London Construction - Development News Thread#1

[Snark]

Agreed! Why not let constructive ME comments speak for all instead:

heh, heh. I guess I am reluctant to do just that. It is no big deal anyway...I get my name in the papers relatively often given my career.

Speaking for myself, I feel eminently qualified to comment on such phenomena

I am quoted in the LFP today
I have appeared on A-Morning a couple of times (interviewed...I am in academia). Oh well, there is still the LFP

I have no idea what the cost would be.

<deleted>

Sorry, I was barely awake, and I just tune out of all the bad news of late, for the sake of my sanity.

Landmark? Looks like a pile of shit.

A mountain of locusts? Change the name. Likewise, would you want to live on Cheapside (major street in London).

Middlesex (what the hell is this, a hermaphrodite?)

Yeah, aren't they vile?

I am glad, then. So that I will not have to waste my time instructing such retarded deadbeats.

Take London (ON), multiply it by 10, and maybe then, you would have something that could, very possibly, be a candidate for world-class.

Not the Shriners thing again. Fer fvcksakes, when will it ever end?

It's the new building for West Park Baptist Church (currently near Wonderland & Hyde Park Rd.). Damn. Not another one.

London has long ceased being a head-office city, to being a back-office city.

Whats the news of the new Walfart that is supposed to go up at Sprawldale and unWonderland?

Man, the Galleria has gotta be one of the biggest urban disasters in Canada. I was there yesterday...unfuckingbelievable how empty the place is.

A veritable ghostown of a mall, with more than 40 vacant stores to better serve you!

overmalled....but Westmount will still be a mall? Sounds like the managers are lacking a solid strategy. If I were a tenant in the mall, I would be worried.

The "rebirth" of the Galleria is rather like a woman experiencing 72 months of gestation followed by 24 months of labour.

could this be the first signs of Masonville mall going the way of Westmount mall??

Nice, but I hear that they do not serve BEER at Labatt Park...extremely ironic and moronic.

allow Labatt park to serve beer...and I will go to see London Majors games.

Wharnecliffe is going down the toilet. At least half of it (from Oxford to Commissioners) sits at the bottom of the bowl, with the other turds. A charming slice of East London in western London.

YEAH! more commie-blocks!

I am getting pissed off at the so-called leaders of London.

Nostalgia for the status quo = today's london leadership = mediocrity

yup: london planners/council-->think small.

I have to agree that the current administration really comes up short in their 'vision' for what London ought to aspire to.

London busses are horrible. They smell, have no seats, and constantly lurch. Not to mention, the schedules, and the asinine amount of time it takes to get from point A to point B

very overdue. I can't understand why they rezone/develop areas prior to improving the infrastructure.

too bad that it will probably be years before it goes back up again for phase II

More bad news for London. The daily dose

For Gawd's sake, London has only 2 complete East-West and North-South roads:
East-West: Fanshawe Park Road and Oxford
North-South: Wonderland and Highbury.
That's it. Everything else does not go through all the way.

Council should wake up...given the lousy local economy, taxpayers are not feeling generous, and frankly, a little tired of property (et al.) tax increases that have long outstripped inflation

London has the third-busiest airport in Canada, after Toronto and Vancouver. Really? Ahead of Montreal, Calgary, Ottawa, Winnipeg, etc.? Must be freight. Would like to see the supporting statistics.

thats a tall proposal for a shitsville corner. Love to see it happen....but in this market?

Visonary. 30 years, I will be approaching 70. I can then look forward to a quick way to Fanshawe Park Road. Yay.

Any info on the proposed Walfart at Exeter and Wonderland Rd. South?

Does the Ash Borer also eat jobs? I ask because the London area has lost so many in the past 6 months.

Weird. Hope that it is better than the aborted pseudo-freeway blip that is Highbury Ave.

I think that London's city planners look towards the 905 area as an urban model, rather than say, more concise urban fabrics like those found in Europe.

Looks like a run-down 70's era Las Vegas motor inn.

Quite frankly, who gives two-shits what Jack Layton says?

And the commie-blocks keep-a-comin' in London, esp. in the Oxford-Wonderland area.
I'd rather have no construction, than more of those ugly commie-blocks. Parts of London could easily pass for Irkutsk or Dniepreprovetsk.

I am not too impressed, having bought a home in the neighborhood.

Not again.

Good, but if it happens, I will eat my shoes.
I refer to them as Dumbcentres.

Ultra 80s, Ultra Smell (Bell) Canada. Smell has a building like this in every single major city in Canada.

This actually looks pretty good. I was in the area this weekend past, and it currently is about as gritty and shitty as anywhere in the country.

Yeah, just what I expected, city council is totally in cahoots with the big box sprawl developers. Who gives a shit if inner London looks like shit,

Yeah, I live about 1 km from that shitty bridge. and cross it from time to time. It is the Marie-Anne de Cicco way: rezone, build, but do not expand the infrastructure.

More of Anne-Marie's "Best and Brightest" (aka, highest salaries and sick-days, and moreover, mediocre results

yep. exactly. anyone else, it would be front-page news. And you'd think, "wow, the mayor's husband...for sure the LFP will have something"...but it is buried like a skeleton in the closet.

And while we are at it, how on earth did Best get the exemption for that lousy deck/patio along Richmond? Fishy, fishy.

What do you all think about the Mayor's husband's little adventure last saturday? Must be pretty damned embarassing for Anne-Marie, to say the least.

Same shit they smoked when they decided to bury the drunk-driving adventure of Mr. A-M deC-Best.

No news on Mr. AMdeC-Best? Still got his drivers' license, I presume?

If he got drunk (and then drove) in his own bar...could he be at risk of losing his liquor license? Did you sit out on the cheapo patio at Friday Fright Nites?

Not because of, but despite the current administration on dufferin st.

[MolsonExport]

yeah, I "pigged out" at Ribfest yesterday (pardon the pun)

[MolsonExport]

UPDATE:
Planning Ctee agenda shows a new permit for a tower at 56 Capulet (between Oxford and Beaverbrook)- yet another commie block for Wonderland/ Oxford. I am planning to write a letter to Council - not only is this area disgusting, but there has been little obvious urban design or site design in evidence.
PS According to City Map, there are 5 more unbuilt addresses at this site. That will bring the grand total of commie blocks NW of Wonderland and Oxford to 14 (approximately 2000 units!).


go for it. Commie-block central. Soooo Ugly.

[FazDeH]

^^^^ I smell a grass roots movement. I plan on contacting the city planning dept. too.

[QuantumLeap]

Just to clarify my earlier post, my objection is not the aesthetic one per-se. Obviously aesthetics are an issue, but they are one that Council has little will or power to change, due principally to some parts of the Planning Act. However, my main concern, and one where Council does have some control, is in the disastrous site planning of these areas- specifically the following points.
Public Streets - EVERY building should have its main entrance along the street
Setbacks - setbacks should be reduced to create some streetlife, but stepbacks, especially along main streets, should be reduced
Parking - parking, whether underground, decked or on the ground, should be BEHIND buildings, or at least to the side
Public Space - mandate less "landscaped" green areas on the buildings' lots themselves, but have meaningful, planned-out and improved PARKS in these neighbourhoods
Neighbourhoods and Commercial - the apartment blocks should be built to form a continuous whole with lower density neighbourhoods and the commercial areas around them (eg how about ground-floor retail or some attached townhouses mixed into these projects!?)

This is the real problem with the commie blocks. Screw concrete: the main problem is that they are planned to be isolated, inhuman ghettos. If I write a letter, would other people in the forum be willing to sign it? I have been writing some letters under the title of Urban Policy Workshop (don't know if people have seen).

PS Enjoy the balloon and ribfests to all of you in London this weekend (great pics)!

[Snashcan]

^^^^ I smell a grass roots movement. I plan on contacting the city planning dept. too.

Contact me, I work in the City planning department, well for 2.5 more weeks haha

[FazDeH]

^^^ Okay, well Im a frustrated Londoner, who would like to inform the planning dept. that the lack of possitive direction is annoying.
you caught me off gaurd, lol.

[Snashcan]

^^^ Okay, well Im a frustrated Londoner, who would like to inform the planning dept. that the lack of possitive direction is annoying.
you caught me off gaurd, lol.

I'm just as fustrated, I've been pushing for higher architectural standards and green incentive's, but it's a tremendously slow process. But on a positive note the City is soon (this month) to be hiring their First Urban Designer

[QuantumLeap]

I too am happy about the urban designer position. I am just scared that like many of the city's other "feel-good" incentives, the urban designer will either be powerless or will be allowed to engage in near-worthless "demonstration projects" and the like. I am also concerned that the urban designer will be a pushover for kitchy or trite urbanism. What we need is a radical visionary, someone like a Jane Jacobs or a Andres Duany (love 'em or hate 'em, at least they have bold ideas). Of course, it is hard to hire someone like that when you show neither the expertise in their craft, the interest in their ideas or the budget to carry out their work. Forgive my cynicism, but...

[ldoto]

Thu, August 9, 2007

A solution to the Riverside-Wonderland land standoff goes to city council on Monday.

By JONATHAN SHER AND JOE BELANGER, SUN MEDIA



The city's board of control yesterday backed a tentative deal with Sifton Properties that would make public a prime lot overlooking the Thames River that had been targeted for an office tower.

The deal, if approved Monday by council, would end months of dispute between one of the city's pre-eminent developers and one of the many neighbourhoods it built, Oakridge Acres.

And the prospect of a happy ending had faces beaming yesterday at city hall and Sifton.

"We're very pleased to hear board of control has blessed this idea. I hope council sees it in the same light as a win-win for everybody," company president Richard Sifton said.

The mayor and controllers made similar remarks.

"It's a positive solution, provided council approves it," Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best said.

"I think it's a good deal we can all support," Deputy Mayor Tom Gosnell said.

Neither side would discuss the deal before council approves it. But sources say the city would pay no money, instead offering future benefits to compensate Sifton for the loss of its prime parcel at the corner of Riverside Drive and Wonderland Road.

The city normally requires developers to set aside land for parks and recreation, or if land is in short supply, pay cash in lieu of land.

The city will modify those requirements -- where staff believes it makes sense -- in exchange for the 0.8-hectare (two-acre) lot Sifton bought two years ago for $400,000, The Free Press has learned.

Here's how sources say it would work:

- Sifton would provide two fewer acres of parkland than normally required.

- The city would waive cash in lieu of two acres where it would otherwise be owed.

Sifton had planned to replace a small home on the wooded lot with a five-storey office tower that would serve as its "signature" building in London.

While the company said its proposal met the objectives of city and Ontario policies, its application drew strong opposition in Oakridge Acres, where residents said a tower would snarl traffic, obstruct views and change the character of a community marked by a heritage river and parkland.

A community leader says residents will feel relief a tentative deal has been brokered.

"That's wonderful . . . I feel really grateful to all the people who got involved," said Monica Jarabek, chairperson of the Oakridge Riverside Community Association.

Speaking before she knew details of the deal, Jarabek hoped the city was able to obtain the land for a fair price.

"I hope it's reasonable for London taxpayers."

Controller Bud Polhill thinks so and praised city staff and Sifton for reaching a fair compromise.

"You have to give credit to our staff," he said.

Before council rejected Sifton's office tower in June, the city offered to buy the lot for as much as $500,000, but company officials said the offer failed to cover its costs.

[ldoto]

Vacant land at Wilton Grove and Cheese Factory roads in the city's southeast became a flashpoint for the urban growth battle when city hall refused to roll it into the urban growth area. Financial giant Sun Life wants to turn the site into an $80-million private industrial park.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a138/ldoto/News%20Paper%20Photos/LDN20070809dr_land.jpg

[Snashcan]

Vacant land at Wilton Grove and Cheese Factory roads in the city's southeast became a flashpoint for the urban growth battle when city hall refused to roll it into the urban growth area. Financial giant Sun Life wants to turn the site into an $80-million private industrial park.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a138/ldoto/News%20Paper%20Photos/LDN20070809dr_land.jpg

A Potential $80 million industrial Park. There is now tennants at all, nothing, and most likely sun life will come up with an area plan then sell it off ofr a massive profit.then 10 years or more from now there might be some industry. There is plenty of land inside the UGB, no need for this to be added, sunlife is only in for a quick profit.

[FazDeH]

I saw this being debated by the city council last night, theres seriously no land packs that would be big enough for the sunlife project inside the UGB? that seems odd, there must be tonnes of land available.
and then they went on to discuss urban sprawl due to the developement. Looking at a map of London its easy to see pockets of space that would fit a development like this one. I think its the cities responsibilty to try and woo developers and give them options.

[Snashcan]

There is a ton of land, but remember, sunlife is a financial company, they are only interested in the money of this, if this property were to be included in the UGB the value would jump 10 times once an area plan is finished, the profit would be enormous. This has nothing to do with jobs or industry or smart growth in london. This Land is agricultural land right now not worth much, but as industrial land it would be a gold mine. There is only one agenda to this topic, PROFIT!

[SlickFranky]

:previous:
I've yet to come across an altruistic industrial land developer that wasn't about making money. But yeah...that's exactly why they wanted to develop there...$$$$

[FazDeH]

I didnt realize there werent parcels of land inside the UGB that wouldnt be profitable, but I guess this would be more so? I dont see the huge deal about building where they want to, aside from sewage capacity. there didnt seem to be any other problems.

[Snashcan]

I didnt realize there werent parcels of land inside the UGB that wouldnt be profitable, but I guess this would be more so? I dont see the huge deal about building where they want to, aside from sewage capacity. there didnt seem to be any other problems.

Lets get one thing straight, Sun Life will not develop this property. They just want to get it in to the boundary and then sell it off as vacant land for huge profit. It is still very profitable to develop within the UGB. the reason why this land is so profitable is sunlife paid undevelopable agricultural prices for it, which are ten times cheaper then land in the UGB which can be developed. Sun Life will not build on the land, just sell it to someone who will, they will just come up with the plan for it, someone else will develop it.

The main reason to not include this is that there is already a surplus of land which could hold a development like this, and which one day probabally will. If this property was included there is no reason it would get developed any faster then other vacant lands within the UGB. What people need to realize is that sunlife is not proposing to develop the land, merely have a site plan approved for a future developer. This land may be included and not be developed for 20 years since there is a 29 year surplus of land. The only thing that would be gained from including this in the UGB is that sunlife would make a huge profit, there is no promise of jobs, taxes or even development. There is actually residential proposals which are going to be built, but again its just not needed.

If the City were to include any land which the ability to easily be serviced they would need to include every property on the edge of the UGB. There is absolutely no reason to expand the UGB at all. Nothing can be gained from it, aside from some massive plant ie Toyota or Rim or something alone those lines promised to build. Sunlife is strictly saying what could be there. They are not proposing to build ANYTHING!

The main problem with these types of lands is urban sprawl. its land that is not needed, and is only added to make the land owner money, not the City. The city has a 29 year surplus of land if growth rates remain stable, the PPS calls for only a 20 year surplus. Even the dreaded OMB wouldn't suggest this to be accepted. There is not one single piece of land which needs to be added into the UGB, the only people who disagree are people who think sprawl is good, or the people standing to make a huge profit on there properties (ie Sunlife). Not a single Planner in our staff thinks the UGB should be expanded.

[Snark]

Agreed! Why not let constructive ME comments speak for all instead:

heh, heh. I guess I am reluctant to do just that. It is no big deal anyway...I get my name in the papers relatively often given my career.

Speaking for myself, I feel eminently qualified to comment on such phenomena

I am quoted in the LFP today
I have appeared on A-Morning a couple of times (interviewed...I am in academia). Oh well, there is still the LFP

I have no idea what the cost would be.

<deleted>

Sorry, I was barely awake, and I just tune out of all the bad news of late, for the sake of my sanity.

Landmark? Looks like a pile of shit.

A mountain of locusts? Change the name. Likewise, would you want to live on Cheapside (major street in London).

Middlesex (what the hell is this, a hermaphrodite?)

Yeah, aren't they vile?

I am glad, then. So that I will not have to waste my time instructing such retarded deadbeats.

Take London (ON), multiply it by 10, and maybe then, you would have something that could, very possibly, be a candidate for world-class.

Not the Shriners thing again. Fer fvcksakes, when will it ever end?

It's the new building for West Park Baptist Church (currently near Wonderland & Hyde Park Rd.). Damn. Not another one.

London has long ceased being a head-office city, to being a back-office city.

Whats the news of the new Walfart that is supposed to go up at Sprawldale and unWonderland?

Man, the Galleria has gotta be one of the biggest urban disasters in Canada. I was there yesterday...unfuckingbelievable how empty the place is.

A veritable ghostown of a mall, with more than 40 vacant stores to better serve you!

overmalled....but Westmount will still be a mall? Sounds like the managers are lacking a solid strategy. If I were a tenant in the mall, I would be worried.

