London Construction - Development News Thread #1 - Page 41

Blitz · #**801** Posted **Oct 12, 2007, 12:38 AM**

London

Snashcan · #**802** Posted **Oct 12, 2007, 3:32 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blitz

London needs some type of expressway - I just moved back to London a month ago and what angers me most about living here is the traffic and how long it takes to just get across town.

After living here for 5 years I seriously don't think traffic is as bad asa people say, but it seems everyone but me has road rage now a days.

GreatTallNorth2 · #**803** Posted **Oct 12, 2007, 1:23 PM**

There is no way we could ever build an expressway now in the city of London. Could you imagine the backlash from residents? London had it's chance in the 70s. We will probably see a the ring road completed in 20-30 years.

I think since we do not have an expressway, our city should focus on major improvements to transit and specifically light rail. The bus rapid transit plan the city has is not true BRT like Ottawa has. It is just an improved bus service. True BRT has dedicated lanes and roads and actual station stops.

I wish Joe Fontana had gotten elected. He is the first London politician I have ever heard talking about building LRT. What a great idea to take freight trains out of the city and put LRT there instead. Anne Marie Diccio has no clue about transit solutions.

MolsonExport · #**804** Posted **Oct 12, 2007, 1:41 PM**

Anne Marie is a do-little mayor. Talks about growth and investment...where is the growth and investment in our infrastructure. Oh yeah, maybe after people and businesses move in, and put up with crappy infrastructure...then maybe the road will be widened.

A ring road is absolutely necessary. And I am very pro-public transit. But then you can't move everything with buses. A ring road, provided that they maintain adjacent agricultural zoning, should not necessarily add to sprawl.

Highbury should be upgraded to freeway status. Yes, some homes and businesses would need to be demolished, but this is always the case, anywhere. A northern freeway between say, Medway and Sunningdale could then link up with highway 402 around Lobo/Komoka.

GreatTallNorth2 · #**805** Posted **Oct 12, 2007, 3:28 PM**

Highbury will never, ever be converted to a full freeway. It would cost way too much money. The ring road plan is for Veterans Parkway. Over time it will be limited access (entrance/exit ramps, etc.) and extend more to the north. The 401 is the south section of the ring road. The next plan is to build a north highway outside the city limits and a west section near Westdel Bourne Road.

Anne Marie makes a great cheerleader, but making her the coach has been terrible for our city. We have not had a good mayor for a long time.

ldoto · #**806** Posted **Oct 12, 2007, 4:42 PM**

Di-Cicco-Best Joins Big City Mayors for More Funding
Oct, 12 2007 - 6:30 AM

LONDON - Big city mayors, including London's are again calling for a bigger piece of Ottawa's pie.

As federal surpluses grow and we get closer to next week's throne speech the Mayors want to make sure they have the government's attention.

Yesterday's lobby from 22 mayors in one they've made before but what's different now is the 13.8 billion dollar federal surplus.

They say one penny of the six cents per dollar the feds collect from the GST would generate another 5 billion dollars a year for municipalities to help with roads, bridges and sewers.

London's annual share would be about 30 million dollars.

Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best says that amount would double the city's spending on infrastructure.
__________________

MolsonExport · #**807** Posted **Oct 12, 2007, 5:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreatTallNorth2

Highbury will never, ever be converted to a full freeway. It would cost way too much money. The ring road plan is for Veterans Parkway. Over time it will be limited access (entrance/exit ramps, etc.) and extend more to the north. The 401 is the south section of the ring road. The next plan is to build a north highway outside the city limits and a west section near Westdel Bourne Road.

Anne Marie makes a great cheerleader, but making her the coach has been terrible for our city. We have not had a good mayor for a long time.

Do you have any links to the specifics of the plan? I would like to read more.

Agreed on Anne Marie.

quentin0 · #**808** Posted **Oct 13, 2007, 2:21 PM**

http://www.london.ca/Cityhall/EnvService...Planning/Corridorstudy/corridorstudy.htm

they used to have the full couple hundred page document up there, but it seems they have taken it down and replaced it with some summaries instead...

Koolfire · #**809** Posted **Oct 13, 2007, 4:09 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreatTallNorth2

I wish Joe Fontana had gotten elected. He is the first London politician I have ever heard talking about building LRT. What a great idea to take freight trains out of the city and put LRT there instead. Anne Marie Diccio has no clue about transit solutions.

