London Construction - Development News Thread #1

[ldoto]

UWO Update!!!

Western's affiliated colleges receive high marks in survey

Fri, February 15, 2008


Huron University College places first in three categories in a Maclean's magazine annual survey of Canada's universities.

Huron topped the list for having a supportive campus environment and led two categories involving student satisfaction, based on a survey of senior-year students.

It also garnered high marks for its academic challenge level, student-faculty interaction and enriching educational experience.

The University of Western Ontario's other two affiliate colleges -- Brescia and King's -- also received high marks.

Brescia placed second in three categories: student satisfaction, supportive campus environment and active and collaborative learning.





King's came in second for another student satisfaction category.

It's the first year Maclean's has included university affiliate colleges in its student issue, which hits newsstands Feb. 18. The issue should not be confused with the magazine's fall annual university rankings issue.

UWO itself received second-place nods in two categories involving student satisfaction, but placed middle of the pack in most other categories.

Huron principal Ramona Lumpkin said she's "delighted" with the results.

"We feel we've been invisible in the past. We do have a strong sense of what we're doing with our students, but it's always gratifying to get that external recognition."

The results came from the National Survey of Student Engagement, which looked at 41 Canadian universities. Only the University of Manitoba didn't participate.

Lumpkin attributed Huron's success partly to the smaller class sizes at the college.

"Typically over 50 per cent of our students go on to graduate or professional schools," she said.

Marty England, a UWO senior policy adviser, said the figures are "extremely useful," not for their rankings, but for internal use by departments to decide where improvement is needed.

[ldoto]

Diamond to get federal help to build jet

Sat, February 16, 2008



It appears Diamond Aircraft will finally get the federal help it wants to build a new five-seat jet at its London plant.

Federal Industry Minister Jim Prentice has called a rare Saturday news conference today at the Diamond factory.

Prentice is to announce federal investment for research and development related to the new aircraft, known as the D-Jet, his department said in a release.

Just how much Ottawa will be ponying up, isn't clear.

Diamond has said production of the D-Jet would double the size of its plant near London airport, creating 500 new aerospace jobs in the city.





The D-Jet would put London in elite economic company, said Gerry Macartney, general manager of the London Chamber of Commerce. "It puts us on the world stage. There are very few communities in North American that produce jet aircraft." He added the D-Jet would help to diversify the city's economy.

Prentice's department wouldn't comment yesterday, and Elgin-Middlesex-London MP Joe Preston -- the city's only federal government backbencher -- wasn't available.

Diamond has already tested prototypes of the jet, expected to sell for $1.4 million US.

As of last fall, Diamond had more 300 orders for the jet.

Diamond is based in Austria but does more than $100 million in sales a year from aircraft manufactured in London.

Prentice's announcement, 10 days before the minority Conservative government brings down its third budget, comes amid growing political cries for Ottawa to help Ontario manufacturers, hard-hit by the soaring Canadian dollar and the weakening U.S. economy.

The D-Jet development program, testing and bringing the plane to market, is expected to cost more than $100 million.

Diamond hasn't said how much it wants from Ottawa but Industry Canada will fund up to 30 per cent of a research and development project.

Diamond received a $10-million commitment from the Ontario government in 2006 to develop technology for the jet.

Last March, the province added another $1 million to train workers.

Since then, Diamond officials say they've been waiting for a federal commitment before making a final decision on where to build the aircraft.

Diamond President Peter Maurer wasn't available for comment yesterday, but has said while Diamond wants to build the D-Jet in London, it has been courted by Montreal's economic development office and cities in the United States.

The London plant manufactures DA-42 twin-engine, four-seater aircraft; DA-40, single-engine, four-seater aircraft and DA-20, two-seater aircraft.

London International Airport Steve Baker president declined comment but said he looks forward to today's announcement.

"We have been working on this for many years and this will be positive announcement," he said.

After more than a year of waiting, Macartney said the federal announcement will be cause for relief and celebration.