The "rebirth" of the Galleria is rather like a woman experiencing 72 months of gestation followed by 24 months of labour.

could this be the first signs of Masonville mall going the way of Westmount mall??

Nice, but I hear that they do not serve BEER at Labatt Park...extremely ironic and moronic.

allow Labatt park to serve beer...and I will go to see London Majors games.

Wharnecliffe is going down the toilet. At least half of it (from Oxford to Commissioners) sits at the bottom of the bowl, with the other turds. A charming slice of East London in western London.

YEAH! more commie-blocks!

I am getting pissed off at the so-called leaders of London.

Nostalgia for the status quo = today's london leadership = mediocrity

yup: london planners/council-->think small.

I have to agree that the current administration really comes up short in their 'vision' for what London ought to aspire to.

London busses are horrible. They smell, have no seats, and constantly lurch. Not to mention, the schedules, and the asinine amount of time it takes to get from point A to point B

very overdue. I can't understand why they rezone/develop areas prior to improving the infrastructure.

too bad that it will probably be years before it goes back up again for phase II

More bad news for London. The daily dose

For Gawd's sake, London has only 2 complete East-West and North-South roads:
East-West: Fanshawe Park Road and Oxford
North-South: Wonderland and Highbury.
That's it. Everything else does not go through all the way.

Council should wake up...given the lousy local economy, taxpayers are not feeling generous, and frankly, a little tired of property (et al.) tax increases that have long outstripped inflation

London has the third-busiest airport in Canada, after Toronto and Vancouver. Really? Ahead of Montreal, Calgary, Ottawa, Winnipeg, etc.? Must be freight. Would like to see the supporting statistics.

thats a tall proposal for a shitsville corner. Love to see it happen....but in this market?

Visonary. 30 years, I will be approaching 70. I can then look forward to a quick way to Fanshawe Park Road. Yay.

Any info on the proposed Walfart at Exeter and Wonderland Rd. South?

Does the Ash Borer also eat jobs? I ask because the London area has lost so many in the past 6 months.

Weird. Hope that it is better than the aborted pseudo-freeway blip that is Highbury Ave.

I think that London's city planners look towards the 905 area as an urban model, rather than say, more concise urban fabrics like those found in Europe.

Looks like a run-down 70's era Las Vegas motor inn.

Quite frankly, who gives two-shits what Jack Layton says?

And the commie-blocks keep-a-comin' in London, esp. in the Oxford-Wonderland area.
I'd rather have no construction, than more of those ugly commie-blocks. Parts of London could easily pass for Irkutsk or Dniepreprovetsk.

I am not too impressed, having bought a home in the neighborhood.

Not again.

Good, but if it happens, I will eat my shoes.
I refer to them as Dumbcentres.

Ultra 80s, Ultra Smell (Bell) Canada. Smell has a building like this in every single major city in Canada.

This actually looks pretty good. I was in the area this weekend past, and it currently is about as gritty and shitty as anywhere in the country.

Yeah, just what I expected, city council is totally in cahoots with the big box sprawl developers. Who gives a shit if inner London looks like shit,

Yeah, I live about 1 km from that shitty bridge. and cross it from time to time. It is the Marie-Anne de Cicco way: rezone, build, but do not expand the infrastructure.

More of Anne-Marie's "Best and Brightest" (aka, highest salaries and sick-days, and moreover, mediocre results

yep. exactly. anyone else, it would be front-page news. And you'd think, "wow, the mayor's husband...for sure the LFP will have something"...but it is buried like a skeleton in the closet.

And while we are at it, how on earth did Best get the exemption for that lousy deck/patio along Richmond? Fishy, fishy.

What do you all think about the Mayor's husband's little adventure last saturday? Must be pretty damned embarassing for Anne-Marie, to say the least.

Same shit they smoked when they decided to bury the drunk-driving adventure of Mr. A-M deC-Best.

No news on Mr. AMdeC-Best? Still got his drivers' license, I presume?

If he got drunk (and then drove) in his own bar...could he be at risk of losing his liquor license? Did you sit out on the cheapo patio at Friday Fright Nites?

Not because of, but despite the current administration on dufferin st.

[ldoto]

It's good news for a determined group of London residents.

They've won their fight to keep a five story office building from being built on land at the corner of Riverside and Wonderland.

Council voted on the agreement after a quick closed-door session last night and announced that the area will remain parkland.

The deal with Sifton Properties gives the City ownership of the two-acre parcel of land, along with another two acres of environmentally sensitive land north of Sunningdale Road.

In exchange, Sifton gets four acres of parkland credits.

City officials say no new subdivisions will be shortchanged on parkland because of this deal.

[ldoto]

LONDON - Some of the merchants on Richmond Row will finally see parking spots for their customers in front of their stores.
City council has decided to give this a chance.

Parking spaces will open up from the CP tracks to Dufferin Ave.

Councillor Cheryl Miller says concerns from organizations like the LTC have been taken into account adding this is only a pilot project.

Council also decided to add parking along Waterloo street something students at King's College have been looking for.:tup: :tup:

[ldoto]

:previous:
Sifton land deal sign of shift in power?

Wed, August 15, 2007

By JOE BELANGER, SUN MEDIA



Winds of change, people power or simply good business?

Call it what you want, but London city staff, Sifton Properties and city council have cut a deal to keep a piece of perceived parkland in the public domain instead of being redeveloped for an office tower.

Sifton agreed to take parkland credits and hand over the 0.8-hectare property at Riverside Drive and Wonderland Road to the city, which will make it part of the Thames River park system, something Oakridge residents argued the city should have done years ago.

The parkland credits mean Sifton won't have to give cash-in-lieu for parkland on a future development, as required in the Planning Act.

The company gets credit for 1.6 hectares of parkland because it also handed over an environmentally significant area just north of Sunningdale Road East.

All sides have called it a win-win resolution.

But there's a sense out there that change is afoot when it comes to clashes between developers and neighbourhoods.

"The community expressed a desire and we've always listened to what those around us have to say," said Sifton president Richard Sifton.

"Even more importantly, they made their concerns known.

"In reality, what we did was make a business decision. The fact is, we were able to find a solution that met our business goals and the city's.

"City council has been told by residents they want them to do a good job protecting certain things, whether it's a park, a woodland, a wetland and they say there has to be give-and-take.

"The politicians are hearing that message.

"The general public has said these are things we want to invest in."

Sifton conceded it's possible his company is on the front edge of a movement in the development industry to listen more carefully to community concerns.

Several developers have opted to try to cut deals with the city, rather than ignore community concerns and see issues resolve by the Ontario Municipal Board.

Drewlo Holdings recently agreed to restore and not demolish Locust Mount, the 147-year-old former home of a London mayor and senator that was run down and damaged by fire.

In exchange, the company was given a variety of tax incentives and bonus zoning to offset additional costs.

The city still is negotiating with Southside Construction to exchange land or make some other concession to protect a woodlot on Adelaide Street just north of Windermere Road.

London's chief adminstrator Jeff Fielding credits the community for keeping the pressure on to preserve "amenities" such as woodlots or heritage buildings and "they're asking us to be innovative and creative."

Ward 8 Coun. Paul Hubert said he senses a "spirit of collaboration rather than an adversarial spirit" between developers and the community.

"That collaborative, innovative spirit is what I think our community needs," he said.

"Companies have business interests to deal with, but I do sense a willingness to work with the community and listen."

Coun. Joni Baechler said developers will listen to the public, but the onus is on the public to let their concerns known.

"If the (Oakridge community) hadn't rose up the way they did to oppose this, nothing would have been done," said Baechler.

[FazDeH]

Lets get one thing straight, Sun Life will not develop this property.
huh I didnt realize that was the case. Its to bad, Im always up for job growth in London. Hopefully there will be a REAL development soon that we will be able to discuss.

[ldoto]

Thu, August 16, 2007

By HANK DANISZEWSKI, SUN MEDIA



London is highlighted as one of Ontario's hottest real estate markets in a new forecast by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC). :D

The CMHC says Ontario resale home sales will hit a record of 209,000 this year with London, Hamilton and Sudbury leading the way.

Ted Tsiakopoulos, a CMHC regional economist, says the number of new listings compared to sales in London is above the Ontario average.

"It's basic supply and demand. . . . It's a very good leading indicator of where housing prices are going," he said.

He said London benefits from a healthy, diversified economy and has the advantage of affordable home prices compared to the Greater Toronto Area. The average house price here is just more than $200,000 compared with about $370,000 in Toronto.

"Affordability is the key to sparking sales," he said.

London's leading status in the CMHC report did not surprise Mike Carson, president of the London-St. Thomas Association of Realtors.

Annual home sales in the London-area market set a record of 8,916 units in 2006.

Carson expects that total will be surpassed this year, especially after sales in May smashed the monthly record.

"As long as we can keep the economy growing, London will be seen as a great place to invest," he said.

Carson said the number of listings on the market is up compared to two years ago and buyers have a reasonable choice. But he still considers it a seller's market.

"We are seeing many instances of homes going close to asking prices or selling within days if they are appropriately priced."

Diane Gordon of London Living Real Estate said the London market is strong but not as frantic as a few years ago. "There are some bidding wars, but they are not as frequent."

She said homes near the average price of $200,000 are most in demand.

Gordon said the London market is attracting attention from real estate investors looking for bargains in properties such as downtown condos.

"We have investors looking here because in some of the investment properties in Toronto there are already 12 to 16 offers registered," she said

[ldoto]

The global stock markets may be on a roller coaster this week because of credit concerns, but here in Southwestern Ontario the Toyota based industrial boom continues.

Ground was broken in St. Thomas today for the new Takumi auto parts plant, a direct spinoff of the Toyota Woodstock project.

The $15-million Takumi plant is expected to employ 100 workers initially, and begin production in 2008.:upload_71700:

[Remontech]

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Due to the excitement over new construction projects here at this website, we are making this site available:

http://www.remontech.com/projects/amicalondon.html

Follow in real-time the construction of this new 164 apartment retiremend residence on Fanshawe Park Road.

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Enjoy and drop us a line with your thoughts! If you know of any other project that could benefit from our services, please let us know.

[ldoto]

He's a London Knights fan, a marketing specialist, a downtown booster and the husband of a mayor. :cheers:

And Tim Best is hoping to turn all of that, sans the strong political connection, into a winning formula along a troubled section of Richmond Street.

The husband of Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best is close to bringing his concept, a family-oriented sports bar and restaurant called Friday Knights Lights, to reality.

Best is in negotiations with the core's biggest landowner, Shmuel Farhi, to open the sports bar at 391 Richmond St., a space squeezed between the Royal Bank tower and the Market Tower once occupied by Don Cherry's.

He hopes to draw a lunch crowd from the hundreds of workers in the two towers that have separate entrances to the building in addition to the main entrance on Richmond.

And Best is hoping to tap his friendship with the Knights owners, Mark and Dale Hunter, to draw players, their families and competitors.

The restaurant would be decked out with Knights memorabilia that Best hopes will help draw families for a bite to eat before a game or show at the John Labatt Centre.

"I'm going to provide something that's healthy for (the Knights) organization and they're going to enjoy it," he said yesterday.

"But this is a niche. There's definitely a need for this, especially for the JLC -- a family-oriented restaurant."

It won't be a nightclub, Best said, and it should help revitalize the south end of Richmond Street.

"People say once you get south of Dundas, Richmond Street is a problem," he said.

"Well let's fix it. Let's make it appealing to people, to families."

Best said he's still looking for partners, but will go it alone if necessary.

Janette MacDonald, MainStreet London manager, said she'll help Best.

"I like the concept," she said. "It's in kind of a no-man's land that's had difficulties in the past. But the family-oriented concept will be good for the downtown."

Coun. Cheryl Miller, who has battled to revitalize the core, was also enthusiastic about the concept.

"It's just awesome," she said. "It's a dark hole right now, but it's a great spot for a restaurant or anything for families. It'll help tidy up that spot." :cheers:

[DC83]

Hey Londoners!
I just had a quick question for you guys:

The owner of the London Tap House is currently reno'ing a historic bldg downtown Ham and turning it into the newest London Tap House location.

I was just wondering what all of your opinions on the place are.
Is the food good? ...is the booze over-priced? ...is it a good time overall?
From what I've read so far, it seems like a great place... but your opinions are much better than what I can learn from their web site ;) haha

Thanks everyone!

[ldoto]

News Release

2007-08-20


AUTOMOTIVE PARTS COMPANY TO CALL LONDON HOME
(London, ON) – CS Automotive Tubing Inc., a manufacturer of stainless steel tubing for the automotive industry, has chosen London for a new 50,000 sq ft production facility. CS Automotive Tubing Inc. is the Canadian division of ChangShin Steel of Seoul, Korea.

Located on 6.5 acres of land in Innovation Park, this first phase will employ approximately 30 employees. Phase II will see an additional 50,000 sq ft added to their facility and an additional 20 employees. This investment in London is close to $12 million.

“We are very excited to be opening our first North American plant in London, Ontario,” said Mr. Chang Il Chun, Chairman of ChangShin Steel.” “London Economic Development Corp. was instrumental in establishing our plant in London. We have worked closely with them over the past few months to select the right site, construction partners and key contacts in the community.” said Mr. Kwang Yew, General Manager of CS Automotive Tubing Inc.

CS Automotive Tubing Inc. will manufacture automotive exhaust systems for Tier 1 parts suppliers and some OEMs.

“We are very honoured to have CS Automotive Tubing Inc. join the vibrant and growing manufacturing sector in London. It is an innovative, state of the art company that will benefit many of our existing companies and boost the attractiveness of our city to potential investors in the automotive sector,” said John Kime, President and CEO, London Economic Development Corporation.

Construction of the new facility is expected to begin soon with completion expected by summer 2008.

[FazDeH]

Hey Londoners!
I just had a quick question for you guys:

The owner of the London Tap House is currently reno'ing a historic bldg downtown Ham and turning it into the newest London Tap House location.

I was just wondering what all of your opinions on the place are.
Is the food good? ...is the booze over-priced? ...is it a good time overall?
From what I've read so far, it seems like a great place... but your opinions are much better than what I can learn from their web site haha

Thanks everyone!



Hey The Taphouse is one of Londons more upscale bars. It's actually one of the few clubs in the city I will actually go to. I can't speak about the crowd that the bar will draw in Hamilton but generally its a slightly older crowd in London, not all 19 year olds mostly early 20s.
The food is good and Im told by a friend that works there, that the menu will remain relitively untouched. The price? well.... as London bars go its the pretty much the most pricy, a drink that you would find literally right next door for $4 will cost you close to $7, but I personally I think its worth it. I only hope that the London Taphouse in Hamilton and the one thats under development for Toronto is as nice.

[DC83]

Awesome, thanks man. I'm pretty excited to check it out. Can't wait to try out the rooftop bar! ALmost every bar / club in Mtl has em and they're awesome!!

[ldoto]

LONDON - A massive mural is about to brighten up a dreary spot in London's downtown core.
The tunnel under the Galleria along King street is going to become the canvas for six artists from Argentina who will create a mural, bigger than a football field..:tup:

The group has been commissioned by the London Downtown Business Association.

The LDBA is putting up 30 thousand dollars to cover teh groups travel expenses.

[ldoto]

A 50.5M downtown office towerrs sale is said to put us on the national business 'radar.':yes:

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a138/ldoto/News%20Paper%20Photos/LDN20070823MH_TDtowers2.jpg

Buildings Sold, Good Sign for London

LONDON - The sale of London's downtown city centre at the corner of Wellington and Dundas is being hailed a major boost for the city.
The two TD Canada trust buildings have changed ownership in a deal worth a little more than fity million dollars.

Montreal-based Redbourne Group bought the property.

City real estate officials hailed the deal as a vote of confidence in the core, saying London is on the "radar" for national business investment.


http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a138/ldoto/News%20Paper%20Photos/LDN20070823MH_TDtowers.jpg:tup:

[ldoto]

Ontario's Health Minister Opens

LONDON - Ontario's Health Minister swept into London for the grand opening of a brand new community Health Centre site.
George Smitherman and other dignateries gathered for the opening of the facility in the Huron Heights Plaza on Huron Street near Highbury.

Smitherman said the investment was made possible by the Liberals controversial Health Premium.

The minister said the Health tax is here to stay.

Last week, Conservative Leader John Tory vowed to eliminated the tax that costs families as much as 900 dollars a year. :tup:

[ldoto]

Repeat post!!

[ldoto]

Update!!!The harriston


http://theharriston.com/content/media


Look at these Views!!!!:cool:

[ldoto]

Cami to get new vehicle

Thu, August 30, 2007

It's still not known if new jobs will be created:D

By NORMAN DEBONO, SUN MEDIA



Cami Automotive is getting a new vehicle and new investment, the automaker announced yesterday.

