London Construction - Development News Thread #1

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by GreatTallNorth2

Lol, "starbucks-sipping" is not exactly a sign that you are wealthy. It's just a sign that you like better coffee than that brown hot water Tim Hortons brews.

Haha, I like both. I was referring to the general clientele of Starbucks, which I've always found to be wealthier.

[GreatTallNorth2]

Hey, I haven't been to Timhortonville for close to a year. Can anyone post photos of what's going on at Wonderland and Southdale? I hear there is lots of big box crap being built, but I don't know what. What stores have been added recently?

[haljackey]

Originally Posted by GreatTallNorth2

Hey, I haven't been to Timhortonville for close to a year. Can anyone post photos of what's going on at Wonderland and Southdale? I hear there is lots of big box crap being built, but I don't know what. What stores have been added recently?

I'll be heading there sometime this week. I would be more than happy to take some pics while I'm there (if I remember).

Let's see what I can remember what's there at the top of my head

East of Wonderland:
Loblaws, Staples, Clancy's meat, BMO, Wendy's, some arts n crafts store, Canadian tire, Williams, Marks Work Warehouse, Boston Pizza, A&W, the Athletic Club, Adventures on Wonderland, Angelos (closed), Westmount library, scholar's choice, some office building, LCBO, Swiss Chalet

West of Wonderland:
Buffilo Wild Wings, pet valu, Herbal Magic, Panago, Home Depot, Burger King, the Beer Store, The Source, Starbucks, TD, RBC, CIBC, National Bank (under construction), Marble Slab, some Chinese food place, East Side Mario's, Winners, Tiger Direct, Dollarama, Homesesnse, JYSK, Bouclair Home, Toys R Us/Babies R Us, something else is U/C too. There's a few I'm missing but I can't remember what they are for the life of me.


I think Pets Mart is proposed as well, probably near Wonderland and Bradley. That part of the city doesn't have a pet store ever since the one in Westmount Mall closed. I think a future shop-like store and a Scotiabank are proposed as well.

[MrSlippery519]

Originally Posted by haljackey

I think Pets Mart is proposed as well, probably near Wonderland and Bradley. That part of the city doesn't have a pet store ever since the one in Westmount Mall closed. I think a future shop-like store and a Scotiabank are proposed as well.

We own the building across the street from Bob Martins (we share a driveway with the mini storage place). Recently we received the plans for what is going in across the street which would be on West side currently a field. There is going to be a "home improvement store" so assuming that is Lowes. As well as another large building on the corner of Wharncliffe and Wonderland. Basically in between the two large buildings will be more of the same as it being build just North.

Now also just North of Bob Martin's I have a friend who is Muslim and his family was telling me that they are building a Mosque in that space which would essentially separate the North and South box stores.

Hope that all made sense...I will see if I can scan the proposal for that corner and post it up.

[haljackey]

Cool!

I know Wal-Mart owns the land on the SE cornner of Warncliffe and Wonderland up to Exeter. They originally wanted to build a superstore at Southdale and Wonderland where the Home Depot is now but the owner would only lease the land to them. I guess its policy for Wal-Mart to own their land...

Seems a little over the top seeing a Lowe's or something go next to Bob Martins... Home Depot is nearby along with a lot of other competition like Canadian Tire.

[MolsonExport]

Not sure I am enthusiastic about another farting wall once again at the perimeter of london.

From the South (Wonderbread south): Welcome to Walmart, Ontario.
From the North (Hyde Parking Lot Road North): Welcome to Walmart, Ontario.

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Not sure I am enthusiastic about another farting wall once again at the perimeter of london.

From the South (Wonderbread south): Welcome to Walmart, Ontario.
From the North (Hyde Parking Lot Road North): Welcome to Walmart, Ontario.

Darn right...it is so hard to shop locally or support locally owned stores in London. Seems as though Londoners prefer brand name stores and chain restaurants more than in other cities.

[bolognium]

It's not that hard. In the last month I've visited Target Hi Fi, To Wheels, City Lights Bookshop, Hot Dog London, Grooves, Speed City Records, Thursday Farmers Market at Covenant, numerous one-off restaurants and a handful of pubs.

[north 42]

Originally Posted by manny_santos

Darn right...it is so hard to shop locally or support locally owned stores in London. Seems as though Londoners prefer brand name stores and chain restaurants more than in other cities.

I was in London a few weeks ago, and was surprised to see so many chain restaurants in the city. We have a fair amount here too, but your city seems to have a lot that we don't have here. Windsorites do however support many amazing home grown eateries, and I'm thankful for that.

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by bolognium

It's not that hard. In the last month I've visited Target Hi Fi, To Wheels, City Lights Bookshop, Hot Dog London, Grooves, Speed City Records, Thursday Farmers Market at Covenant, numerous one-off restaurants and a handful of pubs.

I guess you don't live in West London. Downtown and Old East, I agree it's easier, but if you're in Southwest London, there's no choice. If you want food, your choices are almost all brand name chain restaurants.

Originally Posted by north 42

I was in London a few weeks ago, and was surprised to see so many chain restaurants in the city. We have a fair amount here too, but your city seems to have a lot that we don't have here. Windsorites do however support many amazing home grown eateries, and I'm thankful for that.

In one of my business courses at Western, I had an argument with another student (also from London) about brand names. She was obsessed with the idea of only supporting brand name restaurants and stores because "you know what you're going to get". I quipped that I'm not afraid to try new things, which gained me a few claps. I had been trying to make the point that there is no reason why an independent business cannot open and become successful in London. We're probably both right. Angelo's was one of the only locally-owned businesses that located in the Wonderland and Southdale area when it first developed, and it was a flop. I went in there a couple of times and it was completely deserted. Meanwhile Williams Coffee Pub and Starbucks in the same area were packed. It was a good idea on paper, but it was in a location frequented by brand name shoppers (not to mention being too far from pedestrian traffic).

