London Construction - Development News Thread#1

[MolsonExport]

This kinda sucks, as I live right across the street from Westmount mall. Sure I have a car, and Southdale is close by, but what will happen to the mall? Imagine if Sears and/or Zellers were to pull out...it would join the ranks of dead malls.

[ldoto]

It's still being built, but the phones are already ringing off the hook with buyers looking for a piece of London's newest industrial park.

Speculation is rampant London could draw an auto parts plant to its new Airport Road South industrial park because of its proximity to a planned Toyota car assembly plant near Woodstock.

John Kime, president of the London Economic Development Corp., confirmed the interest, but wouldn't talk specifics.

"We're working with a number of companies that have expressed an interest in London," he said yesterday.

"But, in our business, a deal isn't a deal until it's signed."

Toyota announced in July it will build an $800-million assembly plant in Oxford County that will employ 1,300.

Experts say as many as 9,000 spinoff jobs could be created across Southwestern Ontario.

Included among those, the new plant is expected to produce about 3,000 higher-paying manufacturing jobs spanning an area from Kitchener to London.

Parcels of the 48-hectare, first phase of the industrial park -- bounded by Hamilton Road, Airport Road, Victoria Side Road and Bradley Avenue -- go up for sale in November.

Kime agreed there are expectations auto parts makers would be interested in London because of its proximity to the Toyota plant.

"There have always been rumours like that and I obviously can't comment on the stuff we're working on," he said

"But I can say we're as busy as we've ever been."

Kime also declined to predict how fast the first phase of the city-owned, 243-hectare industrial park will sell out.

"I don't want to put a time horizon on it, but when the city built the Forest City park, it was expected to last 10 years and it sold out (almost) in three."

City staff say inquiries for land range from four-hectare to 20-hectare parcels.

Kime said a 20-hectare lot could handle a 500,000 square-foot building, "and that's huge."

"But, also, a lot of companies starting out want large acreage because they want the flexibility to expand," he said.

When firms have that option, he said, it's "great" for the city because they "don't have to go looking elsewhere."

Kime praised city council's foresight for developing the land. "It's a great strategy for the long term."

Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco is delighted by the interest in London among manufacturers, including auto-related companies.

"I've learned some files take years to come to fruition, so I wouldn't want to tip our hand," she said. "But isn't it great where we're in a position now, having people knock on our door? We weren't saying that four years ago

[ldoto]

Here are a few new proposed & project for london that I could find.

Dufferin & Ridout 2006 (16 floors)
317 Southdale Road West (13 floors)
284 Wonderland Road (14 floors)
Former library A 25-storey residential tower that carries the Art Deco style!

P.S. I belive there are 4 to 5 cranes are up in london right now.

[ldoto]

The City-owned Dearness Home for seniors officially opens at the corner of Southdale and Wellington this morning.
When the Dearness Home first opened in 1954, it was a state-of-the-art facility with 303 beds and was one of Ellis-Don's first major building projects. At that time, it was located in the country, past the city bus route.

The home was named after Dr. John Dearness, who was principal of London Teachers College from 1919 until 1938 and then was a Biology Professor at UWO for 20 years.

He died at the age of 102 in 1954.

Reports in the early 1990s identified a serious need for a modernized Dearness Home.

Construction on the new facility began in 2003.

The new Dearness Home will provide a more comfortable ‘homey’ approach with greater space, privacy and availability of health care support.

Rising to five stories, it will be London’s newest long term care facility with nine resident home areas for 243 residents.

[ldoto]

Nail guns and power saws are buzzing at a near-record pace as London's construction scene heads into the final quarter of another busy year.

Though it's another banner year, it's unlikely last year's record of 4,954 building permits worth $647 million will be surpassed by Dec. 31, the city's director of building controls said yesterday.

A furious finish to 2004 was fuelled in large measure by a flood of permit applications before a substantial increase in residential development fees, said Rocky Cerminara.

"We had $75 million of work come in one week."

Smaller commercial and residential fee hikes this year haven't spurred the same rush of applications, Cerminara said.

Construction of single-family homes fell about 15 per cent in recent months and a run of projects in the education and health-care sectors tapered off, cutting institutional work by half.

"There's no more big projects on the books that could set a new record," said Cerminara.

Cerminara expects construction could total about $550 million by year's end, making it "a relatively good year," possibly the third-best behind last year and 2002, when construction first topped $600 million.

Nine months into 2005, construction in London is almost on pace with last year.

By the end of August, 3,498 permits valued at $432 million had been issued, compared with 3,396 permits valued at $435 million for the same period last year.

At Aug. 31, 168 permits for townhouse projects worth $46 million had been issued, compared with 114 permits and $31 million for the same period last year. The value of multi-family construction was $50 million, up from $41 million last year.
__________________
Ldoto

[ldoto]

Here are some new pics of 16 floors Luxury Apartments at 520 Talbot by Old Oak properties.
Also new under ground parking garage pics.