Just as workers at the General Motors plant in Oshawa yesterday received notice of 1,100 job cuts, workers at Cami in Ingersoll were told they will soon be making a new vehicle.

“We will be getting new equipment, there will be new tooling and we will be getting new product,” Susan Nicholson, spokesperson for Cami, said yesterday.

But it is not yet known if the new vehicle is a replacement for an existing sport utility vehicle that will be discontinued, or a new, fourth vehicle to be added to the production line.

“There are few details right now but we can say this is good news for Cami, it is very exciting,” said Nicholson.

It was not known yesterday if additional workers would be hired for the new product or what the dollar value of the investment will be, she added.

“We will take any good news we can get,” said Mike Van Boekel, chairperson of CAW Local 88 at Cami.

“We hope this means we will be able to maintain the workers we have or even hire more. Hopefully, this means long-term employment for our members.”

The Chevrolet Equinox, Pontiac Torrent and Suzuki XL7 sport utility vehicles are now made at the plant.

But the new investment will be a GM product and rumours in automotive circles have ranged from the Torrent being replaced by a new vehicle, to a fourth vehicle being added to the product line.

Nicholson credited the CAW with helping land the new investment. It agreed to move up the date of collective bargaining to June from September, and the three-year agreement paved the way for the new investment, she added.

“We would not have been able to do this without the support of our CAW partners,” said Nicholson.

Cami workers will face a one-week shutdown in September and October due to slowing sales, added Van Boekel.

Cami employs about 2,700 workers, 2,100 of which are CAW members.

Last year Cami made about 170,000 vehicles

[ldoto]

$200 million for London hospital projects:tup:

Fri, August 31, 2007

New children's hospital, women's care centre to be built

By RANDY RICHMOND, SUN MEDIA



A massive hospital building project in London got long awaited approval yesterday to wrap up the bulk of the work, worth an estimated $200 million.

The province announced London hospitals can take bids on completion of a new children’s hospital and women’s care centre at Victoria Hospital and the final renovations at St. Joseph’s and University hospitals.

When that work is done, the aging South Street hospital can be closed.

“This is a very, very important milestone for the London hospitals and one that we have been waiting for quite some time,” Cliff Nordal, president of London Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph’s Health Care London, said yesterday.

“This is the biggest piece of the project to happen. When this is finished, we move the staff and patients (from South Street) and we lock the doors. That has been an ideal talked about in this community for . . . a long time.”

The bids should be received this fall and work should begin next year, hospital and government officials said yesterday.

“This is a huge step,” said Chris Bentley, Liberal MPP for London West. “They don’t want me to throw out a number but . . . I suspect you are going to need upwards of $100 million and if someone said $200 million you might be in there.”

The first plans to restructure and merge London’s hospitals surfaced in the mid-90s, as the provincial government began retooling health care and insisting communities eliminate duplication at hospitals.

For the next 12 years, the restructuring and merging of facilities run by London Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph’s Health Care London took place in fits and starts, with some deadlines — such as the expected closing of South Street in 2000, missed.

Symbolic of the amount of work still to be done is the empty 10-storey north tower at Victoria Hospital, where yesterday’s announcement took place.

“When this project is complete, this doorway will open into one of the most exciting new health-care facilities in Canada,” said Peter Johnson, vice-chair of the LHSC board. Besides the new home of the Children’s Hospital of Western Ontario, the tower will house a new birthing centre, neonatal intensive care unit and outpatient mental health care.

It will also house diagnostic labs, teaching facilities and a 350-seat auditorium.

The final phase of work at St. Joseph’s Health Care will see a 112,000-square-foot renovation and a 4,000-square-foot addition that will provide space for citywide opthamology services, diabetes, and ear, nose and throat services.

“This will provide much needed clinical space,” said Gerald Killan, vice-chair of St. Joseph’s Health Care board.

In an interview after the announcement, Bentley said the timing of the approval was not connected to the Oct. 10 provincial election.

Over the past three years, the province has changed its funding and bidding processes, reduced the share communities have to raise and given money for hospital construction, Bentley said

“We have been working very hard for the past three years to make today possible.”

The approval is not a blank cheque, Bentley added.

The bids will have to be evaluated, he said.

There will be some “cleanup” construction to do after this next phase, Nordal said.

This project doesn’t include the construction of two mental health facilities — one in London and one in St. Thomas — expected to go to tender in 2009.

[ldoto]

Udate!!!

Park Lane Hotel to be reborn as condo project

It looks like the Park lane hotel is getting some work done to it two years later!!!:shrug:

I will try to get some pics soon:tup:


_______________________________________

This is great news for the downtown core it is booming down here. I also heard that there will be a big project announce in the next couple weeks.



Park Lane Hotel to be reborn as condo project

Wed, November 23, 2005

By HANK DANISZEWSKI, FREE PRESS BUSINESS REPORTER




Jeffrey Roher, left, and Joel Kwinter of the Rose Corp. are converting the Park Lane Hotel on King Street into condominiums. (DEREK RUTTAN, The London Free Press)
Two Toronto developers think it's time for a downtown London building with a checkered past to be reborn as a hip, downtown condo project.

Joel Kwinter and Jeffrey Roher are spearheading a plan to create time Condominiums with a $12 million to $15 million renovation of the former Park Lane Hotel at 186 King St.

The developers say downtown London is on an upswing and ready for the kind of urban condo conversion that has swept larger centres such as Toronto.

"London's time has come . . . We want London youth to stay in London by offering them a hip place to hang their hat and call home," Kwinter said.

The units will vary in size from 330 square feet to 800 square feet and range in price from $69,990 for a studio to $159,000 for a two-bedroom or large one- bedroom.


Kwinter and Roher are partners with the Rose Corp., a Toronto-based real estate investment company that bought the building last year.

Kwinter said the building will have a "South Beach -- New York City" feel, both inside and out and will be aimed at the 18- to 35-year-old market.

The sales office and a model suite should be open in a few months, but the renovations will not start until a minimum number of units are pre-sold, he said.

If the sales campaign is successful, the new condo owners should be able to move in by the end of 2007.

Kwinter said the main floor will stay commercial and the developers will be looking for a high-end lounge/restaurant to locate there.

Other amenities will include exercise facilities, a private lounge, a study and two screening rooms with large-screen televisions.

The developers are planning a major marketing campaign and have a website -- www.timecondos.com -- where potential buyers can register.

If the project is a success, it will be a turnaroud for a building that has suffered a lot of bad luck since construction began in 1961. The building has changed hands several times due to lawsuits and financial failures and was empty for a couple of years in the 1990's.

"I know there's a bit of history involved in this building but we think it's time for a big change. This building has great bones and a great location and that's what were working with," said Kwinter.

Last night Kwinter and Roher received a Downtown Champion award at the Mainstreet London annual general meeting in recognition of the initiative.

Mainstreet manager Janette MacDonald said the time Condo project is exactly what downtown needs. She said the affordable prices makes the condos attractive to young professionals.

"If we can these young people into the real estate market in London, it will be a tougher for them to leave," she said.

HISTORY OF 186 KING

1961: Construction begins, but financial problems delay the opening for three years.

1964: The 10-storey building opens as the Jack Tar Motor Hotel.

1966: The building is sold and renamed the Kingsley Building, the result of a lawsuit.

1973: It is converted into the Park Lane Motel.

1988: The Park Lane is converted into a Ramada Inn.

1992: The Ramada Inn closes after prolonged financial troubles and the building sits vacant for two years.

1994: A plan to turn the building into a private student residence called King's Inn falls apart, leaving 130 people locked out.

1995: London realtor Paul Mitchell steps in, revives the project and opens the student residence.

2002: The building is sold to Dutch entrepreneur Willem Fijneer, who reopens it as the Park Lane Hotel.

2004: The building is sold to Toronto-based real estate developer the Rose Corp., which plans to turn it into condos.

[ldoto]

Update!!!

Park Lane Hotel to be reborn as condo project

It looks like the Park lane hotel is getting some work done to it two years later!!!:shrug:

I will try to get some pics soon:tup:


_______________________________________

This is great news for the downtown core it is booming down here. I also heard that there will be a big project announce in the next couple weeks.



Park Lane Hotel to be reborn as condo project

Wed, November 23, 2005

By HANK DANISZEWSKI, FREE PRESS BUSINESS REPORTER




Jeffrey Roher, left, and Joel Kwinter of the Rose Corp. are converting the Park Lane Hotel on King Street into condominiums. (DEREK RUTTAN, The London Free Press)
Two Toronto developers think it's time for a downtown London building with a checkered past to be reborn as a hip, downtown condo project.

Joel Kwinter and Jeffrey Roher are spearheading a plan to create time Condominiums with a $12 million to $15 million renovation of the former Park Lane Hotel at 186 King St.

The developers say downtown London is on an upswing and ready for the kind of urban condo conversion that has swept larger centres such as Toronto.

"London's time has come . . . We want London youth to stay in London by offering them a hip place to hang their hat and call home," Kwinter said.

The units will vary in size from 330 square feet to 800 square feet and range in price from $69,990 for a studio to $159,000 for a two-bedroom or large one- bedroom.


Kwinter and Roher are partners with the Rose Corp., a Toronto-based real estate investment company that bought the building last year.

Kwinter said the building will have a "South Beach -- New York City" feel, both inside and out and will be aimed at the 18- to 35-year-old market.

The sales office and a model suite should be open in a few months, but the renovations will not start until a minimum number of units are pre-sold, he said.

If the sales campaign is successful, the new condo owners should be able to move in by the end of 2007.

Kwinter said the main floor will stay commercial and the developers will be looking for a high-end lounge/restaurant to locate there.

Other amenities will include exercise facilities, a private lounge, a study and two screening rooms with large-screen televisions.

The developers are planning a major marketing campaign and have a website -- www.timecondos.com -- where potential buyers can register.

If the project is a success, it will be a turnaroud for a building that has suffered a lot of bad luck since construction began in 1961. The building has changed hands several times due to lawsuits and financial failures and was empty for a couple of years in the 1990's.

"I know there's a bit of history involved in this building but we think it's time for a big change. This building has great bones and a great location and that's what were working with," said Kwinter.

Last night Kwinter and Roher received a Downtown Champion award at the Mainstreet London annual general meeting in recognition of the initiative.

Mainstreet manager Janette MacDonald said the time Condo project is exactly what downtown needs. She said the affordable prices makes the condos attractive to young professionals.

"If we can these young people into the real estate market in London, it will be a tougher for them to leave," she said.

HISTORY OF 186 KING

1961: Construction begins, but financial problems delay the opening for three years.

1964: The 10-storey building opens as the Jack Tar Motor Hotel.

1966: The building is sold and renamed the Kingsley Building, the result of a lawsuit.

1973: It is converted into the Park Lane Motel.

1988: The Park Lane is converted into a Ramada Inn.

1992: The Ramada Inn closes after prolonged financial troubles and the building sits vacant for two years.

1994: A plan to turn the building into a private student residence called King's Inn falls apart, leaving 130 people locked out.

1995: London realtor Paul Mitchell steps in, revives the project and opens the student residence.

2002: The building is sold to Dutch entrepreneur Willem Fijneer, who reopens it as the Park Lane Hotel.

2004: The building is sold to Toronto-based real estate developer the Rose Corp., which plans to turn it into condos.

[ldoto]

Free Press makes case to keep printing in London

Wed, September 5, 2007



Dear Readers,

I am pleased to announce The London Free Press has rescinded layoff notices formally issued to 175 press room, distribution centre and maintenance staff in July of this year. :banana: :banana:

Two years ago, a decision was made to move the press and distribution centre to a new printing plant in Islington near Toronto. Although operations at Wide Web Printing have already begun, The Free Press has been given the green light to submit a business case to keep printing and distribution work and the jobs here.

We will start discussions with the union soon to establish conditions to allow us to have a viable long-term business solution.

This is great news for our employees, for The Free Press and for the community. As you know, we have a 158-year history in London and we remain committed to this wonderful city and its bright future.

To be sure, the newspaper industry is in the midst of a huge transition, but Southwestern Ontario is where most of our readers live, and where our newspapers are delivered.

Thank you for your continued support, and for your enthusiasm in growing with us.

Sincerely,

Susan Muszak,

Publisher and CEO

[ldoto]

Ground broken on $21 million police headquarters expansion:notacrook:

Mon, September 10, 2007

By JENNIFER O’BRIEN, SUN MEDIA



Used to be, when giving an out-of-town officer directions to London Police Headquarters, included was the instruction ‘Look for the Harvey’s.’

Not anymore.

That Harvey’s is gone.

So it’s fitting that police headquarters at 601 Dundas St. should get itself a new landmark.

Yesterday, ground broke on the first phase of that landmark — a $21 million project to expand headquarters and, according to supporters, make it a state of the art facility for its nearly 600 officers.

“Now with this building, we’ll be able to say ‘Look for police headquarters,’” said Police Chief Murray Faulkner, at a news conference to kick off construction of the 20-month, first phase of the expansion.

“It will stand out, it will act as the anchor for renovating East London . . . it will say to the people who work in it, we support you.”

Faulkner said the expanded facility will empower officers and benefit the city.

“It is the people who make up policing, but the building is very important, not only to the people, but to the community,” he said.

Built in 1974, the existing structure was made to fit a force of about 250 officers. Now there are 578.

Space is so tight, that the office for the department’s hostage negotiators is now a remodelled cloakroom, said Deputy Chief Brad Duncan. Other makeshift offices include a breezeway between two sections.

And with high-school sized 12” lockers, officers are forced to pile gear and some equipment on top of lockers, he said.

The first phase of the expansion includes building a new structure — with a modern firing range, classrooms for staff training and locker space — west of the existing station. It will also include more parking.

Once finished, the second phase to renovate the existing headquarters will begin.

Total cost for the expansion and facelift of police headquarters, built in 1974, is pegged at $34 million.

The project will likely disrupt staff, but will not compromise security in the building, said Deputy Chief Brad Duncan.

“We’ve looked at all security angles and, in fact, this new building will have more state-of-the-art security,” he said.

Duncan said London Police Service employees have been anxiously awaiting the expansion.

Spirits were high yesterday at the groundbreaking, with speeches from Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best and Police Services Board Chair Ab Chahbar as well as Steve Aquino, vice president of the builder, Bondfield Construction Co. Ltd

[MolsonExport]

^hope so. East London needs a lot of help. Dundas st east is freakshow city.

[ldoto]

Convention Centre board sees room for new hotel

Wed, September 12, 2007

By HANK DANISZEWSKI, SUN MEDIA



That elusive hotel that was never built beside the London Convention Centre may finally become a reality. :D

Board of control will consider today a request from the convention centre board for city staff to investigate interest in building a luxury hotel next to the centre.

Cecil Rorabeck, chairperson of the convention centre board, said another adjoining hotel would open the market to bigger conventions.

"This could be great for downtown London . . . If we could get someone interested in a four- or five-star hotel" he said.

The proposal comes despite a flurry of hotel building in the city the last few years that appears to have left the market saturated.

Six hotels have opened during the last two years, mainly in the area of Wellington and Exeter roads.

The number of hotel rooms has almost doubled during the last 10 years to 3,800.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a138/ldoto/News%20Paper%20Photos/Ldn20070911SB_convention3.jpg

The number of visitors to London is up, but the hotel occupancy rate has dropped to about 63 per cent, well below the threshold of about 70 per cent that tends to attract new hotel investment.

Luc Van Den Heuvel, president of the London Hotel and Motel Association, said he's surprised the convention centre would pursue a new hotel, given market conditions.

But he said developers appear willing to build hotels despite the low vacancy rate.

"Obviously, there is a lot of interest in the city of London. The fact that there has not been a hotel built in the downtown for some time might prompt someone to come forward."

He said the south end and downtown hotels tend to serve different markets, but when a big convention comes to the city, all rooms tend to get booked up.

Convention centre general manager Lori Da Silva said the hotel site is L-shaped and includes a narrow parking lot east of the building and a garden area on the north facing King Street.

That site has been tagged for a possible hotel since the convention centre was first proposed during the late '80s. The original plan called for the convention centre to front on King Street facing what is now the Hilton London.
But Commonwealth Hospitality Ltd. told the city it wanted the site for a 300-room hotel, forcing the city to turn the convention centre around to face York Street.

A recession and a glut of hotel space prompted Commonwealth to back out of the deal in 1991, leaving the city with an empty lot and the infamous "walkway to nowhere" -- a truncated pedestrian passage over King Street from what was then the Radisson Hotel. The walkway was eventually extended to the convention centre in 1996.

The walkway gives the convention centre an indoor connection to the Hilton, which has 322 rooms.

Da Silva said another hotel directly connected to the centre could draw more big conventions, especially in winter.

"We would like to think we are bringing in new business instead of competing for the existing business," she said.

John Winston, general manager of Tourism London, said the current hotel market isn't likely to entice a lot of interest from developers, but the convention centre board is wise to plan for the long term.