"It's been a long-time coming but patience pays," he said.

[ldoto]

This is right off there web site!!!!






February. 16/08

Diamond Aircraft receives Government of Canada Investment
Diamond announces that D-JET manufacture will occur at London Ontario facility

Diamond Aircraft received a $19.6 million strategic, repayable investment from the Government of Canada for research and development (R&D) of its D-JET, personal light jet.The company announced it will manufacture the innovative, new all-composite, five-seat aircraft at its facility in London, Ontario, where the D-JET R&D program is based.

The Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry for the Government of Canada, announced the investment during a briefing today at Diamond Aircraft’s London facility.

The Canadian government’s investment project will be funded from the new Strategic Aerospace Defence Initiative (SADI). SADI supports strategic industrial research and pre-competitive development (R&D) projects in the aerospace, defence, space and security (A&D) industries. SADI is managed by the Industrial Technologies Office, a special operating agency of Industry Canada with a mandate to advance leading-edge R&D by Canadian aerospace and defence industries.

“This investment will play a vital role in enabling our company to complete the final development, flight testing and certification of the D-JET, and to complete our transition to production,” said Peter Maurer, president of Diamond Aircraft Industries. “There is already tremendous demand for this new aircraft and we are excited about the opportunity to grow our already proven, world-class team and operation here in southwestern Ontario to deliver D-JET to our customers worldwide.”

The Diamond D-JET is poised to be the most attainable personal light jet – offering a very comfortable and stylish design; affordable single-engine, fuel efficient operation; and the safety and reliability of the latest glass panel avionics, engine and aeronautical technology. The $95.2 million D-JET R&D program began in 2003.



Diamond’s London operation today produces its DA20 two-seat aircraft, DA40 family of 4-seat piston aircraft, and the DA42 light twin turbo-diesel aircraft. Diamond employs 580 people in Canada and has pioneered the development and manufacture of aircraft using carbon fiber and related composite materials that are stronger, lighter and more durable than metals.

[ldoto]

Sun, February 17, 2008

Production and flight of Diamond Aircraft's D-Jet will create up to 400 jobs locally.


The D-Jet is finally ready to fly in London, creating as many as 400 new jobs.

Federal Industry Minister Jim Prentice said yesterday Diamond Aircraft will receive a $19.6-million loan for development of the five-seater jet.

That means Diamond will go ahead with production of the jet, which has already created about 150 jobs and is expected to add up to 250 more as production ramps up, boosting the company's total London workforce to about 1,000.

"This is the final piece of the puzzle," said Diamond president Peter Maurer, who has waited more than a year for a federal commitment before deciding where to build the jet.

London Deputy Mayor Tom Gosnell, at yesterday's ceremony at the Diamond plant, said the D-Jet's arrival will give the city a boost.


"This brings a lot of jobs and spinoff opportunities and we need diversification," he said.

"Aviation is an important part of the Canadian economy and we need to share in that."

Maurer said the company has more than 300 orders for the private jet.

About 50 will be shipped out before the end of the year, starting in August. Another 125 will be built next year, with production eventually expected to reach 200 a year.

Prentice said the aerospace industry is an important and growing segment of the Canadian economy.

"Even with the softening of demand in the United States, orders are up in aerospace plants. They are bursting at the seams," he said.

Though Diamond always indicated it wanted to build the D-Jet in London, the company was aggressively courted by officials in Montreal, a key Canadian aerospace centre, and by some U.S. cities.

Diamond has already received $11 million from the Ontario government to develop technology and train workers.

The London plant now manufactures the DA-42 twin-engine, four-seater aircraft; DA-40, single-engine, four-seater aircraft; and DA-20, two-seater aircraft.

Maurer said production of those turboprop aircraft will continue. He said the company will try to streamline operations to handle production of the D-Jet, but that reaching full production will require construction of an addition to the Crumlin Road plant.

