bhagwani hopes will soon be available in GTA grocery stores.

 

Writer: Bert Archer

Source: Hemant Bhagwani