"It's a fishing expedition, nothing more and nothing less," he said.

[FazDeH]

It would be great to fill that lot with a nice hotel, but sadly I agree, the London market doesn't seem to presently have the demand for another large hotel downtown. There is however the old adage, "if you build it they will come" and I think considering the growth we've seen over the past 10 years it isn't ludacris to think that we couldnt support another hotel not to far in the future. Keeping the fingers crossed for this one.
And any word on this yet Ldoto? "I also heard that there will be a big project announce in the next couple weeks."

[ldoto]

:previous:
Where do you here that from??:shrug:
It sounds good!!!::cool:

[FazDeH]

quote from you :) "Udate!!!Park Lane Hotel to be reborn as condo project

It looks like the Park lane hotel is getting some work done to it two years later!!!

I will try to get some pics soon


_______________________________________

This is great news for the downtown core it is booming down here. I also heard that there will be a big project announce in the next couple weeks."

[ldoto]

:previous:
Park Lane Hotel to be reborn as condo project

That post was from Wed, November 23, 2005 Old news!!!!!!:D

Yes I will try to get some update pics from Park lane hotel:tup:

[ldoto]

Board of control supports another downtown hotel

Thu, September 13, 2007

By HANK DANISZEWSKI, SUN MEDIA



A move to scout out interest in a new hotel beside the London Convention Centre got the green light from board of control yesterday. :yes:

But the manager of the Hilton London, connected to the convention centre by a walkway, warns another hotel isn't needed in London's crowded market.

Quickly and without debate, controllers approved a suggestion from the convention centre's board to have city staff issue a request for proposals from private developers interested in building a luxury hotel on vacant land next to the centre.

Controller Gord Hume, who sits on the board with Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best, said it's worthwhile to explore the opportunities.

"Sometimes we don't get meetings and conferences because we don't have the hotel spaces in the vicinity. We want to build the market -- expand the pie for everybody," Hume said.

The number of hotel rooms in London has almost doubled in the last 10 years, to 3,800, while occupancy rates have dropped to about 63 per cent.

Joe Drummond, manager of the Hilton London, said pursing another hotel now shows "poor judgment" by city officials.

"Building another hotel is not going to help at all and will just add to the challenge the hotels have right now," he said.

The board's decision on the hotel issue will go to city council Monday for approval.

[QuantumLeap]

Anymore news on the project rumoured last week?

[QuantumLeap]

PS (sorry about taking the 750th post as so boring...) but who is going to do the big announcing? Unless the "big project" is the white elephant 180 Mill which is Auburn. Maybe Drewlo at Locust Mount? Or Farhi at Richmond? Or Sifton.....? All the other developers are busy. Who wants two projects in the same area at once?
PS I like the nifty little number at Talbot and Kent. More potential for sexiness than anything else going up. Build 'em tall and skinny!

[ldoto]

Mon, September 17, 2007

By JOE MATYAS, SUN MEDIA



A dirty wall running the length of one of the ugliest blocks in downtown London is about to be transformed. :cool:

People brandishing rollers soaked in exterior latex paint turned the exhaust-stained ochre brick wall on the south side of Galleria London's north building white on Saturday.

As they toiled, a small group of artists and art lovers lingered nearby, talking about a greater metamorphosis to come.

"This wall has been crying out for a very long time . . . to be enriched," said Coun. Judy Bryant, an artist and MainStreet London board member who was on site in the late afternoon supporting a bold stroke of public art.

Starting today and continuing for the next two weeks, six Argentine muralists and three from Vancouver will put their talents to work on the street, bringing beauty and visual interest to the bland brick tunnel on King Street between Clarence and Wellington streets.

The massive mural, measuring about 100 metres long and more than four metres high, was conceived by local members of La Raza six weeks ago.

The art collective, which traces its history back to Montreal in the 1980s, has always been interested in the public and social dimensions of art in the urban landscape.

Two of its members, Sylvia Curtis-Norcross of London and Gerald Pedros of St. Thomas, spent time in Argentina last year, working on murals with Canadian and local artists in three cities, including one involving an entire city block.

Pedros recalls having fun painting an image of a lizard wrapped in a Canadian flag.

Curtis-Norcross said the Canadian artists considered their trip south as the first half of an exchange.

"We told our friends there that we wanted to bring them to Canada."

When La Raza proposed the idea during the summer, MainStreet London and Galleria London jumped on board with funding to cover the cost of bringing the artists to London.

At the start, some doubts were expressed, said Pedros.

"Some people wondered if the idea was a bit flamboyant for London. I said, 'Let's not sell this city short.' "

Art is a mainly a solitary pursuit in Canada, said Curtis-Norcross, adding "there's a big public art movement in Argentina."

Bryant said the project is an example of what the city could be supporting with a public arts policy soon to receive consideration.

Maria Sansotta, an Argentinian journalist, said the artists plan to paint a mural with a message of liberty, equality and fraternity "between the north and south."

THE MURALISTS

Argentines: Juan Bauk, general secretary of the Regional Muralists Movement of Argentina; Gerardo Cianciolo; Marcelo Carpita; Silvia Albuixech; Daniel Zimmermann and Ornella Yori.

Vancouverites: Richard Tetrault, project leader, Alberto Cerritos and Esther Rosenberg

[MolsonExport]

Wish they could just paint over all of east dundas...bums and meth-heads, and everything.

[ldoto]

Hilton may pull out of London:rolleyes:

Tue, September 18, 2007

A competing hotel beside the convention centre 'will only make things worse.'

By HANK DANISZEWSKI AND JONATHAN SHER, SUN MEDIA



The Hilton London could pull out of the city if a competing hotel sets up beside the convention centre, the Hilton's manager warns.

A second hotel seemed a possibility yesterday as city hall staff told council two private entities have expressed an interest in building on what is now a parking lot.

"It's gratifying there's that level of interest," said Grant Hopcroft, the city's community liaison director.

Council then directed staff to seek proposals for a hotel, but earlier in the day, the Hilton's Joe Drummond said his hotel, the only one connected to the convention centre, already is struggling to fill rooms and often has to discount the typical minimum rate of $160 a night.

"Another hotel will only makes things worse. It will be fighting for the same share of the pie," he said.

The London hotel market has been saturated in recent years, Drummond said.

The number of hotel rooms in the city has nearly doubled in 10 years while occupancy rates have dropped to about 63 per cent.

Drummond said if his hotel doesn't meet Hilton's corporate standards, the well-known luxury chain may pull out of the London market.

The building has been owned for 10 years by Royal Host Hotels, which bought the rights to the Hilton franchise. If Hilton pulls out, Royal Host would have to sell the building, convert it to another use or find another hotel franchise.

Members of the convention centre board have said a new luxury downtown hotel would make London a candidate for larger conventions that would benefit all hotels.

But Drummond said he's skeptical.

"How many conventions have they turned away because of a lack of hotel rooms? If that were the case, we should be busting at the seams," he said.

Although the Hilton works closely with the convention centre, Drummond said, he wasn't told about plans to pursue another hotel.

He said the current convention centre board has no representation from the hotel industry.

In April, the centre released a report saying 2006 was its best year ever, with an increase in revenue and the number of events.

But Drummond said the progress claimed by the convention centre isn't reflected in the Hilton's numbers even though the hotel would be the obvious accommodation choice for conventioneers.

He said the convention centre may simply be boosting numbers by attracting one-day meetings that easily can be handled by smaller venues.

Rather than pursuing another hotel next to the convention centre, Drummond said, London should consider building a performing arts centre on the site.

"That would give the convention centre a new level of competitiveness," he said

[MolsonExport]

sounds like an ultimatum.

[QuantumLeap]

Agreed. The only reason the convention centre board should take this seriously is if the new hotel is going to receive any sort of subsidies (which I hope it does not).

[ldoto]

Update!!!

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a138/ldoto/News%20Paper%20Photos/LDN20070918_KW_Tues520E.jpg:cool:

As the first roughed in blocks of colour of the large Galleria London mural appear, the street and the once dull wall are quickly showing a new vibrancy.

Over the next two weeks, six Argentine muralists and three from Vancouver are putting their talents to work on the street, bringing beauty and visual interest to the bland brick tunnel on King Street between Clarence and Wellington streets.

The massive mural will measure about 100 metres long and more than four metres high.

[FazDeH]

I hope we dont see this thing getting "tagged" like crazy. It looks really nice

[QuantumLeap]

1503 Hyde Park Road - The purpose and effect of this revised zoning change is to permit two 14 storey apartment buildings (320 dwelling units) whereas a 12 storey and a 14 storey residential apartments (292 dwelling units) were initially proposed on the rear (3.7 ha) portion of the property and to maintain the commercial zoning on the front 0.9 ha of the property along Hyde Park Road. The request is to change Zoning By-law Z.-1 from a Holding Business District Commercial (h-17*BDC1/BDC2) Zone and a Holding Urban Reserve (h-2*UR3) Zone and an Urban Reserve (UR3) Zone and a remnant Open Space (OS5) Zone which permits commercial uses on the front portion of the property and existing residential and agricultural uses on the rear portion of the property to a Business District Commercial (BDC1/BDC2) Zone which permits commercial uses on the front portion and a Residential R9 (R9-7*H45) Zone which permits apartment buildings on the rear portion with a maximum height 45m and maximum density of 150 units per hectare. File: Z-7399
Planner: Craig Smith.

[ldoto]

:previous:
It would have been better downtown!!!:D

[ldoto]

Group takes new look at core's weak spots

Sat, September 22, 2007

The task force wants a new vision for the downtown in 2017.

By RANDY RICHMOND, SUN MEDIA

We asked: What does downtown need to thrive again?




A wave washed over downtown London 10 years ago, leaving behind a new arena, library and market.

But the wave ended up only a ripple on Dundas Street.

"We've invested a significant amount of money in downtown and yet Dundas Street hasn't changed much," Controller Gord Hume says.

"A lot of people in London judge downtown by that strip of Dundas."

Hume is the chairperson of a newly created downtown task force charged with developing a vision for what the core, Dundas in particular, should look like in 2017.


The task force has two goals, Hume says.

"It is a snapshot of today. And the more important goal is the vision for tomorrow."

There are no limits on that vision.

"I think we have to be bold enough to think big. Tinkering is not the answer," Hume says.

The 11-member task force is holding a public meeting from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday at the London Convention Centre to hear what the public thinks downtown should look like by 2017.

The public has to have its say, from what isn't working to what could, Hume said.

"It's an open meeting. People can say what they want."

Created by the boards of the London Downtown Business Association (LDBA) and MainStreet London, the task force has met almost weekly since its first meeting in August, Hume says.

It should have its recommendations to the two boards by spring, he adds.

The task force will not create a detailed action plan. That will be up to the LDBA and MainStreet.

It's been almost 10 years since the kickoff of the downtown millennium plan that brought London the John Labatt Centre, the new Central Library and the new Covent Garden Market.

"There has been tremendous improvement in the downtown," says Bob Usher, chairperson of the LDBA.

"Every now and then you have to step back and say, 'Where are we going? Are we going in the right direction. Who is doing the blue sky thinking?' "

IF YOU GO

What: Downtown task force public meeting

When: Wednesday, 7 to 9 p.m.

Where: London Convention Centre

Purpose: For Londoners to make suggestions on rejuvenating downtown

[FazDeH]

I think maybe converting Dundas from Wellington to Richmond into a perminent pedestrian walkway might be a good start, use the space to create patios and an outside shopping gallery. retool the buildings themselves and create mixed use buildings with shops and restaurants bellow and apartments above. If the project picked up steam maybe covering the walking way with some kind of glass cladding, keeping it airy but also protected perspective shoppers from the nasty weather in the winter time. Its just a thought Ive been tinkering with, what does everyone else think? seriously what could we do with Dundas?

[Snashcan]

I think maybe converting Dundas from Wellington to Richmond into a perminent pedestrian walkway might be a good start, use the space to create patios and an outside shopping gallery. retool the buildings themselves and create mixed use buildings with shops and restaurants bellow and apartments above. If the project picked up steam maybe covering the walking way with some kind of glass cladding, keeping it airy but also protected perspective shoppers from the nasty weather in the winter time. Its just a thought Ive been tinkering with, what does everyone else think? seriously what could we do with Dundas?


pedestrianizing the street would be the best way to go, it would transform the street, probabally turn it into the next significant bar/patio place in the city. It would be very lively no doubt, and a people only area like that is desperately needed in London. But the traffic engineers and conservative council would never go for something like that.

[Snark]

..

[flar]

Dundas St. isn't a weak spot, it seems to me to be the healthiest street downtown. Richmond south of King should demand more immediate attention.

[Snashcan]

:previous:

A great idea in principal, but totally impractical in practical terms. Not going to get into it more than that for now, other than to say that it has been considered for both downtowns of London and Kitchener over 25 years ago, and disregarded as soon as the actual requirements to make it really happen were fleshed out. It is much, much harder and expensive than it initially looks.

Downtown London's remaining few development problems consist of 2 or 3 blocks out of dozens. A 100 M geodesic dome over those locations is not necessary or practical to solve the problem.

That's the problem with Canadian planning, always about being practical, the engineers plan everything. Canadian downtown road are built a bit wide for this concept, but it can still work in small sections. I've actually seen the proposals for Kitchener when I went there with the other city of london planning staff. The proposals were good, but the pedestrianized version was overboard. It's actually not as difficult as one may think, but you have to think less about practicality and more about human well being.

[QuantumLeap]

Pedestrianization of Dundas is NOT the way to go. I will expand on this more in the future when time permits, but I certainly am not in favour of pedestrianization. I've seen it fail several times, especially in mid-sized cities. It is a tool for already successful downtowns, not for revitalizing ones. Robson St, Queen St, rue Ste-Catherine: these are all good counter-examples, that is successful streets with huge amounts of traffic. Sparks Street mall in Ottawa: good example of why and how they fail.

[Snashcan]

Pedestrianization of Dundas is NOT the way to go. I will expand on this more in the future when time permits, but I certainly am not in favour of pedestrianization. I've seen it fail several times, especially in mid-sized cities. It is a tool for already successful downtowns, not for revitalizing ones. Robson St, Queen St, rue Ste-Catherine: these are all good counter-examples, that is successful streets with huge amounts of traffic. Sparks Street mall in Ottawa: good example of why and how they fail.

Well london has a student population who could definately support a more chic bistro type atmosphere, which London does seriously lack. Even if it wasn't full pedestrianized streets, but we need to give the downtown back to the people and away from the car. Even if that section of dundas had reduced street parking and much larger boulevards. I agree a fully pedestrianized street might be a bit to much for dundas, but The city seriously lack a promenade in downtown. Either Richmond street or Dundas would be prime canidates for this. It would not only send the buisness on those streets through the roof, it would transfor the whole area.

[SlickFranky]

I'm looking forward to hearing the myriad reasons why pedestrianization of Dundas is such a terrible idea.
I myself am not so sure that it would work, but why couldn't we try it out? Who drives down that stretch anyway? King & Queens both have sync'd lights, and you can turn right or left at every intersection. There aren't any parking lots with Dundas-only access, or businesses that rely on drive-thrus. The only logistical problem I see is a one-block reroute of the bus lines that run down that strip.
What am I missing here guys???
Again, I'm not saying it would be successful...I just don't see how it's "impractical".

[GreatTallNorth2]

I think that making Dundas a pedestrianized street is an aweful idea UNLESS you take it a step further and have a street market there or something that will draw people there. Just closing it down without further action is useless. A better idea of a pedestrian area is to shut down Talbot Street between King and Market Lane so you join the Market with the JLC. It makes sense and they do it often now already. The politicians should study something like Camden Locke in the other London where hoards of people come to buy and sell at that street market. Free enterprise works great. Let people come and set up a table and sell what they want in an open market. Charge them next to nothing for rent and you will see things happen.

How about tearing down Labatt Park and using the land to build a real stadium? Labatt Park, although a beautiful setting, is a waste of space. No one hardly uses it.

London politicians have a hard time thinking outside the box. They say we want to be a "creative city", but we are so far from it.

[Snashcan]

I think that making Dundas a pedestrianized street is an aweful idea UNLESS you take it a step further and have a street market there or something that will draw people there. Just closing it down without further action is useless. A better idea of a pedestrian area is to shut down Talbot Street between King and Market Lane so you join the Market with the JLC. It makes sense and they do it often now already. The politicians should study something like Camden Locke in the other London where hoards of people come to buy and sell at that street market. Free enterprise works great. Let people come and set up a table and sell what they want in an open market. Charge them next to nothing for rent and you will see things happen.

How about tearing down Labatt Park and using the land to build a real stadium? Labatt Park, although a beautiful setting, is a waste of space. No one hardly uses it.

London politicians have a hard time thinking outside the box. They say we want to be a "creative city", but we are so far from it.