Based in Austria, Diamond is the world's third-largest producer of light aircraft.

Diamond recently announced a new plant in China will soon begin production. Maurer said that plant will target only the Asian market, with no production diverted from North America.

Maurer said the D-Jet is an innovation, an affordable personal jet at US$1.4 million. Until now, the cheapest small jet cost about US$4.5 million.

Diamond chief executive Christian Dries came up with the concept of a single-engine personal jet in 1993.

"At the time, many people thought this concept was crazy. No one ever thought of a jet as a personal aircraft," said Maurer.

But many of Diamond's competitors, he said, are now working on aircraft similar to the D-Jet.

Maurer said he knows many of the D-Jet customers personally and said most are wealthy entrepreneurs.

He said the D-Jet is also being sold to pilot training schools and new "jet taxi" companies offering quick-hop trips to business executives.

The D-Jet will help to put London on the aerospace map, said Steve Baker, president of London International Airport, next door to Diamond's plant.

"This is really going to be a historic aircraft for London," he said.

"We will be known for this worldwide."

Diamond has attracted spinoff companies to the airport industrial park to make parts and do warranty work, said Baker,.

Several flight schools operating out of the airport train students using Diamond aircraft.


BY THE NUMBERS

4: Number of D-Jet prototypes built and tested.

200: Number of D-Jets that will be produced a year.

400: Number of jobs D-Jet production will create.

580: Diamond employees today

1,000: Approximate future employment, with D-Jet.

300: Outstanding D-Jet orders

$95.2 million: Cost of developing and testing the jet.

US$1.4 million: D-Jet price tag

C$19.6 million: Federal loan for research and development

C$11 million: Ontario loans/grants for research and training

[ldoto]

The renaissance of Galleria London will soon mark a milestone with the addition of a new store -- the first big national retailer to open downtown in years -- and the reopening of the food court.

Women's fashion retailer Suzy Shier will open in early spring beside a new, street-level food court -- swimming against a tide of chain stores that long ago left the core or vacated the mall.

"It's the first national retailer to come back to the downtown in ages," said Lucas Blois of Arcturus Realty, property managers of the mall.

During the last few years, Galleria's empty stores have gradually been converted to office, commercial and education uses.

But the opening of Suzy Shier, a store with 5,200-square feet of space, shows the retail portion of the mall also is rebounding, said Blois.



Suzy Shier has 170 stores across Canada.

Blois said he is confident Galleria can attract more national chains.

However, he said the focus will be on retailers and services to serve the 3,500-4,000 people who will eventually work in Galleria's office-commercial spaces as well as students in the educational institutions.

He said other national retailers in the mall, including Dollarama and Bentley's, are exceeding sales expectations.

The food court will reopen in renovated space on the first floor of the south side of the mall. Subway and the Golden Wok will be first to open on March 1 and will be followed by two new national fast food chains.

Blois said the food court is finally the right size and in the right space.

It was originally in the basement. About 10 years ago, it was moved to the second floor ago in a futile effort to revive traffic for retailers above street level.

"It did bring people up the second floor but their only interest was the food court." said Blois.

The few retailers left on the second floor will soon be moved to to first floor.

A major renovation on the second floor -- to create a new 110,000-square-foot call centre for CitiCards Canada -- is nearing completion. The first phase, which will accommodate about 600 employees, should be completed in April.

Later this year, all five entrances to the mall will be reconstructed with new glass panels and doors.

[MolsonExport]

Wow. A single store. Such hot news in a metro of 470,000.

[GreatTallNorth2]

It's not really big news that Suzy Shier is coming to London. The big news is that downtown is really coming back. The evidence of this is the fact that a national retailer wants to lease 5000 sq. feet of space in Galleria. If they want to open a store, it might mean that more will follow. I could care less about Suzy Shier, but I do care about the overall health of downtown. With more stores, restaurants, cafes, etc. opening, it becomes more attractive to live and work downtown.