[ldoto]

The John Labatt Centre sparks new enterprises on Dundas Street.



Eddy Phimphrachanh, owner and chef of the Thaifoon Restaurant, opened his doors at 120 Dundas St. Sept. 16.
The John Labatt Centre is being credited for a string of new developments on the west end of Dundas Street.

Janette MacDonald, manager of Mainstreet London, said most of the new activity is clustered on Dundas between Talbot and Wellington streets.

The development includes a restaurant, chocolate shop, furniture showroom, an affordable housing project and a condo conversion.

She said the close proximity to the John Labatt Centre is no coincidence.

"It's a huge factor. Everybody we have talked to said they chose downtown because of increased traffic due to the John Labatt Centre," said MacDonald.


The new businesses include:

- Thaifoon Restaurant opened last Friday at 120 Dundas St. The extensive interior renovations include a three-metre waterfall. Proprietor Eddy Phimphrachanh is only 20 years old but draws on a wealth of family experience in serving Thai and Asian food. His relatives own Pad Thai on Richmond Street and Thai House on Wellington Road.

- Randall Klein Designs has purchased a building at 115 Dundas to house a downtown showroom. The company manufactures furniture and has a showroom on Nightingale Street, just north of Dundas Street East.

- La Chocolaterie, a speciality chocolate shop operating in Covent Garden Market, is opening a new outlet at 119 Dundas.

- After several months of delay, a ground-breaking ceremony is scheduled for next month on a 25-unit affordable housing project on a vacant lot at 129-131 Dundas.

- The upper floors of the building next door, at 127 Dundas, are being converted to condominiums.

Farther east on Dundas Street, new businesses include:

- A Ming's Buffet at Clarence and Dundas streets, filling a key corner that has been vacant since last year when a Burger King outlet moved out.

- The building on Clarence Street that formerly housed the Ace Arcade and a movie theatre is being demolished to create a parking lot. Owner Shmuel Farhi said the building was in poor shape.

- Zen Gardens, a vegetarian restaurant, opened at 344 Dundas.

- Oxford Arms, a British- style pub, opened recently in a renovated Victorian home at Dundas near Waterloo Street.

MacDonald said the new activity is also boosting residential development, with several new condo apartment towers.

She believes the downtown population is reaching the point where it will attract more retailers, especially a supermarket that is badly needed in the core.

"We need to find a partner willing to think of a smaller store that carries the essentials."

[the pope]

Originally Posted by ldoto

The John Labatt Centre sparks new enterprises on Dundas Street.

She believes the downtown population is reaching the point where it will attract more retailers, especially a supermarket that is badly needed in the core.

dude there's american cities with smaller downtown populations and full scaler grocers and high end department stores and etc.

[ldoto]

The Salvation Army Centre of Hope is a new 93-unit Building.
(Competed in march 2005) 218-287 Wellington Street

[ldoto]

The province is likely to announce the funds today for a children's hospital at LHSC.

Ending months of nervous waiting for London health officials, the Ontario government is expected to write a $100-million cheque today to turn an empty shell of a building into a high-tech children's hospital and women's health centre.










The news is expected at the start of the annual meeting of the London Health Sciences Centre and follows an intensive review of the project, one of the largest construction jobs in the region's history.

Senior provincial politicians were tight-lipped yesterday about the new Children's Hospital of Western Ontario site, saying only that "it will be a good announcement."

Both Labour Minister Chris Bentley of London and Infrastructure and Renewal Minister David Caplan are to attend the London meeting.

"There is a lot at stake here for our community and there is a lot at stake for the region," said LHSC president Tony Dagnone.

"We are optimistic that we are going to get the necessary government approval."

The provincial government -- battling a budget deficit -- ordered a review of major hospital projects a year ago, raising the possibility some commitments could be abandoned.

In August, Health Minister George Smitherman signalled bad news was coming for some centres because the government didn't have the money to cover all the hospital projects previously approved.

That included communities where plans had been approved and required local money raised, he said.

One city in the London area still waiting for word on its hospital project is Woodstock.

Yesterday, a spokesperson for Caplan said the Woodstock hospital is still under consideration by Caplan's ministry.

"There have been a number of conversations around that particular project, but we haven't actually landed on a final decision on Woodstock," said Wilson Lee.

In London, construction of the 10-storey shell on Baseline Road for the children's hospital and women's health centre cost $80 million.

All of the interior work and equipment needed to turn the site into a hospital is expected to cost more than $100 million and will be finished in 2008 if the green light comes today.

Dagnone said the hospital has made "very strong representation" to the government on the critical importance of the project and has received the support of the city's MPPs.

Completion of the tower will allow the transfer of the high- risk baby and obstetrics program from St. Joseph's Health Care London, part of the restructuring of city hospitals.

Besides its medical profile, the project is economically key for London, Dagnone said.