What would another stadium do? who watches baseball in Canada???

But to me Dundas is the place to pedestrianize, it's in dire need of a face lift, and is the core for the whole city. But I really think limiting it to a 2 lane road and expanding the blvds is key. To let you in on a little secret at City Hall, this is most likely the route they're going to take. It's actually in the work for the section between ridout and talbot.

[GreatTallNorth2]

I wasn't talking about a new baseball stadium. I was talking about building a new football/soccer stadium where Labatt Park is. It would draw more than sports events. I just think Labatt Park is a waste of space because it is barely used.

[QuantumLeap]

I will be at tomorrow's meeting to present my ideas. I am happy to put up my presentation when it is finalized later today.
One simple reason that pedestrianization does not work is that you need to have a core group of people who are already pedestrians in the core- people who live or work right in the core, or who take transit and have lots of disposable income (eg subway tusers in big cities). We have neither of these. The stores on a pedestrian street cannot be reliant on drive-by traffic, nor can they be the sorts of places where people even occassionally need to unload and load big merchandise into their private cars. Transit users would infact be displaced from Dundas by closing it, meaning that not even the discount stores could stay open.
Next, what you need is something to attract people to the pedestrianized street- festivals, markets, events, nice buildings, landscaping but above all: nice stores ALREADY on the street. This is why I said pedestrianization is not a solution for Dundas Street. I am not even sure that I would like to see reduced parking on the street. I think that parking is vital for the street's success in the short-term.
What I WOULD like to see: is the development and improvement of other shopping streets in the downtown. Dundas has been "pedestrianized" as much as it can be without being fully closed to traffic. The same thing needs to happen on other main streets: York, Richmond, Ridout, Dufferin. Sidewalks need to be widened, lanes narrowed or eliminated (think turn lanes) to reduce traffic speed. Trees need to be planted (AND watered). This makes the street more amenable without closing it.
Also, I would like to see a pedestrian-only embankment along the downtown part of the Thames, with restaurants etc. It is a very different thing to go in planning on PO than trying to retrofit and forcing retailers to change their MO afterward.
What needs to be done downtown is nothing drastic or gimmicky. Simply, Council needs to continue to stimulate downtown residential and control retail expansion in the burbs. Retail, offices, and residential are ultimately what defines the downtown- and so council and LDBA need to make focussed attempts to attract those, instead of the sorts of gimmicks other cities have tried unsuccessfully and failed at, especially those based on "spinoff benefits" (eg Reaganomics)

[MolsonExport]

It is a tough thing to do. Pedestrianization was forced on Granville Street (Northern downtown portion) in Vancouver, and the result was a further downward spiral (nobody wants to walk there, unless you are in the market for porn, or perhaps a line of reefer).

[flar]

Labatt Park is untouchable because of its historic significance. It's a beauty too, even if only the Majors use it.
Dundas will never be pedestrianized because it's basically the downtown transit hub and one of London's major through streets.

[ldoto]

New arts centre proposed:D

Tue, September 25, 2007

By JONATHAN SHER, SUN MEDIA



Londoners who want a performing arts centre will see their aspirations take centre stage tomorrow when politicians debate a massive undertaking whose price tag seems likely to top $60 million. :cheers:

Though arts supporters have long pushed for a first-rate performance hall, this time they'll read from a somewhat different script, pointing to a city report that says 40-year-old Centennial Hall should be closed within a decade.

The acoustics in the hall are so bad music students at the University of Western Ontario go on field trips to other cities to hear themselves perform, wrote Novita, a Toronto-based theatre consulting firm.

Public spaces at the hall are "dated, dreary-looking and worn out," says the report, which will be presented to board of control tomorrow.

"Centennial Hall is such a poor facility and is so reluctantly used that it has only a ghostly presence in its market," Novita wrote.

But the price tag of a new facility, as outlined in the report, had many council members turning pale.

In the roughest of estimates -- Novita called its number speculative -- a performing arts centre seating 1,200 to 1,500 people and a second building to provide needed space for sets and rehearsals would cost $55 million.

That price doesn't include land that the city would have to purchase if it follows its consultant's advice to sell the Centennial Hall site and purchase a larger one closer to downtown restaurants.

And those costs pale next to an estimate done in 2004 by EllisDon Construction that presented two options at $97 million and $74 million.

Beyond the construction costs, the city would have to subsidize the operations of a new facility -- staff suggest it would cost as much as $2 million a year.

"I think it's going to be a tough sell to the general public," Controller Bud Polhill said last night, his observation repeated by others.

"There's a specific group of people who would frequent the place asking a whole lot of Londoners to carry the costs."

His comments provoked Controller Gord Hume, who has long advocated a performance centre.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Arts and culture cross every boundary and strata of our society. It's not elitist and we have to get rid of that notion," Hume said.

"This is another exciting step for London if we have the courage to take it."

In recommendations to board of control, the city finance boss Vic Cote doesn't openly support or oppose a new centre but does push to close Centennial Hall even faster than the consultant recommends -- by June 2016 rather than the end of 2017.

Cote also recommends the city should invest in new equipment in Centennial Hall but give priority to items that could "be moved to other buildings."

Though the city would seek funding partners in Ottawa and Queen's Park and donors locally, Cote suggests, that if the project goes forward, city taxpayers pick up the largest share of the cost -- between $35 million and $40 million plus land costs.

That seems too rich for councillors, even Hume, who says he'd want the city share to be about 25 per cent.

Though Hume is confident private donors will help, he believes the biggest challenge will be to get big bucks from the Ontario and federal governments.

Rumours were rampant last night at city hall of someone in the private sector prepared to make a "major" contribution, though how much or from whom was uncertain.

City hall faces an ongoing cash crunch brought on by debt used to finance major projects, such as the JLC, in the late 1990s and early 2000s .

THE PLAYBILL

THE CHARACTERS

- Centennial Hall is 40-years-old and was dated from the start, a consultant says, with barely a place for a show's orchestra, little space back stage, a lack of rehearsal areas, dreary and cramped public spaces and acoustics so bad that many dread performing there.

- A brand new performing arts centre that would be to music, dance and theatre what the John Labatt Centre is for hockey and big shows. With 1,200 to 1,500 seats, it would have less capacity than the relic it replaces but more than enough room to attract performers and land acts that now skip London, a consultant says. The recommendation is to build downtown near restaurants.

THE PLOT

After many years of pushing for a performing arts centre, supporters think the clicking clock on Centennial Hall -- a consultant says to close it in 10 years -- will clear the way. But their traditional foe, a high pricetag, has left many on council skeptical.

THE COST OF PRODUCTION

A consultant estimates -- roughly -- it might cost $55 million to build a new centre and a second building for rehearsals, storage and ancillary uses.

OPENING DATE

A consultant suggests by the end of 2017.

[ldoto]

Private sector must ante up to build centre

Wed, September 26, 2007

By JOE BELANGER, SUN MEDIA



A performing arts centre won't happen without the private sector and the provincial and federal governments kicking in as much as two-thirds of the estimated $60-million cost, observers say. :haha:

"I think it will be hard to do unless we know there's a true commitment with serious dollars coming from the private sector," London Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best said.

"I'd say $5 million is not enough from the private sector, but $20 million to $30 million would give city council a lot to think about."

Similar support would have to come from federal and provincial governments, DeCicco-Best said.

Today, board of control will receive a staff report recommending the city plan for the closing of 40-year-old Centennial Hall and start talking about a new performing arts centre to replace it.

The report suggests city taxpayers likely would have to pony up $35 million to $40 million, but politicians and others say they are confident the bill would be lower.

"A performing arts centre is doable -- with a reliable business plan, including a partnership of federal, provincial and municipal dollars with a significant contribution from the private sector," Controller Gord Hume said. "I think we can get $20 million, at least, from the private sector."

A performing arts centre is a key recommendation of the creative city task force chaired by Hume.

"We know there is enormous young talent in London and a lot of it is leaving London," Hume said. "This (a centre) is what makes up the fabric for a thriving, creative city that will keep them here."

Vic Cote, the city's finance boss who played a key role in the John Labatt Centre, said the city should be able to afford a performing arts centre within the proposed 10-year time frame.

He said the city's debt load -- about $293 million in issued or approved debt -- is well under control. As well, if the province takes back the cost of social programs as promised, there will be millions of tax dollars available to support new initiatives.

"Although it sounds like a large amount, really the $35 million is the equivalent of what we're spending now on the police headquarters expansion or the community centre in North London," Cote said.

But Cote said he's not convinced the private sector will kick in $20 million.

George Kerhoulas, chairperson of the London Performing Arts Centre board, said dozens of Londoners could afford to make significant donations. How much, though, he wouldn't speculate.

Kerhoulas said he hopes Londoners won't be discouraged by the cost and pointed to the success of the John Labatt Centre.

"Who would have thought the JLC would be one of the busiest facilities of its kind in North America?. I think we're getting pretty good at these projects. Why are we so afraid of this facility?"

Most observers say it's too early to say where the performing arts centre should be built, other than somewhere in the 26 square blocks of the core.

"I'd like to see it smack in the middle of the downtown," said Janette MacDonald, manager of MainStreet London.

If a performing arts centre is built, DeCicco-Best, Hume, Kerhoulas and others say it would put the finishing touch on downtown's revitalization, perhaps even utilizing several heritage buildings for offices, rehearsal space, storage and other uses.

They say, corners shouldn't be cut just to get it built.

"With the JLC, we learned we were right to do it right," Hume said of the debate about whether to build a small arena or a 9,800-seat concert venue.

"There's no halfway, no cutting corners that affects the kind of programming we can have there," said DeCicco-Best

[MolsonExport]

err, why?


Ohhh, I get it. Downtown will be rescued by taxpayers, while developers will get tax breaks to build in the suburbs. Same shit, different pile.

[ldoto]

Performing arts centre farce rewinds on city council stage tops the agenda at city council

Thu, September 27, 2007

By IAN GILLESPIE, FREE PRESS COLUMNIST



Here we go again.

Almost 20 years after city council narrowly killed a six-year campaign to build a performing arts centre, local tongues are wagging again about the same topic.

And once again, we're hearing the same self-serving rhetoric.

Controller Bud Polhill suggested, "There's a specific group of people who would frequent the place asking a whole lot of Londoners to carry the costs."

London Chamber of Commerce general manager Gerry Macartney said, "Spending tax dollars on things that benefit only a few . . . would create significant controversy."

Coun. Paul Van Meerbergen declared fixing roads is a higher priority than building a performing arts centre "not everybody will go to."

It is, of course, the old elitist argument. That a performing arts centre is a luxury that only serves limp-wristed rich folks, because arts and culture is nothing but a hoity-toity waste of time. (When Winston Churchill's finance minister suggested they cut their arts budget for defence funds, Churchill reportedly said, "God, no. Then what are we fighting for?")

For Peter Soumalias, it's all a bad case of deja vu.

Soumalias was president of the Performing Arts Centre Today (PACT) group that lobbied for a centre during the 1980s. When asked yesterday how he felt about this latest development, he sounded discouraged.

"The most frustrating exercise we went through was dealing with uninformed opinions," said Soumalias, president and chief executive of Symas Holdings Corp. in Toronto and co-founder of Canada's Walk of Fame.

"People made up their minds and didn't let any information get in the way . . . And that's a huge hurdle to overcome."

Soumalias and PACT did their homework in the '80s, and their conclusion -- that the benefits of a performing arts centre are enormous -- still apply.

They argued a performing arts centre would help revitalize the downtown and bring added economic spinoffs.

They described the diversified programming offered at similar centres.

They demonstrated that after some early investment by the community, such centres routinely pay for themselves.

They pointed out the less tangible facets of such a facility -- things like civic reputation, morale and quality of life.

But those things weren't what stopped PACT.

"The obstacles were really political," recalled Soumalias. "It's very easy for someone who has a political interest to stand up say, 'Do you want an elitist facility or do you want baseball diamonds for all our children?' And it's just not a well-informed argument."

He's right.

We can -- and we should -- argue about where to build a performing arts centre, how much to spend, what it will look like and who should be in charge. But you'd think we'd be past the point of having to defend the existence of such a facility.

With their shoot-from-the-hip comments, Polhill, Macartney and Van Meerbergen seem to be suggesting taxpayers should only have to pay for services they use.

If that's true, then it follows that since I never drive down Cathcart Street, I don't want my tax dollars being spent on road work there. And since I've never needed police assistance, I don't want my tax dollars going into the new headquarters on Dundas Street. And since I don't smoke and never burn candles in my house, I don't want a single cent of my taxes spent on the local fire department.

Those arguments don't make sense -- at least not in a society in which decisions are made for something called the collective good.

But standing on a soap box and shouting that a performing arts centre is an elitist waste of money is nothing more than a way to score easy points with the no-tax-is-a-good-tax tribe.

This issue has been studied to death (including a $30,000 first-phase study in 1987 financed by the federal government). But some politicians would rather ignore reports and resort to simple-minded screeching.

"I'm surprised this thing still needs to be debated," said Soumalias. "Certainly, I hoped that 18 years later, my friends in London would have gotten this done and grown up a bit.

"But London tends to do a lot of navel-gazing," he said. "Sometimes to its detriment."

[ldoto]

Centre gets mixed reviews

Thu, September 27, 2007

Some board of control members wonder if a performing arts facility would be too costly.

By JONATHAN SHER, SUN MEDIA



A proposal to build a performing arts centre in London opened yesterday to mixed reviews at city hall.

Controller Gord Hume challenged his colleagues to act, saying, "Sometimes these big decisions take some courage.

"If we miss this opportunity as a community, we're going to miss it for a long time."

But Hume seemed unable to convince three of five members of board of control, who wondered if taxpayers could afford a new facility, one questioning a consultant's estimated price tag of $55 million plus land.

Controller Gina Barber asked city finance boss Vic Cote why the estimate is lower than one made three years ago by London builder EllisDon Construction, which concluded it would cost between $74 million and $97 million.

"Why was the amount of money significantly higher then?" Barber asked.

The building contemplated by EllisDon was much bigger, Cote replied.

That isn't the only reason, a review of the consultant's report shows.

Consultant Novita estimated it would cost between $400 and $500 a square foot for a performing arts centre -- but three years ago, Ellis-Don projected it would cost $535.

For the 84,000-square-foot facility proposed by the consultant, that's a difference of about $7 million.

Also taking issue was Deputy Mayor Tom Gosnell, who accused proponents of an arts centre of propelling their agenda with an imaginary crisis at the building it would replace, Centennial Hall.

"I don't think for a minute that in eight to 10 years (Centennial Hall) will collapse and fall into a hole," Gosnell said.

At the suggestion of Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best, controllers agreed to revisit the issue in three weeks.

While Cote had repeatedly said he will neither support nor oppose the building of a facility, Gosnell said he has shown de-facto support by pushing hard to close Centennial Hall.

Cote wants to close the 40-year-old hall in less than nine years, saying in addition to ongoing maintenance, the dated facility may have to replace mechanical systems costing at least $2.5 million.

[ldoto]

Business owners, residents take look down road

Thu, September 27, 2007

By DANIELA SIMUNAC, SUN MEDIA



Downtown London's future was discussed last night by residents and business owners who met with a task force set up to imagine what the city's core should look like by 2017.

From increasing the police presence, to turning Dundas Street into a pedestrian walkway, ideas were shared with the London Downtown Business Association (LDBA) and MainStreet London about improvements that could be made during the next 10 years.

Present concerns were also raised.

"I'm tired of having to garden with leather gloves on because I'm afraid of getting pricked by a needle," said Michael Roberts, a 10-year

resident of the Dundas Street area.

"My neighbourhood has become a kind of ghetto," said Roberts who suggested too many social services are

concentrated in that area and should be spread out more.

Roberts was among about 200 people who took in the meeting last night at the London Convention Centre, sharing ideas with a new task force created to make recommendations for the core's future.

"We wanted a variety of people (to come to the meeting) who are knowledgeable and care a great deal about downtown," said Controller Gord Hume, task force chair.

The 11-member force was created by two boards, the LDBA and MainStreet London, and has been meeting almost weekly since August to discuss downtown issues.

Recommendations will be developed and Hume said a report will be presented by late next winter.

Other ideas raised last night include a municipal buyout of all vacant buildings in the downtown area, changes to the existing parking system and beautifying the cityscape with more plants and flowers.

There was also praise for certain core programs already in place, such as police foot patrols on the streets.

"We love them and we wish there were more of them," said Teresa Tarasewicz, owner of the CityLights bookstore at 356 Richmond St.

Key, big-ticket improvements made to the downtown during the last 10 years include the John Labatt Centre, the new Central Library and the new Convent Garden Market.

That's reason enough to seriously consider a replacement, DeCicco-Best said.