I just read in Business London magazine an interview regarding some of London's key players in real estate. They said that the building is not done in downtown London and that there are other projects on the horizon. Lets hope they keep building more towers. Hopefully one developer will hire an architect to design the building instead of us always building boring buildings.

[MolsonExport]

^awwww....London doesn't have enough commie blocks

[ldoto]

Well said GreatTallNorth2!!!!!!

[QuantumLeap]

I agree. One national retailer coming downtown is not that big a deal, except that most retailers are notoriously conservative. But as already pointed out, American Apparel on Richmond is actually the first national retailer downtown in years, so Suzy Shier is following, not leading a trend. People forget though, that revitalization is not going to be done in the Galleria or other malls. A real revitalized downtown is going to see more national and high-quality local retailers on the street (just like it used to be).

[go_leafs_go02]

wow! way to go London!!! great to see the rebounding slowly but surely take place. I like seeing where Galleris is going anyways.

Any idea of where this store will be located? I'm kind of hoping on the second level, to get more foot traffic up there which might help other businesses get more successful sales.

The Library in there was a great idea, and considering that parking is free if you know to go to the library, walk in and stamp your parking pass is great as well.

[MolsonExport]

^the second floor of the Galleria will strictly be for non-commercial uses (Excepting the theatres). Even the foodcourt is being moved to level 1.

[SlickFranky]

Correct...the food court has moved to street level, south side of King. It's still under construction, but is supposed to be open in a couple weeks. I think they said march 1st, but I don't think they'll be done by then.

And I'm in total agreement about the "new" galleria. Viewed as a mall, it's a failure, but viewed as an office building it's pretty great. I don't quite get the Suzy Shier move. They must have gotten an outstanding deal on their lease for them to think this was a good idea. I'd prefer to see them in a Dundas storefront, but this is the next best thing.

While on the subject of galleria...I seem to remember the original plans calling for tower(s) of some kind. Were they to be commercial or residential? Does anyone know at what point that plan was abandoned, and why?

[GreatTallNorth2]

I remember the tower proposal. It was right at the corner of Dundas and Wellington. It was to be an office tower and it was about 27 stories. I know it was taller than OLP and well designed. It will never be built due to the fact that they have restored that building that stands there now. Before Galleria was built, there was a massive proposal to build a project on the Talbot block. It had several office and hotel towers. Two of the office towers were 45 stories each and they were beautiful. This never got built because Galleria went forward and also because of a massive fight to save the Talbot streetscape. I think Tom Gosnell stopped it because he wanted Galleria built.

[QuantumLeap]

Plan targets reclaiming core
Sat, February 23, 2008
More residents, European touches and bold thinking are among core-boosting proposals cited in a report on downtown London. Free Press reporter Patrick Maloney looks at the proposed solutions and problems, listed below, centred on a stretch of Dundas Street.
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By PATRICK MALONEY
The latest report about what to do about London's ailing core is dotted with surprisingly honest critiques of downtown's problems.

Panhandlers and large groups of young people add to a feeling among Londoners of "being harassed" in the core, the report says.

It also refers to a public perception of Dundas Street, rightly or wrongly, as a dangerous spot.

"There is a perception that downtown is not safe. That is a barrier to new businesses moving into the core."

Galleria London's failure as a "shopping mecca" and neglected, empty store fronts along main streetscapes don't help, the report says.




The document from a task force put together by MainStreet London and the London Downtown Business Association chides landlords who have "not reinvested in their properties" and "are bitter over declining property values."

However, some Londoners are also part of the problem. Many refuse to let go of a vision of downtown from 40 years ago, a "halcyon period" in city history.

"The big-box war is over and the suburbs won," the report says.

That kind of tough talk is long overdue -- and crucial to any potential improvements, said London Controller Gord Hume, who led the task force.

The potential, however, is unlimited, added entrepreneur Andrew Francis, a task force member.