At first I thought that it can't work in London. But looking at the map, I'm starting to think it might and it might be really good. And you probably only need CN's tracks only. There's the south track from downtown all the way to St. Thomas that can could turn out to be valuable if they ever want to build a commuter service out there. Also that track passes London Health Sciences in the south. East you could go out to Highbury and then north to Fanshawe College and the east on Oxford to the Airport. Out to the west maybe run it long with Springbank and then Byron Baseline. Might need a short subway there to make it happen. Now north it has to be a subway at least to where Western Road and Richmond Road meet after that there might be space to widen Richmond road and do it in a median of Richmond Road. That would be expensive but maybe with help from the university/alumni donation and maybe naming rights so it could be the Labatts North Subway Line there might be enough money to make it happen. I say start with either the East or South Line. Then the west unless you have enough donations to do the north subway.

FazDeH · #**810** Posted **Oct 13, 2007, 10:55 PM**

^^^^ I think thats an interesting idea, but sadly its WAY to ambitious for London. Inner city traffic during peak times are getting worse, it will take almost 20 minutes at traffic lights. Wharncliffe and Oxford for example at rush hour is a nightmare.
The problem as I see it is that the areas of transit being focused on by the city arent necessarily going to solve anything, wider roads and more buses seem to be a good start in my eyes.
The city doesn't want to invest in a ring road, because its stilll thought that it will detract from the developement in the city centre. I can't really disagree with that, the last thing I want is urban sprawl, but it does seem inevitable. So we should just bite the bullet and accept that people arent moving downtown on mass. Yes theres more being built downtown right now than there has been in decades, but more people still want to live out in Byron and Masonville then in a 1400sq ft. condo on Talbot. The city just isn't accomidating that fact. LRT would be great, but the city squabbles over widening Commisioners for a mile. I really can't see anything that will cost hundreds of millions being done, ANY time soon.

Snashcan · #**811** Posted **Oct 14, 2007, 3:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by FazDeH

^^^^ I think thats an interesting idea, but sadly its WAY to ambitious for London. Inner city traffic during peak times are getting worse, it will take almost 20 minutes at traffic lights. Wharncliffe and Oxford for example at rush hour is a nightmare.
The problem as I see it is that the areas of transit being focused on by the city arent necessarily going to solve anything, wider roads and more buses seem to be a good start in my eyes.
The city doesn't want to invest in a ring road, because its stilll thought that it will detract from the developement in the city centre. I can't really disagree with that, the last thing I want is urban sprawl, but it does seem inevitable. So we should just bite the bullet and accept that people arent moving downtown on mass. Yes theres more being built downtown right now than there has been in decades, but more people still want to live out in Byron and Masonville then in a 1400sq ft. condo on Talbot. The city just isn't accomidating that fact. LRT would be great, but the city squabbles over widening Commisioners for a mile. I really can't see anything that will cost hundreds of millions being done, ANY time soon.

That's a pretty terrible approach to planning, just bite the bullet? The whole goal is a sustainable community. And people are moving downtown, more and more apartments are going up ie CityPlace, Renaissance, Harriston. And what is wrong with a 1400 sq ft apartment? That's plenty of space, its better to get people into places smaller to incrase density and try and change are over consuming ways. (smaller place = less energy used)

MolsonExport · #**812** Posted **Oct 15, 2007, 4:47 PM**

I don't believe that I will ever see a subway in London during my lifetime.

Koolfire · #**813** Posted **Oct 15, 2007, 6:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

I don't believe that I will ever see a subway in London during my lifetime.

I guess that all depends on how old you are. Subway line would probably be the last line developed. I figure probably 40-50 years(which should be in my lifetime), maybe 30 depending how bad commuting from the north gets. After 40-50 years London if it maintains a growth of 3% would be 1.1 million people and would be large enough to warrant it. A lot of growth is to the north right now, not sure if that will stay the same but if it does, commuting on Richmond is going suck.

The point is plan now so that in 40-50 years you still have the land set aside to make it feasible (I'm thinking land adjacent to Richmond Road north of Western Road). If they don't then the subway might go to the university and no further because it will be just too expensive to run it all the way to sunningdale or further depending on where there is space to run it at grade.

ldoto · #**814** Posted **Oct 15, 2007, 11:09 PM**

London part of a new 350 Million dollar infrastructure plan
Oct, 15 2007 - 4:30 PM

LONDON - It's being hailed as the first project of its kind in the country....
Today the Federal Goverment, the city of London and Regional municipalties unveiled a new initiative called the HELP Clean water project.

Officials say the 350 million dollar infrastructure plan will ensure more than half a million residents in the London region have safe, clean drinking water.

Lawrence Cannon is the Federal Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities...

The plan will be introduced in phases and includes major upgrades to the Lake Huron water treament plant and the Elgin Area Water treatment plant.

ldoto · #**815** Posted **Oct 15, 2007, 11:10 PM**

Mon, October 15, 2007

By NORMAN DE BONO, SUN MEDIA

London's Westmount Shopping Centre may partner with the city to offer recreational programs in its vacant space, free of charge to taxpayers.