"I don't think we've ever had a more perfect moment because of what's happening at Centennial Hall," she said. "I can't, for one minute, support spending good money after bad when (Centennial Hall) will have no life after eight, nine or 10 years."

Absent from the debate yesterday, but seething after reading the consultant's report was Don Jones, manager of Centennial Hall.

The facility doesn't need a major injection of cash and its mechanical systems aren't at risk of failing, he said.

"If that was the case I would have put up a red flag," Jones said.

While the mayor says Centennial Hall should close within a decade, the city's consultant is less adamant about the timing.

The problems at Centennial Hall have been around for decades, said Brian Arnott of Novita: terrible acoustics, poor sightlines, inadequate space and drab appearance to name a few.

Novita recommended closing it in a decade because city staff asked what should be done in the next 10 years and that was the best option, Arnott said.

In three weeks, controllers will revisit the issue and hear from the volunteer chairperson of the organization lobbying for a new facility, George Kerhoulas of the London Performing Arts Centre.

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The centre of controversy

Sat, September 29, 2007

There's no shortage of opinions on a proposed performing arts centre, an issue that dates back to 1967.

By JONATHAN SHER, SUN MEDIA



If opinions were dollars, there would be no trouble raising the millions needed to build a performing arts centre in downtown London.

Asked by the newspaper if the city needs a performing arts centre, nearly 2,000 Free Press readers responded and not one was ambivalent.

"I think we need a new performing arts centre like we need a hole in the head," one said in a phone message, while others sent their feedback by e-mail or voted online.

"The lack of a performing arts centre strikes me as a significant indicator of a certain lack of taste evident in this city," wrote Sandra Mangsen.

Respondents who phoned or e-mailed were evenly split but equally passionate, some taking shots at politicians who are either championing a new facility or warning it may prove too costly for taxpayers.

On the paper's website, www.lfpress.com, where anyone could vote once on the question, "Does London need a new performing arts centre," a whopping 1,500 weighed in.

Sixty-four per cent said, yes, a new arts centre is needed, while 36 per cent voted no.

Of course, many Londoners also think the city needs better roads, more police and more services for the indigent -- the question is, how to pay for it.

The push for a performing arts centre isn't new -- the debate began when the existing centre, Centennial Hall, was built in 1967 for less than $2 million, a decision advocates for the arts say left London with a substandard facility.

More recently, a consultant hired by the city concluded Centennial Hall could never match the quality of first-class performance centres and should be replaced with a facility to be built downtown.

Not including the cost of land, the new facility should have 1,200 to 1,400 seats, an ancillary building and would cost $55 million, the consultant suggested.

Some on city council say that's a lowball figure and question why city staff propose, if the facility is built, that city taxpayers pay 60 per cent to 70 per cent of the cost.

READER FEEDBACK

Asked if the city needs a performing arts centre, but not about who should pay, Londoners chimed in big-time. A breakdown of the responses:

- E-mail: A few dozen

- Online: More than 1,500

- Phone: Nearly 100

ON THE YES SIDE

Why people support building a performing arts centre:

- Embarrassed other cities have one, but London does not.

- London is a "farm town" without one.

- Centennial Hall is a poor excuse for a performance hall and needs to be replaced.

- To attract and retain creative people who will help the city thrive and prosper.

- To generate economic activity downtown.

- To provide a suitable venue for local performers.

ON THE NO SIDE

Why people oppose building a performing arts centre:

- Too costly for taxpayers struggling to pay for projects such as the John Labatt Centre.

- Shouldn't spend on a "luxury" when the poor need housing and Londoners aren't getting basic services such as well-maintained roads.

- It appeals to an elite minority who should pay for it -- not taxpayers who won't be able to afford to attend.

- The JLC didn't help downtown and neither will this.

- Other venues are available and more aren't needed.

"We will draw more creative and innovative people who will further enrich the city economically and culturally . . . Do we want to become a city with something to show for itself or remain a complacent cultural backwater?

-- Oliver Whitehead

"Without it, we remain a big farm town. -- Gerald Wright

"Centennial Hall has been a poor excuse for a performing hall and it isn't getting any better. Poor acoustics, vision lines and twisted necks don't make happy audiences.

-- Cheryl Lockhart

"(Coun. Paul) Van Meerbergen and (Deputy Mayor Tom) Gosnell advise us to pour ever-more public money into sewers and roads . . . God forbid London should invest in a performing arts centre that could be the lynch-pin of a serious arts infrastructure . . . Let's be practical: Let's just hang out a sign on the exits off the 401: "No artsy-fartsies wanted here. But the roads (out of town) are great!"

-- Mary Malone

"Winkler, Man., the town in which I grew up, now a city of 10,000 people (and a) new 560-seat performing arts centre . . . I don't want to have to listen to one of the finest of the smaller orchestras in this country in a building whose acoustics rival that of a dead mattress. And I don't always want to be told by city councillors (given the John Labatt Centre) that this city cannot afford to build something absolutely essential to our emotional and spiritual life.

-- Ernest Redekop

"To be a leader in Southwestern Ontario we need to offer both hockey and music/theatre/the arts, etc. It is as childish to call this "elitist" as it is to call the JLC a "boys' game centre."

-- Catherine Charlton

"I think that I'm a pretty average person . . . (and) definitely would not consider myself an "elitist" . . . I come across many different people . . . who would enjoy (events) an arts centre would hold.

-- Greg Wise

"How can we ever support the talent that is spawned in this city without a proper venue for performance? A performing arts centre will provide a space where we can celebrate our own talent.

-- Judith Walker

"I just wish we could miss (Controller) Gord Hume for a long time. Boy, does he ever enjoy spending other people's money and basking in the fallout.

-- David Evans

"Seventeen per cent of London families are living below the poverty line. (How many have had a chance) to use the facilities at Centennial Hall, let alone get any use out of a $60M replacement? If council really wants to do something concrete for Londoners, they could look at lowering taxes. NOT.

-- Gordon Goldrich

"Most people in this city would never see the inside of such a facility (because of a) lack of interest or lack of disposable income.

-- Beulah Wallman

"Until my wife's health prevented us from attending the London Symphony concerts we purchased season tickets . . . most concerts were about 60 per cent supported . . . Unless the hall can be self supporting and you know as well as I do it won't be, I am 100 per cent against the idea. There are too many buildings and projects that the taxpayers are expected to pay for. We were told that the JLC would improve the downtown area and it has not.

-- Ron Lewis

"The taxpayers of London have been battered by high municipal taxation for a long time and some of that cost comes from the funding of facilities such as the John Labatt Centre . . . This new project should be turned down and put back on the shelf.

-- Peter and Doreen Dorman

"If London musicians feel a new centre is needed, let them obtain sponsorship . . . or come up with the money with a lottery of some sort. If they are as good as they think, the centre will pay for itself . . . This is a business proposition and must pay for itself.

-- Ray Graham

"The Performing Arts Centre is a wonderful idea. To have the city financially involved is absolutely bizarre. Are there already enough albatrosses around the city which are monuments to the council's financial irresponsibility? How can they even think about another fiscal sinkhole, when most of the basic services are substandard?

-- Jan Novotny

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Argentine artist Juan Bauk gets an enthusiastic hug from his daughter, Ornella Yori, 16, after the dedication of the King Street murals at Galleria London. Bauk’s section is a homage to indigenous people of North, South and Central America. (Mike Hensen, Sun Media)
What was once a dingy downtown corridor is now a vibrant mural after a cross-cultural exchange brought national and international artists together.

The massive mural, in the brick tunnel on King Street between Clarence and Wellington streets, was inaugurated yesterday by Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best.

Six Argentine muralists and three from Vancouver painted the work measuring about 100 metres long and more than four metres high.

The concept was conceived by members of La Raza Group, an art collective interested in the public and social dimensions of art in the urban landscape.

"Art is like food. It breaks down barriers, said Gerald Pedros of La Raza. "You don't really need to know what it's saying. I don't need to be a chef to enjoy food."


The project, proposed in June, took about two weeks to paint.

"It's amazing," said muralist Daniel Zimmermann of Buenos Aires as he stared at the final product. "It was a big project."

The mural depicts indigenous Argentine flora and fauna and also reflects the Argentines' experience in the Forest City, said Londoner Sylvia Curtis-Norcross, also of La Raza.

She and Pedros spent time in Argentina last year where they worked on murals with Canadian and local artists.

The mural has brought "culture and art" to the city and has helped revitalize the downtown, DeCicco-Best said.

"It is certainly something we are proud to display."

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UPDATE!city's largest law firm:cheers:

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London legal eagles' new nest

Mon, October 1, 2007

Since then, Lerners LLP has grown into the city's largest law firm, with more than 100 lawyers and 300 support staff in London and Toronto, covering almost every aspect of law. :banana:

And although the firm's London staff spread out into three buildings near Dufferin Avenue and Ridout Street, it wasn't nearly enough space.

Stewart has her office in a building at 543 Ridout St. she affectionately calls the "little cottage." It houses family law and some business and real estate lawyers.

The cubicles are tiny and even the narrow aisles are stacked with boxes and legal files. Stewart said the staff have put up with crowded conditions for years.


"We probably let this go way too long. Only the promise of a new building kept our staff reasonably sane," said Stewart, a managing partner with the firm.

But this week, the firm entered a new era as lawyers and staff moved into a new, 50,000-square-foot, four-storey building at 85 Dufferin Ave. An official opening will be held Thursday.

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The $12.5-million structure, designed by London's Wasylko Architects Inc., will house a little more than half of the 70 Lerners lawyers who work in London and about 100 support staff.

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The Dufferin Avenue exterior features several water fountains. Visitors enter a large reception area with slate tiles and a two-storey water curtain.

Deb Cumming, executive director of administration, said the goal was an attractive but functional building. "It's very important to have a nice environment for our staff and clients," she said.

Other features include:

- a lawyers lounge on the third floor featuring a fireplace, bar and large-screen TV.

- green technology including bamboo flooring, self-adjusting lighting and heating, ventilating and air conditioning system.

- a courtyard on the lower level that opens off the staff lunchroom.

- a boardroom with teleconferencing technology and lights, blinds and a ceiling projector that activate with the flick of a switch.

- showers and lockers for staff who exercise at noon or walk or cycle to work.

Lerners, which is marking its 78th year, first opened in 1929 on the second storey of a building at Richmond and Carling streets.

The firm was founded by Mayer Lerner. His brother Samuel Lerner joined in 1945 after serving in the Second World War.

The firm moved into a single-storey building at 80 Dufferin Ave. at Ridout in 1971, bought the "cottage" at 543 Ridout in the late 1970s, and built a two-storey building next to 80 Dufferin in 1987.

That building was supposed to last the firm for a long while.

The firm sold off 543 Ridout, only to buy it back again about 10 years ago as it tried to keep pace with its growing staff.

"We kept thinking, 'We can't grow any more in a city this size,' " said Stewart.

The company now intends to sell or lease 543 Ridout and refurbish the one- and two-storey buildings on the north side of Dufferin.

Stewart said the company considered building one office but decided owning several buildings would be safer in the event of an unexpected business downturn.

"Lawyers are paid to look at the worst-case scenario -- what would happen if certain areas of law dried up. None of that is predictable," she said.

Almost 40 years after joining Lerners, Stewart said she's been surprised by the growth of the firm and legal business generally.

"I've watched all of this with some amazement, but business is becoming bigger and more sophisticated and you need more lawyers."

Unlike some firms, Lerners has not grown by mergers and acquisitions, although it has recruited lawyers from other firms.

There is also a trend to large "full-service" law firms that can handle almost any legal problem that walks in the door, she added.

The trend towards mega law firms has a number of advantages:

D A big roster of lawyers allows junior (and less expensive) lawyers access to advice from more experienced colleagues

D Larger, more efficient support staff and access to the latest technology. Lerner's information services department allows lawyers to research case law with a few keystrokes -- work that used to mean in a library.

D Its owns marketing department, reflecting the trend for legal firms to advertise and have a more consumer-friendly face.

Stewart said Lerners' growth has let London clients get a full range of legal service without going to Toronto. It set up its Toronto office more than 20 years ago after senior partner Earl Cherniak worked on major cases.

That reversed the usual trend of big Toronto-based firms setting up satellite offices in London. Lerners' Toronto office now has about 40 lawyers.

"There really isn't anything we can't do in London and it's significantly cheaper to hire a senior lawyer in London," said Stewart.

But she says some clients still think they have to go to Toronto to get a top lawyer.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a138/ldoto/News%20Paper%20Photos/LDN20070926_KW_Wed030E.jpg:banana: :banana:

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Wanted: Ambassadors to help sell London



The Ambassador London logo is part of a new marketing campaign to get Londoners involved in promoting the city as “a place of global importance and influence where all can flourish.”
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Remember those old bumper stickers: Honk if you love London.

You’re about to be inundated with the 2007 version, rather more sophisticated and cool but with a similar message – London is a great place to live and getting better.

A program being formally unveiled later this week is called Ambassador London and with more than a year in development its goal is to make each of us champions of our community to the world.

Created through private donations and spearheaded by Perry Ferguson, president of Voyageur Transportation Services, the grass-roots community-led campaign seeks to shape the image of London as a place of global importance and influence where all can flourish.

It may seem a lofty goal, but over the past 20 years our community has changed while our attitudes and understandings of what is our community haven’t necessarily kept pace, Mr. Ferguson says.

Lesley Cornelius, director, business development, life sciencesand acting director, marketing and communications for the London Economic Development Corp. explains.

“London has always been very hard on itself. It started in the early 1990s when we were losing head offices and companies were moving away. That has persisted. It has changed lately with a lot of new growth so people are realizing London’s economy and community is growing but we’re still hard on ourselves.

“You think about all the things you love about London because we all want to be here. A program like this can help change that and encourages all the great things we love. Its people rallying around what we love about our city and what our city can be and making it happen.”

Ms. Cornelius says, like many other Londoners, already believe the city has what it takes through our support of local, national and international events as well as our growing cultural identity.

“Everyone seems eager to help make our community something special,” she notes. “It’s like when we did rallies for the Canada Summer Games. We had thousands coming out so we have that enthusiasm here and now it’s asking people to sign up and being involved to identify opportunities around tourism, business and recreation.

“Culture to me is a feeling. It’s part arts, recreation and a quality of life and place. You may not be able to say that’s culture but you can identify what comes out of it. It’s creating that brand. Branding is what people will say about you outside of your boundaries. It’s very personal and different for everybody. Everyone will have a different sense of pride based on their experiences but if you can get everyone talking about all those things it paints a great image.”

While Mr. Ferguson is chairperson of the Ambassador program, Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best is its official champion.

“I have for a number of years in my State of the City address talked about how Londoners need to be ambassadors but it never took hold,” the mayor says. “I sit on the Convention Centre board. It was a meeting in my office last summer with Perry Ferguson, Michael Crowley, and David Estok when we were discussing this and I approached Perry to take the lead. I’m so glad it got off the ground. For years I felt I was hitting my head on the ground because the next steps weren’t there. I used it at the end of speech. I went off script and encouraged the 900 people there to join.”

For Mr. Ferguson, who’s taken time from work to make this project come to life, it’s all about the community we call home.

“The seed started with the London Convention Centre board meeting but it rally got going when we invited community groups and businesses in to discuss the Ambassador program,” he says. “That’s where Tourism London, the Chamber of Commerce and the London Arts Council came onboard. The goal was to have a kick off and sign up 3,000 Londoners as Ambassadors to assist in the promotion of our city.

“The big thing is to build community pride and a lot of that is there. It just needs to be taken to the next level. The other thing is to maintain what we have. We’re trying to reshape our image of London. Nov. 6 is the public kick off. It will be a celebration of our community and we’ll show everyone the tools we’ve created.”

The program was originally scheduled for a September launch date but in July, as Mr. Ferguson began promoting the project to service groups, questions arose that suggested to the committee that they need to review their objectives to ensure everyone was on the same page and it appears to have been a good decision.

The confusion created around London’s All Mixed Up campaign, launched in March 2002 to promote London as a diverse and tolerant community, is a good reason to proceed with caution and ensure that our collective love of London is what gets emphasised.

“I think it was having clear objectives and that everyone was concerned with the branding of our community. Even though we had that information it wasn’t as clear as I wanted it to be and our committee recognized that. We’re comfortable slowing it down a bit. It was the right thing to do,” Mr. Ferguson says.

Andrea Halwa, executive director at the London Arts Council, also feels that it’s important for all Londoners to get the message right.

“Like the Creative City initiative it has to be taken up and embraced by our community. We’re all committed to having the Ambassador message front and centre on our websites. It’s our 60-second elevator pitch to the world. There are certain things that will be more important to others but realistically we need something that can be a common message and that’s what we’re doing,” Mrs. Halwa says. “We’re talking about launching an Ambassador program where all Londoners are ambassadors. What kind of champion do you want to be? It can be as simple as being a good neighbour. There’s two messages, an internal message to Londoners and the message we sell to the world. We need to identify who we are. We’re not the city of head offices of 20 years ago and for a while now we haven’t had a clear message or answer for who we are. The committee has taken the time to make sure this is done well and the message is believable rather than trying to make it fit into some unrealistic delivery date.”