"We've really got to think anything is possible, we've got to be willing to try," said Francis, who owns the Alex P. Keaton pub.

"I look at downtown and I see opportunity. These abandoned buildings are basically places for us to start over. It's going to take the whole community to make this happen."

---

PROBLEMS:

Lack of investment:

Many long-term downtown property owners "have not reinvested in their properties" and "are bitter over declining property values."

Fear factor:

Many women have admitted to being afraid of walking down Dundas, even in pairs. "There is a perception downtown is not safe. That is a barrier to new businesses moving into the core . . ."

Richmond and Dundas:

"Simply not a warm, welcoming environment for what many believe to be the city's primary intersection." Crowds there, a key public transit point in the core, add to the feeling of "being harassed" downtown.

Failed initiatives:

Galleria as a shopping mecca was a failure. "The big-box war is over and the suburbs won."

SOLUTIONS:

Narrow sidewalks:

They make even small groups of

loiterers look intimidating. They make physical contact with aggressive panhandlers more common.

Nostalgia:

Some Londoners refuse to let go of memories and "want to remember a downtown from 40 years ago as a halcyon period."

Streets and alleys:

Cleanliness is an issue. There's a public perception Dundas Street in particular is "dark, dirty and dangerous."

More people:

The core needs to double its population, which now sits at about 6,000, to make it a thriving neighbourhood. A grocery store must be opened within the next five years.

A touch of Europe:

Take steps toward turning Dundas Street between Richmond and Wellington into a European-style piazza.

Go wireless

Get wireless Internet throughout downtown so people can go online "from park benches, street corners or sidewalk cafes."

Bold moves:

London Downtown Business Association/MainStreet should make Dundas Street improvements an immediate priority for the next two years. City hall should consider buying an entire city block, fronting or backing Dundas, and redevelop it. Create a new position at city hall to help developers move applications for redevelopment through the red tape. City should consider moving some city departments into downtown buildings. A renewed respect for heritage buildings is needed.

More parking:

The city should provide 300 to 500 new parking spots.

Art, art, art:

Develop a business plan for an "artists' habitat" -- akin to a

successful Edmonton program -- where artists would live, work and display their art. More public art is needed.

Tear down that fence:

Urge the library to remove the fence around its outdoor greenspace beside Galleria.

Walk the beat:

Continued visible police foot patrol presence throughout downtown.

[SlickFranky]

Urge the library to remove the fence around its outdoor greenspace beside Galleria.


Hell yes! I know they wanted to keep loiterers/vagrants out, but that stupid setup keeps everyone out. The least they could do is have some gates put in to give access during the day.

[ldoto]

Sat, February 23, 2008

Dundas and Richmond 2030


Drastic changes to Dundas Street, including its partial transformation into a piazza or square free of vehicles, are key to transforming downtown, a report says.

That's the most ambitious idea in a just-prepared report, assembled by two downtown business groups, that also contains unvarnished appraisals of what's wrong with the core -- and how to fix it.

"We're saying make Dundas the most exciting street in London," said Gord Hume, who led the Downtown Task Force and its 11 volunteers. "Reclaim the street for the people."

The timeline includes getting buses off the stretch of Dundas between Wellington and Richmond streets by 2010, eliminating parking spots there by 2013 and banning all daytime traffic by 2018.

Another illustration, shown above, shows a dramatic re-imagining of the troubled Dundas-Richmond intersection for the year 2030.




That possibility comes from the Netherlands. Dubbed 'Woonerfs,' it's a curb-free street used by pedestrians and cars, with textured road styles to signal drivers when they move into car-free zones.

The task force this week gave its report, outlining a vision for the core for the next decade, to the boards of MainStreet London and the downtown business association.

The task force bubbled its ideas down to three main goals for the next decade.



Besides the focus on Dundas Street, the other goals are:

- Double the number of people living in the core: With about 6,000 there now, at least 10,000 is the "magic number" needed for a successful neighbourhood.