I've always found in my travels outside North America that there is less obsession with brand names, and people tend to support local neighbourhood businesses, mainly because they can. Where I grew up in Byron, there were virtually no businesses to support anyway other than A&P, and most of those that were there when I was younger no longer exist. There is no bakery, no book store, no clothing store. And the locals seem completely satisfied with getting their bakery goods from the brand name supermarket; they didn't support the local bakery 20 years ago when we had it.

[bolognium]

oops, Thursday Market at Covent Garden.

And yeah, I have absolutely zero experience living in the outer-reaches of London. Born and raised in Central London I rarely venture outside the inner city, and when I do it's to visit a friend and not to shop. I live and work downtown, so the only reason for me to actually leave is to hit up a grocery store every week or two. It's a lot easier to patronize locally owned shops and restaurants when you're surrounded by them, that's for sure.

The way I see it, if people truly want to support local and stop sprawl developments then they need to commit to living/visiting neighbourhoods like Downtown, Wortley, Hamilton Road and Old East. Unless there are drastic changes, I have a hard time believing a place like Hyde Park Village will ever turn itself around and transform into a walkable shopping district. Automobile lifestyles and big box development are just too prevalent in those areas for small local places (like your Angelo's example) to gain a foothold.

Oh well.

[Simpseatles]

Originally Posted by north 42

I was in London a few weeks ago, and was surprised to see so many chain restaurants in the city. We have a fair amount here too, but your city seems to have a lot that we don't have here. Windsorites do however support many amazing home grown eateries, and I'm thankful for that.

That may have something to do with the fact that we really only have two dense commercial corridors in London (Dundas and Richmond Row), whereas it seems that places like Windsor actually have older, pedestrian oriented retail outside their downtown cores. Even streets that run through older neighbourhoods in London, like Oxford and Wharncliffe, mostly have chain stores and plazas or large homes that have been converted to offices/retail.

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by Simpseatles

Even streets that run through older neighbourhoods in London, like Oxford and Wharncliffe, mostly have chain stores and plazas or large homes that have been converted to offices/retail.

That's a fairly recent phenomenon. Back in 2001, there was no McDonald's, no Subway, no Papa John's, and no Starbucks. The building Starbucks is in used to be the Paragon Restaurant up until 2008. I remember in the 90s, if you wanted to eat in that area, your choices were the Paragon or an independent burger joint where Manna Grill is now located.

[MrSlippery519]

New proposal from Farhi for downtown...interesting, what do you guy think the likelihood this happens.

http://www.lfpress.com/2012/09/24/farhi-unveils-50-million-high-rise-plan

[LondnPlanr]

Originally Posted by MrSlippery519

New proposal from Farhi for downtown...interesting, what do you guy think the likelihood this happens.

http://www.lfpress.com/2012/09/24/farhi-unveils-50-million-high-rise-plan

The likelihood of this happening? Slim-to-none.

He wants the existing heritage building down to allow for more parking. Why would Farhi want to add MORE vacant commercial space to what he already has downtown?

We've been down this road with him before. He'll talk the talk, but I've yet to see him walk the walk.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by MrSlippery519

New proposal from Farhi for downtown...interesting, what do you guy think the likelihood this happens.

http://www.lfpress.com/2012/09/24/farhi-unveils-50-million-high-rise-plan

Looks like the Harriston's twisted brother.

[haljackey]

To be honest I'm not sure about this one. Farhi's proposal may fly.

The building at 190 Queens is in disrepair and sits right at the edge of a heritage district. The city seems desperate to promote economic development and restore the downtown, so this is a big plus for those factors. Lastly, it will be good for jobs especially for those construction workers from the Renaissance II who are about to finish and look for contracts elsewhere.

The render doesn't look half bad in my mind, but it needs to stay that way. No half-assing it anymore. Even someone like Farhi needs to be held on the leash.

[ldoto]

Another big high-rise may be rising in downtown London, this one in an historic block.

Real estate entrepreneur Shmuel Farhi showed city council’s planning committee Monday night drawings of the $50-million high-rise he’d build on the site of a large house that appears on a heritage list he wants to demolish at 199 Queens Ave.

Razing the building would permit a two-level parking garage for the proposed tower, with residential, office and commercial components.

The building, more than 20 storeys, would also provide additional parking to address a shortage of parking in the core, he said. Farhi said it would be designed to be tasteful and in keeping with its neighbours, including St. Paul’s Cathedral across the street.

“We used the colours of the neighbourhood,” he said.

The project requires a municipally-owned parking lot on the south side of Queens, east of the London Club.

The new structure would demonstrate Farhi’s faith in the core and produce about $1 million a year in taxes, he said.

He noted he has a long track record of preserving heritage structures, but said the 1880s building at 199 Queens must come down. Farhi owns dozens of buildings in the city core.

Heritage activists sought retention of the building, but city staff said it’s been heavily modified and its removal could help downtown revitalization.

In the end, the committee delayed any decision on demolition for 45 days so economic investment, planning, heritage and planning staff can meet with Farhi to see if there’s any way the old house might be somehow incorporated in the new structure

[north 42]

Now if we could only get Farhi to get a proposal going for a high rise condo on the multiple downtown riverfront lots he owns here! I'm certainly not holding my breath in anticipation!

Cheers to London though if this goes through for you guys.

[FazDeH]

Not a huge fan of the render we saw from the LFP, but Lord knows, it's better then most of the stuff that has been built lately. I'd like to see the detailed plans for the proposal before making my verdict on that.. and of course we all know the rendering will look nothing like the actual building..