The tools are currently in the final stages of development and should be available for the public launch on Nov. 6 at the London Convention Centre. In the interim, Londoners can visit the website and sign up to be ambassadors for our community so put your thinking caps on and put the focus on what it is you love about London.

As for what’s next, John Winston, general manager of Tourism London, says the next step is to make the program sustainable.

“We’re developing a website as a portal to our community so people will have tools to promote their take on London,” he says. “At the end of the day we’re trying to balance the message. It’s a great place to live and a great place to invest. The information has to have substance. Everybody sells quality of life. What’s meaningful and what’s unique here? We don’t need to compare ourselves to Toronto or Vancouver. We’re London,” Once launched, sustainability will be the principle focus as London continues to grow, develop and change according to Mayor DeCicco-Best.

“I’m hoping that everywhere I go that people are talking about the Ambassador program and that they’ll be using the materials to be able to say this is how I’m going to give back. I’m hoping it will get to the point where I am one of the ambassadors as mayor but not the only one. No matter what you do you can be the person who promotes the city.”

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Centre pricey, city warned

Tue, October 2, 2007

The general manager of Edmonton's Winspear Centre calls $55 million 'pretty conservative.'

By JONATHAN SHER, SUN MEDIA



Londoners told it would cost $55 million to build a performing arts centre should expect to pay more, say those who run centres in Edmonton, Mississauga and Brampton.

"That's pretty conservative," said Peter Gerrie, the general manager of Edmonton's Winspear Centre.

"It costs more than you think it's going to cost," said Steve Solski, who manages the Brampton's Rose Theatre, whose price tag rose from an initial estimate of $24 million to $52 million.

The Winspear Centre, Rose Theatre and Mississauga's Living Arts Centre were the three facilities a city-hired consultant deemed most similar to what is being proposed in London -- a main building with a 1,200- to 1,500-seat theatre and a second building for storage, sets and other uses.

The consultant, Novita, has recommended the city wind down operations at the aging Centennial Hall and replace it with something state-of-the-art.

The city's finance chief, Vic Cote, has recommended closing Centennial Hall by 2016, setting the stage for a debate at council about that facility and a potential replacement.

That debate is expected to continue in two weeks before the city's board of control.

Those who operate the performing arts centres in Edmonton, Brampton and Mississauga say their facilities have enriched culture and brought excitement.

But they caution that Londoners should consider options with eyes wide-open.

The Winspear Centre's main hall has 1,900 seats but lacks big-ticket items planned here, such as a fly tower used to quickly move props and backdrops on and off the stage.

An insurer recently appraised the replacement value of the 10-year-old Winspear Centre at $125 million, Gerrie said.

Also built 10 years ago, the Living Arts Centre cost $70 million plus $13 million in ancillary costs -- not including land. It has a 1,300-seat theatre similar to what's proposed in London, but in a building that's twice as large as buildings proposed here.

Told of the $55-million price here, the centre's chief executive officer, Gerry Townsend, said that would be a bargain.

"If one could do it for $50 to $60 million, that seems pretty reasonable," he said.

Townsend said it's easy for those planning a new performing arts centre to let enthusiasm cloud judgement.

"The financial drain (here) was much greater than anyone realized," he said.

Those who planned the Living Arts Centre hoped by the end of its first year it would break even, have no capital debt and be benefiting from an endowment fund of at least $10 million.

Instead, it had almost $23 million in debt and lost $6.9 million in its first year.

Ten years later, finances are much better: With bank loans paid off and the city of Mississauga paying to operate the building itself, revenue the past three years has exceeded costs and the arts community is thriving, Townsend said.

"So it was all worthwhile," he said.

But the Ontario market is not without its challenges.

Cash-rich casinos have driven up the price of booking performers by 30 or 40 per cent, Townsend said, and sometimes require them not to perform at any facility nearby.

With 1,300 seats, the Living Art Centre can't raise enough revenue to match what casinos pay some performers, he said.

The question of capacity was also raised by the Winspear's Gerrie, who wishes his own facility had more seats.

"To me, (what London has proposed), that's too small. You're going to lose a lot of your market," Gerrie said.

In Brampton, officials decided not to try to compete with casinos or large venues in the GTA, building a 880-seat hall that focused on quality.

While the London market may be different, a theatre with between 1,000 and 2,000 seats is a no man's land, too small to bring in costly acts and too large -- and expensive -- for local performing artists, Solski said.

LONDON CHRONOLOGY

- 1982: Citizens advocating a performing arts centre in downtown London hold first meeting.

- 1988: Performing Arts Centre Today for London (PACT) proposal to renovate and restore a vintage downtown movie theatre goes to city administration for assessment. The idea of revamping the theatre eventually wound up on the losing end of a 10-9 vote at council.

- 1998: Supporters of what came to be called the "community entertainment centre" push for a $20 million to $30-million centre, to be used primarily for performing arts. It was to have a sloped theatre floor with seating for 1,200, plus a 400-seat and a 150-seat theatre. Project loses out in 1999 to the city proceeding with the John Labatt Centre project.

- 2003: London Performing Arts Centre (LPAC) board hires Arts Resources International, a division of Artec Consultants Inc. of New York to study building a performing arts centre that would seat 1,500 to 2,000 people.

- 2005: Creative City Task recommends building a performing arts centre within 10 years and setting aside half of each year's surplus for that goal.

- September, 2007: A city consultant suggests closing Centennial Hall within a decade and replacing it with a state-of-the-art performing arts centre. City staff recommend closing the hall too, but controllers defer the debate until October.

OTHER CENTRE DEALS

London's finance chief, Vic Cote, has proposed that, if council wants a performing arts centre, the city should be prepared to pay between 60 and 70 per cent of the costs, a share some city councillors say is too high. The municipal share was much lower for performing arts centres in Edmonton and Mississauga:

- Edmonton gave land worth $6 million. The Alberta and federal governments each gave $15 million, Francis Winspear gave $6 million and private donors the rest.

- Mississauga gave $15 million and an interest-free loan of $15 million. Peel Region gave $5 million, the Ontario and federal governments $15 million each and private donors $17 million.

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Gosnell eyes UWO for arts centre

Thu, October 4, 2007

By JONATHAN SHER, SUN MEDIA



The city should try to partner with the University of Western Ontario to build a performing arts centre there, a move far cheaper than going alone, says London's deputy mayor.

"It could be done for a fraction of the cost," said Tom Gosnell, who has been skeptical taxpayers can afford a facility staff estimate would cost $55 million plus land.

A joint venture would serve two purposes, he said:

- With UWO picking up a share of the costs, less would be borne by taxpayers.

- While performing arts centres typically must be subsidized to operate, UWO could use the facility during the day, adding value to its use.

The pairing may work well, said Gosnell, a Western grad who represents the city on its board of governors.

The dean of UWO's music faculty, Robert Wood, is pushing for a new performance hall that would seat about 1,000. The options including renovating Alumni Hall, adding a new hall next to the school's music building or building a stand-alone facility.

Wood said he was focused on creating a building that meets the school's needs, but would listen to what the city might propose.

"We're definitely open to a dialogue," he said.

Wood wants a facility that firstly caters to his music students and, secondly, enriches the cultural experience for those at the university.

But whether those needs mesh with the city's is a matter of dispute.

Highly skeptical is George Kerhoulas, chairperson of the London Performing Arts Centre, a volunteer board.

He wants an all-purpose facility that caters to musicians, dancers and theatre, a venture that will require high-priced items such as a fly tower used to quickly move props and backdrops on and off the stage.

Kerhoulas said a few years ago he presented his vision and a price tag of more than $50 million to UWO's board of governors -- and they balked.

"They didn't appear interested," he said.

A performing arts centre needs to be downtown to act as an economic stimulant, not somewhere on UWO's campus, Kerhoulas said.

"(On campus) is a non-starter," he said. "If they want a performing arts centre at UWO, that's fine, but it won't be a community facility."

But it is possible, at least in Vancouver, to wed a university facility and a community one, says an operator of the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at the University of British Columbia.

With a 1,200-seat concert hall and smaller spaces for theatre and cinema, the Chan Centre serves students but attracts crowds to performances who are mostly from the wider community.

"We're a real player in the Greater Vancouver area," said Joyce Hinton, who helps manage programming and administration.

While the Chan Centre focuses on music and lacks the extras Kerhoulas wants for theatre and dance, it has become a destination spot even though it's quite a distance from downtown Vancouver, Hinton said.

Like UWO, it's in an affluent part of the city. Hinton says customers like it because parking is free and the area safe and attractive.

In coming weeks, London politicians will consider proposals to close 40-year-old Centennial Hall and whether and how to replace it.

[MolsonExport]

^bad idea to put it at UWO (even though I work for UWO). It belongs downtown, because downtown needs 'help' much more than the area around UWO.

[Snark]

Agreed! Why not let constructive ME comments speak for all instead:

heh, heh. I guess I am reluctant to do just that. It is no big deal anyway...I get my name in the papers relatively often given my career.

Speaking for myself, I feel eminently qualified to comment on such phenomena

I am quoted in the LFP today
I have appeared on A-Morning a couple of times (interviewed...I am in academia). Oh well, there is still the LFP

I have no idea what the cost would be.

<deleted>

Sorry, I was barely awake, and I just tune out of all the bad news of late, for the sake of my sanity.

Landmark? Looks like a pile of shit.

A mountain of locusts? Change the name. Likewise, would you want to live on Cheapside (major street in London).

Middlesex (what the hell is this, a hermaphrodite?)

Yeah, aren't they vile?

I am glad, then. So that I will not have to waste my time instructing such retarded deadbeats.

Take London (ON), multiply it by 10, and maybe then, you would have something that could, very possibly, be a candidate for world-class.

Not the Shriners thing again. Fer fvcksakes, when will it ever end?

It's the new building for West Park Baptist Church (currently near Wonderland & Hyde Park Rd.). Damn. Not another one.

London has long ceased being a head-office city, to being a back-office city.

Whats the news of the new Walfart that is supposed to go up at Sprawldale and unWonderland?

Man, the Galleria has gotta be one of the biggest urban disasters in Canada. I was there yesterday...unfuckingbelievable how empty the place is.

A veritable ghostown of a mall, with more than 40 vacant stores to better serve you!

overmalled....but Westmount will still be a mall? Sounds like the managers are lacking a solid strategy. If I were a tenant in the mall, I would be worried.

The "rebirth" of the Galleria is rather like a woman experiencing 72 months of gestation followed by 24 months of labour.

could this be the first signs of Masonville mall going the way of Westmount mall??

Nice, but I hear that they do not serve BEER at Labatt Park...extremely ironic and moronic.

allow Labatt park to serve beer...and I will go to see London Majors games.

Wharnecliffe is going down the toilet. At least half of it (from Oxford to Commissioners) sits at the bottom of the bowl, with the other turds. A charming slice of East London in western London.

YEAH! more commie-blocks!

I am getting pissed off at the so-called leaders of London.

Nostalgia for the status quo = today's london leadership = mediocrity

yup: london planners/council-->think small.

I have to agree that the current administration really comes up short in their 'vision' for what London ought to aspire to.

London busses are horrible. They smell, have no seats, and constantly lurch. Not to mention, the schedules, and the asinine amount of time it takes to get from point A to point B

very overdue. I can't understand why they rezone/develop areas prior to improving the infrastructure.

too bad that it will probably be years before it goes back up again for phase II

More bad news for London. The daily dose

For Gawd's sake, London has only 2 complete East-West and North-South roads:
East-West: Fanshawe Park Road and Oxford
North-South: Wonderland and Highbury.
That's it. Everything else does not go through all the way.

Council should wake up...given the lousy local economy, taxpayers are not feeling generous, and frankly, a little tired of property (et al.) tax increases that have long outstripped inflation

London has the third-busiest airport in Canada, after Toronto and Vancouver. Really? Ahead of Montreal, Calgary, Ottawa, Winnipeg, etc.? Must be freight. Would like to see the supporting statistics.

thats a tall proposal for a shitsville corner. Love to see it happen....but in this market?

Visonary. 30 years, I will be approaching 70. I can then look forward to a quick way to Fanshawe Park Road. Yay.

Any info on the proposed Walfart at Exeter and Wonderland Rd. South?

Does the Ash Borer also eat jobs? I ask because the London area has lost so many in the past 6 months.

Weird. Hope that it is better than the aborted pseudo-freeway blip that is Highbury Ave.

I think that London's city planners look towards the 905 area as an urban model, rather than say, more concise urban fabrics like those found in Europe.

Looks like a run-down 70's era Las Vegas motor inn.

Quite frankly, who gives two-shits what Jack Layton says?

And the commie-blocks keep-a-comin' in London, esp. in the Oxford-Wonderland area.
I'd rather have no construction, than more of those ugly commie-blocks. Parts of London could easily pass for Irkutsk or Dniepreprovetsk.

I am not too impressed, having bought a home in the neighborhood.

Not again.

Good, but if it happens, I will eat my shoes.
I refer to them as Dumbcentres.

Ultra 80s, Ultra Smell (Bell) Canada. Smell has a building like this in every single major city in Canada.

This actually looks pretty good. I was in the area this weekend past, and it currently is about as gritty and shitty as anywhere in the country.

Yeah, just what I expected, city council is totally in cahoots with the big box sprawl developers. Who gives a shit if inner London looks like shit,

Yeah, I live about 1 km from that shitty bridge. and cross it from time to time. It is the Marie-Anne de Cicco way: rezone, build, but do not expand the infrastructure.

More of Anne-Marie's "Best and Brightest" (aka, highest salaries and sick-days, and moreover, mediocre results

yep. exactly. anyone else, it would be front-page news. And you'd think, "wow, the mayor's husband...for sure the LFP will have something"...but it is buried like a skeleton in the closet.

And while we are at it, how on earth did Best get the exemption for that lousy deck/patio along Richmond? Fishy, fishy.

What do you all think about the Mayor's husband's little adventure last saturday? Must be pretty damned embarassing for Anne-Marie, to say the least.

Same shit they smoked when they decided to bury the drunk-driving adventure of Mr. A-M deC-Best.

No news on Mr. AMdeC-Best? Still got his drivers' license, I presume?

If he got drunk (and then drove) in his own bar...could he be at risk of losing his liquor license? Did you sit out on the cheapo patio at Friday Fright Nites?

Not because of, but despite the current administration on dufferin st.

[GreatTallNorth2]

The City has already pumped a huge amount into the downtown,

What the city of London has invested in downtown London is chump change. It is a total of about $100-125 million. Many cities in the U.S. and Europe have invested billions (yes, with a b) into their city centres. London has always been afraid to do anything big and bold. The art gallery is a classic example. Original plans called for a much better gallery and I heard the city cheaped out. The JLC is a great facility, but they only built it 9000 seats. It should have been 12-14000 seats. The transit plan for London calls for a cheap version of Bus Rapid Transit, while K/W is going to build Light Rail. How about the expressway we don't have?

I heard Anne Marie on CJBK regarding the Performing Arts Centre and she said that it won't be built for 10-15 years. Fifteen years? Wow, why are we even talking about it? By that time, Woodstock will be bigger than London and they will have a performing arts centre already.

I am sorry for the rant, but London's leaders have always lacked any kind of real vision.

[Snark]

Agreed! Why not let constructive ME comments speak for all instead:

heh, heh. I guess I am reluctant to do just that. It is no big deal anyway...I get my name in the papers relatively often given my career.

Speaking for myself, I feel eminently qualified to comment on such phenomena

I am quoted in the LFP today
I have appeared on A-Morning a couple of times (interviewed...I am in academia). Oh well, there is still the LFP

I have no idea what the cost would be.

<deleted>

Sorry, I was barely awake, and I just tune out of all the bad news of late, for the sake of my sanity.

Landmark? Looks like a pile of shit.

A mountain of locusts? Change the name. Likewise, would you want to live on Cheapside (major street in London).

Middlesex (what the hell is this, a hermaphrodite?)

Yeah, aren't they vile?

I am glad, then. So that I will not have to waste my time instructing such retarded deadbeats.

Take London (ON), multiply it by 10, and maybe then, you would have something that could, very possibly, be a candidate for world-class.

Not the Shriners thing again. Fer fvcksakes, when will it ever end?

It's the new building for West Park Baptist Church (currently near Wonderland & Hyde Park Rd.). Damn. Not another one.

London has long ceased being a head-office city, to being a back-office city.

Whats the news of the new Walfart that is supposed to go up at Sprawldale and unWonderland?

Man, the Galleria has gotta be one of the biggest urban disasters in Canada. I was there yesterday...unfuckingbelievable how empty the place is.