In another sign the era of the grand old shopping mall is dwindling, bowing to the big-box "power centre," the city's community and protective services committee is expected tonight to approve a recommendation to turn sections of the mall into community use.

"There is a need in the southern area of the city for community space, but the cost of building is high," Coun. Joni Baechler said yesterday. "We need to use the space that is available. This is a great idea when we have space sitting empty."

The move may see programs offered in the city's Spectrum Guide find a home in Westmount's vacant space, including such things as seniors' painting courses or children's dance classes, she added.

Michael Pearce, retailing professor at the Richard Ivey School of Business at UWO, applauded the idea and believes it signals a trend of malls coming full circle.

When first envisioned, the mall was seen as a new kind of community centre, balancing retail and community activities. Now, malls are struggling with fewer shoppers and housing businesses, schools and community events as first intended.

"The idea of putting other services into mall space is a good one . . . ," said Pearce.

A mall needs more than just traffic -- it needs "traffic that buys," he added.

Cherryhill is an example of a centre that caters to its seniors by offering the right retail mix, since there's seniors housing nearby.

If Westmount is inundated with youths and families attending city programs, it will have to offer the right shops, he warned.

Retailers in the mall will simply settle for more traffic through the wide-open aisles, said Shannon McMahon, a receptionist at Sami and Naji, a hair salon in the mall.

"Some people don't know we have a store here," she said. "And if more come in, they may want to try us out. I think it's a good thing."

Real estate agent Glenda James, who has leased space for tenants in Westmount, says it needs the initiative, since the mall has been handcuffed by high leases and taxes by its owner, the Ontario Teachers' Pension Fund.

"The rates they need are prohibitive. It is very difficult to get a tenant to pay what they want," said James.

The mall's second floor leases for about $35 a square foot, $10 of which is rent and the rest common-area fees, taxes and utilities.

On the main floor, rents are even higher.

That's one reason why about 25 per cent of the mall's 562,000 square feet is vacant, mostly on the second floor, James added.

The second floor has added 60,000 square feet of office space and a tenant, Stacmarc Research, which signed a one-year deal this summer, she said.

"It will help the mall," she said of the partnership. "Any co-operation will help and it may grow from there. I think this is wonderful."

Snashcan · #**816** Posted **Oct 16, 2007, 12:44 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

I don't believe that I will ever see a subway in London during my lifetime.

Most likely never, but Light Rail would be great for a city like london, maybe a richmond line to the university, and an oxford line to fanshawe, seeing how those bus routes are so rammed

ikerrin · #**817** Posted **Oct 16, 2007, 1:42 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blitz

London needs some type of expressway - I just moved back to London a month ago and what angers me most about living here is the traffic and how long it takes to just get across town.

If you get your freeway, London will never develop into a proper city. If you want a freeway running through you city you should move to Brampton.

Koolfire · #**818** Posted **Oct 16, 2007, 1:44 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snashcan

Most likely never, but Light Rail would be great for a city like london, maybe a richmond line to the university, and an oxford line to fanshawe, seeing how those bus routes are so rammed

I don't see lrt running at grade on richmond or oxford. The city would have to buy up all the properties on one side of the road to make space. But the one up side would be that if they do buy up all the properties on one side, they can expand from 4 to 6 lanes. But with all those acquisitions your better off grade separating, it's quicker service and safer.

ikerrin · #**819** Posted **Oct 16, 2007, 1:48 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ldoto

London part of a new 350 Million dollar infrastructure plan
Oct, 15 2007 - 4:30 PM

LONDON - It's being hailed as the first project of its kind in the country....
Today the Federal Goverment, the city of London and Regional municipalties unveiled a new initiative called the HELP Clean water project.

Officials say the 350 million dollar infrastructure plan will ensure more than half a million residents in the London region have safe, clean drinking water.

Lawrence Cannon is the Federal Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities...

The plan will be introduced in phases and includes major upgrades to the Lake Huron water treament plant and the Elgin Area Water treatment plant.

That explains a lot. As a Mac grad I always used to wonder what was wrong with Western grads and now I realize that it was because they lacked "Safe, clean drinking water". No wonder they behaved as they did whent a fundamental human right was denied to them but accessable to the rest of the rest of us.

FazDeH · #**820** Posted **Oct 16, 2007, 2:10 AM**

Snashcan, I dont disagree with you, I like living downtown, problem is alot of people don't. and The vast majority of people living in new homes are building/buying in the burbs. its just the straight facts that more people are moving to the outskirts than are coming downtown, thats the trend everywhere in Canada. And yes the city needs to try and keep the balance between the two.