- Make downtown London the greenest in Canada: That would include planting 100 large trees by 2010 and removing the fence around the Central Library's reading garden.

The boards meet again March 15 to comb through the report in detail.

[MolsonExport]

The article in the paper is very short on details.

[ldoto]

Mon, February 25, 2008

London's downtown has huge potential, says a noted Vancouver architect.
Steve Weiler of Runner's Choice talks about options for downtown London.

A noted architect who helped transform Vancouver into one of the world's most livable cities says the pieces are in place for London's downtown to become a similar, small-scale success.

That assessment by James Cheng, a staple on Vancouver's planning commission, was made during a visit Friday that coincided with the release of an independent report calling for major changes to London's core by 2018.

"Just walking around, (downtown) London has more to build on than Vancouver had" when its urban transformation began 20 years ago, Cheng said.

"I'm just drooling looking at the buildings. You can use that to start a regeneration of the core."

That viewpoint, however, comes with a caveat: It looks to Cheng like downtown London has been neglected -- and the rare spirit of co-operation that's made Vancouver great may be missing here, he said.




In Vancouver, a unique give-and-take relationship exists between city officials and developers.

In one example, a developer was allowed to build a highrise a few storeys beyond the city-imposed limit if he maintained a heritage home on the property.

In another case, a developer was offered extra density for an apartment tower if he gave a $3-million donation to a public art display at the building's base.

In other words, Cheng said, each new development is built with the rest of the city in mind.

"A lot of people are very narrow-sighted. They only look at their own buildings -- you have to think bigger," he said.

"If you make a place attractive, people will want to be there. Do quality development that is sensitive to the (urban) context. Like the movie says -- they will come."

Without co-operation between city hall and developers, however, little will improve, Cheng said.

"What we learned in Vancouver is there is a win-win formula for both sides. If it becomes confrontational, it doesn't work."

Cheng, whose son attends the University of Western Ontario, was invited to city hall Friday to speak to councillors about his experiences.

The visit came one day after the so-called Downtown Task Force -- a group of 12 volunteers assembled by two downtown business associations -- released a 69-page "blueprint" on revitalizing the core during the next decade.

The suggestions include turning a key stretch of Dundas Street into a pedestrian-only piazza and doubling downtown's population, to about 10,000.

MainStreet London and the London Downtown Business Association, which requested the report, will discuss it in detail next month. It's unclear which suggestions will be embraced by the groups.

Cheng, who notes strong leadership on city council is needed to direct any urban renewal, admits London won't ever become Vancouver with its huge population and beautiful setting.

But that isn't the point, either.

"The choice is not to become a big city. The choice is to maintain all the charm and the character the city has now," he said.

"You guys really have the bones to become a great city, (but) the first step is you have to want it.

"There has to be a desire to take what you have and build on it."

[ldoto]

Feb, 26 2008 - 7:40 AM


It's budget day in Ottawa and reports suggest Finance Minister Jim Flaherty will focus heavily on the automotive sector and infrastructure.

Sources at Parliament Hill suggest 200-million dollars will be made available to auto companies -- allowing them to essentially write off the cost of new machinery and equipment. In turn, they'd be able to build more fuel-efficient vehilces and create more jobs.

The budget is also expected to include plans for a job-creating fund called Build Canada.

It would devote 1 billion dollars towards roads, bridges and other infrastructure in the country's major urban areas.

London Mayor Anne-Marie Deciccio Best tells AM980 this kind of partnership is essential.

The Harper Conservatives are also expected to reveal this afternoon the federal surplus is actually more than one billion dollars greater than previously expected.

The Liberals won't say whether they'll accept today's federal budget -- or reject it and force an election. But the New Democrats are making very clear where they stand.

N-D-P leader Jack Layton says he'll read the document first, but says his party will vote against the budget if it doesn't rescind tax cuts given by the Harper government to big banks and oil companies.