A veritable ghostown of a mall, with more than 40 vacant stores to better serve you!

overmalled....but Westmount will still be a mall? Sounds like the managers are lacking a solid strategy. If I were a tenant in the mall, I would be worried.

The "rebirth" of the Galleria is rather like a woman experiencing 72 months of gestation followed by 24 months of labour.

could this be the first signs of Masonville mall going the way of Westmount mall??

Nice, but I hear that they do not serve BEER at Labatt Park...extremely ironic and moronic.

allow Labatt park to serve beer...and I will go to see London Majors games.

Wharnecliffe is going down the toilet. At least half of it (from Oxford to Commissioners) sits at the bottom of the bowl, with the other turds. A charming slice of East London in western London.

YEAH! more commie-blocks!

I am getting pissed off at the so-called leaders of London.

Nostalgia for the status quo = today's london leadership = mediocrity

yup: london planners/council-->think small.

I have to agree that the current administration really comes up short in their 'vision' for what London ought to aspire to.

London busses are horrible. They smell, have no seats, and constantly lurch. Not to mention, the schedules, and the asinine amount of time it takes to get from point A to point B

very overdue. I can't understand why they rezone/develop areas prior to improving the infrastructure.

too bad that it will probably be years before it goes back up again for phase II

More bad news for London. The daily dose

For Gawd's sake, London has only 2 complete East-West and North-South roads:
East-West: Fanshawe Park Road and Oxford
North-South: Wonderland and Highbury.
That's it. Everything else does not go through all the way.

Council should wake up...given the lousy local economy, taxpayers are not feeling generous, and frankly, a little tired of property (et al.) tax increases that have long outstripped inflation

London has the third-busiest airport in Canada, after Toronto and Vancouver. Really? Ahead of Montreal, Calgary, Ottawa, Winnipeg, etc.? Must be freight. Would like to see the supporting statistics.

thats a tall proposal for a shitsville corner. Love to see it happen....but in this market?

Visonary. 30 years, I will be approaching 70. I can then look forward to a quick way to Fanshawe Park Road. Yay.

Any info on the proposed Walfart at Exeter and Wonderland Rd. South?

Does the Ash Borer also eat jobs? I ask because the London area has lost so many in the past 6 months.

Weird. Hope that it is better than the aborted pseudo-freeway blip that is Highbury Ave.

I think that London's city planners look towards the 905 area as an urban model, rather than say, more concise urban fabrics like those found in Europe.

Looks like a run-down 70's era Las Vegas motor inn.

Quite frankly, who gives two-shits what Jack Layton says?

And the commie-blocks keep-a-comin' in London, esp. in the Oxford-Wonderland area.
I'd rather have no construction, than more of those ugly commie-blocks. Parts of London could easily pass for Irkutsk or Dniepreprovetsk.

I am not too impressed, having bought a home in the neighborhood.

Not again.

Good, but if it happens, I will eat my shoes.
I refer to them as Dumbcentres.

Ultra 80s, Ultra Smell (Bell) Canada. Smell has a building like this in every single major city in Canada.

This actually looks pretty good. I was in the area this weekend past, and it currently is about as gritty and shitty as anywhere in the country.

Yeah, just what I expected, city council is totally in cahoots with the big box sprawl developers. Who gives a shit if inner London looks like shit,

Yeah, I live about 1 km from that shitty bridge. and cross it from time to time. It is the Marie-Anne de Cicco way: rezone, build, but do not expand the infrastructure.

More of Anne-Marie's "Best and Brightest" (aka, highest salaries and sick-days, and moreover, mediocre results

yep. exactly. anyone else, it would be front-page news. And you'd think, "wow, the mayor's husband...for sure the LFP will have something"...but it is buried like a skeleton in the closet.

And while we are at it, how on earth did Best get the exemption for that lousy deck/patio along Richmond? Fishy, fishy.

What do you all think about the Mayor's husband's little adventure last saturday? Must be pretty damned embarassing for Anne-Marie, to say the least.

Same shit they smoked when they decided to bury the drunk-driving adventure of Mr. A-M deC-Best.

No news on Mr. AMdeC-Best? Still got his drivers' license, I presume?

If he got drunk (and then drove) in his own bar...could he be at risk of losing his liquor license? Did you sit out on the cheapo patio at Friday Fright Nites?

Not because of, but despite the current administration on dufferin st.

[SlickFranky]

Snark....I think you are my new favorite poster :cheers:

You've exactly nailed it. It's not always about straight dollars, it's about where those dollars are coming from.


But I have to admit, the K-W light rail project is slightly annoying (10+ yrs going or not). London is absolutely littered with rail lines. My crazy fantasy has always been to move the two rail yards out of the city center so that we could get all that cargo traffic out of the core and put some of those lines to better use. I remember Fontana brought this up in his mayoral campaign. I'm sure there's funding to be had for such a project.

[DC83]

^^ Wow great rant, Snark! Very interesting info!

I don't thinK ANY city in Ontario can pay for anything on it's own anymore, really. Many of Hamilton's projects are gov't funded -- the General Hospital major revamps as a good example. Along with Hamilton Harbour cleanup, the Red Hill Valley Expressway (split 3way, Muni-Fed-Prov), they Hwy6 bypass to Hamilton Int'l, and the list goes on!

Also, the ONLY reason Hamilton is talking about Light Rail at the moment is b/c McGuinty came out with this $17.5 Billion (with a B) Transit promise comprising of $300 Million for Hamilton alone. If we were not offered $300 Million to build Rapid Transit from the Gov't, we'd NEVER build it... scratch that, Council wouldn't ever even THINK about talking about it!

We shouldn't have to beg the Fed or Prov Gov'ts for money every year... which we do. Why is every city so afraid to sell out? I vow we (Hamilton & London) take an example from Toronto and sell ad space along our highways a-la Gardiner Expressway! In Hamilton, The Linc would be an optimal location for such Garden-Ads! What about London??

[GreatTallNorth2]

You guys are totally missing my point. I am not saying London should invest billions of dollars from its own tax base. They should however have a vision and some plans on taking this city to the next level and be asking the provincial and federal government for help. Why should other cities always get the funding?

Let me give an example to explain what I am talking about. I remember when London did this transportation study a few years back. They hired a pretty reputable consulting firm to give London direction in what to do about our transportation situation. The firm suggested some bold moves on London's part to cut vehicle traffic and increase transit. In the end, London basically did nothing with this study. I called the person who did the study and asked why London never does anything and why other cities do things. In a nutshell, he said that London is notorious for "not stepping up to the plate" and going to the government for financing projects.

I don't care what anyone says. London does not have an intercity freeway system like K/W, Hamilton, Ottawa, Windsor, etc., etc. because our council is full of dithering idiots. The province wanted to build the 402 right in the city, but London hummed and hawed for too long and the province built it outside of the city. Now the same thing is happening with LRT. The province has committed funds to K/W's LRT project. They are giving money away to Toronto, Hamilton and probably Ottawa and London council probably does not even know what LRT is. Dont' tell me you guys are happy with that. Transit and transportation is key in growing a city.

London boasts of being a creative, regional centre in SW Ontario. My friends, this is not true.

Which cities have had vision and invested in their city centres? How about Chattanooga, Tennessee? It had a dump of a downtown and they have spent over 1 billion dollar on improving it. It went from being a hole to a tourism magnet. Do some research on it. They are the envy of most mid sized cities and they have a population less than London. The private sector really pitched in because the city had some vision. In the UK, cities London's size and smaller (Portsmouth, Southampton, etc.) have invested heavily in their city centres and it has breathed new life.

In regards to the Art Gallery, you simply don't know what you are talking about. London had a world class architect design the building. You will notice the shape of it. It is suppose to flow from the forks of the Thames, but the city cut it short. I am not saying it is ugly, but it is not what it could have been.

The JLC sells out all hockey games, period. It sells out most concerts. London cannot attract things like the World Junior's hockey tournament because it is not big enough. That is a fact. It is a fine facility for junior hockey, but the politicians said it would put London on the map. The only problem is that the city was short sighted in the seating capacity. Saskatoon has a 15,000 seat facility and they have a population of 200,000. Halifax has a 10,000 seat arena and they want to build a bigger one. London's market area is as big as Nova Scotia or Saskatchewan.

My comments are about London having vision and properly planning for the future. You might be happy with the status quo, but I want to see London be successful and prosperous so we can stop exporting our population to the GTA and Waterloo region.

[SlickFranky]

About the 402...I'm glad they hummed and hawed. The last thing I want in London is an expressway.

I was just checking out a Kitchener DT photo-thread (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=138764).
I've never even been through DT Kitch, and I blame that on K-W's expressway.

BTW...lots of potential for the warehouse dist in kitch...looking good.

[ldoto]

Hall key to future facility for arts

Wed, October 10, 2007

By JONATHAN SHER, SUN MEDIA



In the drama over whether to build a London performing arts centre, Centennial Hall has become a key character.

Those who want to replace it -- a new centre has been estimated as high as $55 million, plus land costs -- say it's ugly, beyond redemption and at risk of becoming a money pit.

Those who think a new centre would be too costly see the 40-year-old hall in a more flattering light, a useful facility that needs sprucing up.

And standing behind the scenes is the man -- the city facility's manager, Bill Campbell -- who probably has the best sense of what needs to be done, what could be done and how much it would all cost.

Getting an estimate from Campbell is like getting one from an auto mechanic. He can provide you with a list of must-do, should-do and can-do things, but the final tab is then up to you -- or in this case, city council.

If council decides to replace the hall in 10 years, Campbell thinks he could keep it running with a few aesthetic improvements for between $2 million and $3 million, about what the city has been paying to maintain the hall.

"We'd keep our fingers crossed that we'd keep it running till the end," Campbell said yesterday

While that cash would be used over 10 years, much of it would be spent at the start, including $400,000 to $500,000 to replace worn parts that heat and cool the building.

Campbell dismissed as unlikely a total failure of the heating and cooling systems -- a scenario the city's finance chief, Vic Cote, warns could happen in the next decade.

Such a total failure would require a replacement costing as much as $3 million, Cote warned the city's board of control last month.

But Campbell says such systems don't fail entirely and the costliest components run between $50,000 and $100,000 each. His plan calls for up to $250,000 to deal with that.

His plan would make the hall look somewhat better: The first step would be to paint the lobby and upgrade the bar.

To keep costs down, the city would try to keep problems at bay rather than prevent them entirely -- for example, by replacing or patching leaking portions of the roof but not replacing the entire roof.

If council wants to keep the hall open for the next 30 years, Campbell recommends a budget of $7.5 million to be spent in the first decade, more than half of that next year.

That would include replacing the roof, the heating and cooling systems and the ductwork, a task that requires removal of asbestos, he said.

In either case, the city would check potential safety issues, including the weight-bearing capacity of rafters, from which sets and lights have been hung for years.

Campbell cautioned his projections are rough estimates, based on walk-throughs and staff knowledge of the hall.

The same cautionary note would apply to a third scenario for Centennial Hall, one in which the city would try to reinvent what was an all-purpose hall as a centre that caters to the performing arts.

Cote suggests such a total makeover would cost $20 million to $25 million or more, and even with that investment, some of the hall's underlying problems, such as poor acoustics and minimal space backstage, couldn't be cured.

The future of the hall will be discussed today by council.

CENTENNIAL OPTIONS

City council has three broad options to deal with 40-year-old Centennial Hall. Here's what they are and how much they'd cost:

- $2 million to $3 million -- Close it in the next 10 years by fixing what's failing, patching what comes up and making small aesthetic improvements.

- $7.5 million -- Keep it open for the next 30 years, replacing all things at risk of failure and making more substantial aesthetic improvements and bringing the facility up to code.

- $20 million(?) -- Transform it into a performing arts centre, recognizing some key elements can't be accommodated in the building.

[ldoto]

Centennial Hall future will cost city millions

Thu, October 11, 2007

By JOE MATYAS, SUN MEDIA



Tear it down, keep it or replace it -- Centennial Hall is going to cost London taxpayers money in the future.

Figures between $7.5 million and $75 million were bandied about yesterday as Vic Cote, the city's general manager of finances, and three consultants briefed city councillors on their options.

Cote told councillors at an information session that tearing down some buildings has cost the city more money than it has earned from the sale of the land.

Demolishing old buildings on the South Street campus of Victoria Hospital cost about $8 million, but the land fetched only $3.5 million, he said.

Razing Centennial Hall would probably be a wash, Cote said, with proceeds from selling the land equalling the cost of demolition.

Representatives of Toronto-based Novita Theatre Consultants and from Malhotra Nicholson Sheffield's London offices estimated it will cost about $7.5 million to maintain Centennial Hall, make some modest upgrades and keep it open for 10 years.

Major upgrades to the hall on the same footprint would cost about $25 million, said Brian Arnott of Novita.

Even then, the hall would have shortcomings as a performing arts centre, he said.

"Basically, what we have there is a gym in which we're trying to do all kinds of live performances," he said. "It's a general purpose hall, not a performance centre, and unless there's significant improvements, it will fall far short of market expectations for consumers and performing artists."

The consultants estimate a new performing arts centre would cost about $55 million, but Controller Bud Polhill inflated that figure to $75 million. He said he didn't think London taxpayers want to pay for "the ultimate showcase."

"We don't need the best building in Canada," he said. "We just need something that's functional. I don't want a Rolls Royce when a Chevrolet will do."

Polhill said he's not convinced Centennial Hall can't be turned into a Chevy.

Coun. Nancy Branscombe said the future of Centennial Hall and London's need for a performing arts centre are separate issues.

"Centennial Hall is the most disgraceful performing arts centre I've ever been in," she said. "I'm not prepared to spend millions on it in a futile effort to make it something it will never be."

The consultants told councillors that Centennial Hall is a 40-year-old building that could stand another 40 years if maintained and upgraded.

Problems with boilers, the heat exchange system, pumps, motors and other mechanical equipment are bound to occur, they said. As well, the hall needs improved accessibility, upgraded lighting and sound systems and more room behind stage for mounting productions, they said.

Arnott said the building broke even last year.

"It's not costing much, but it's not delivering much to community."

Centennial Hall's future is expected to be decided by council this fall.

[GreatTallNorth2]

About the 402...I'm glad they hummed and hawed. The last thing I want in London is an expressway.

I was just checking out a Kitchener DT photo-thread (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=138764).
I've never even been through DT Kitch, and I blame that on K-W's expressway.

BTW...lots of potential for the warehouse dist in kitch...looking good.

Yeah, I agree. I would hate to have limited access, high speed roads for my travels in the city. :koko: I guess all the other cities in the world with expressways, which is basically every city, have bad downtowns.

The fact that you haven't been to Kitchener's downtown has nothing to do with its expressway. It has to do with the fact that their downtown isn't that great. Lots of cities have expressways and great downtowns.

[flar]

There's no good solution if you want an expressway in London. There's nowhere to put it other than as a ring road, which would do nothing to relieve congestion in the central part of the city and would encourage yet more sprawl. Any other route through the city would involve so much expropriation and meet so much protest it would never actually happen. Besides, it's not really needed. Wonderland and Highbury are good N-S routes and Comissioners and Oxford are good E-W routes already.

[MolsonExport]

^nasty routes. takes forever to get from one end of Ox/Comm/High/Wond to the other.

[QuantumLeap]

I agree- I am so glad that there is no expressway in the middle of London. Expressways do not encourage downtowns- in fact, they usually blight the areas they go through (as if the expressways themselves were not blight enough). We do need good transportation in the city, but we have to divide that transportation into two forms: commercial and private. Commercial transportation needs to be improved in two ways: by improving truck routes into the city (without blighting the neighbourhoods they pass through) and by improving rail transportation, which does not encourage sprawl and limits emissions. Rail is only going to grow as fuel gets more expensive and emissions regulations get tighter.
As regards private/ personal transportation, we need to DRAMATICALLY improve transit. The way to do this is not BRT, but rather light rail. I think we should be planning NOW for a light rail transit system, with a system of lines built over the next 10-50 years (it pays to plan for the future). The first line would generally follow the CP line in North-Central, with four termini: Hyde Park/ CP, Argyle Mall (eventual connection to London Airport), and two spur lines (one of which already exists), leading to Fanshawe College and another to UWO/ Masonville. The next line would use parts of the L & PS/ CN line to connect to Victoria Hospital (South and West campus) and White Oaks. Other inititatives we need are to increase employment growth in new residential areas (such as West and North) and increase residential growth in new industrial areas (East and South). Throw in a liberal amount of mixed-use infill anywhere there is space and voila! congestion has increased, but the problems with congestion are VASTLY reduced. Yes, it will still take a long time to drive from eg Riverbend to the General Dynamics, but people will need to make far fwer trips across the city, amd ,amy cross city trips will be possbiel by lgiht rail.