[ldoto]

A city council committee recommends London spend more than $2.5 million to turn its bike paths into a full-blown bicycle roadway system.
The bicycle master plan was unveiled at a joint meeting of the environment and transportation and planning committees last night.
City staff are still working on details but have asked council to set aside $500,000 in each of the next five years to pay for signs and road lines.
"I think this is good for our city, the health of our citizens and the environment," said Controller Gord Hume.
Key recommendations:
- Marked bike lanes on wider roads, not paths along them.
- Bike lanes and routes designed for use by recreational users and commuters.
- Planning changes to ensure bicycle parking is provided at new apartment or offices.
- Amenities such as showers and change rooms, washrooms, drinking fountains, rest stops and scenic lookouts for cyclists.
- A public awareness campaign aimed at cyclists, drivers and pedestrians.
"What we found in our research is that a cycling network is only as good as the facilities that are there to support them," said city planner John Fleming.
Fleming said cycling is good for human and environmental health and eases the burden of rising automobile costs.
Committee members raised concerns, including whether cyclists will use the system in winter and whether winter road maintenance will suffice.
Jay Stanford, manager of environmental services, said some cyclists may opt to use public transit during the winter, or only on bad days.
"They may just shift practices for three months . . . but we'll have nine solid months (of cycling weather)," he said.
Coun. Bernie MacDonald suggested London Transit could revise a rack system on its buses so cyclists can take their bikes on the system.
Coun. Fred Tranquilli, the committee chairperson, was skeptical of the plan, saying he's not convinced people will stop driving to ride bikes.
"I wonder if this kind of investment is prudent when you consider four months of the year people don't ride bikes," he said.
But cycling advocates urged the committee to move ahead.

[ldoto]

Provincial funds announced yesterday will aid outpatient and mental health care projects.



London has landed another $200-million-plus for its hospitals.
Two days after approving a massive construction project at the London Health Sciences Centre, the province yesterday announced financing for even larger projects for St. Joseph's Health Care in London:
- About $80 million will go to projects at St. Joseph's Grosvenor Street facility to handle its change to serving more outpatients, including the urgent care centre, Ivey Eye Institute and Institute for Healthy Living.
- More than $100 million is approved for construction of two mental health facilities to replace the psychiatric hospitals in St. Thomas and London. The new London hospital will be built beside Parkwood Hospital and include 144 beds. The new St. Thomas facility will be built on the existing hospital site and will have 74 inpatient beds.
Ontario Infrastructure Minister David Caplan wouldn't release a precise figure, but said the projects would cost more than $200 million.
"London is certainly getting its share and more,"said London-North-Centre MPP Deb Matthews.
Cliff Nordal, president of St. Joseph's Health Care, welcomed the announcement.
"This is a wonderful day for us . . . an important advance in getting restructuring done," Nordal said.
Work at the Grosvenor Street hospital can go ahead immediately, Caplan said. Construction of the mental health facilities is scheduled to start in 2009.
Paul Caplan, chairperson of the St. Joseph's Hospital board, said yesterday's announcement came as a relief.
"London hospitals are so far down this road of hospital restructuring and renewal that I'm not sure what we would have done if our provincial government had not stepped up again," he said.
On Tuesday, David Caplan said LHSC had approval to complete the Children's Hospital of Western Ontario on Base Line Road and renovations at University Hospital, projects forecast to cost about $149 million.
Matthews said other communities might not be as fortunate as London in getting financial support from the province.
The province reviewed all capital projects over the last year that had been promised funding and found there wasn't enough money, or even construction capability in the province, to do everything, she said.
Caplan refused to say whether Woodstock would get approval for its new hospital, a project that has been waiting for approval for about a year.
"We still have some projects under consideration. Today is about London," he said.
To finance the St. Joseph's projects, the government is turning to the private sector under a program it has dubbed Alternative Financing and Procurement.
Consortiums will be asked to bid on putting up the money and doing the construction work. In turn, the province will pay the companies back over as long as 40 years, Caplan said.
Caplan said this is not privatization because the public sector maintains ownership of the hospitals.
He also rejected criticism from the New Democratic party that the new financing is a waste of money that will go toward lining the pockets of private investors.
Under alternative financing, the private investors guarantee delivering the project on time and on budget and pay any penalties if they fail.
"In fact, we will save considerable dollars," Caplan said.
Completion of the LHSC and St. Joseph's projects will empty the South Street hospital and the two former psychiatric hospitals.
South Street sits on city land and LHSC has promised to return it to the city in a green-field condition, said Controller Gord Hume.
The psychiatric hospitals are owned by the Ontario Realty Corp. Spokesperson Jim Butticci said Ontario Realty would first offer the facilities to other government ministries and then other levels of government. If none wanted them they would be put on the market.
The province has earmarked $5 billion for hospital projects over the next five years.

[Dr Nevergold]

How much do the affordable apartments go for, and what kinds of requirements do they have for leasing?

Are there any similar condo projects for more affordable housing?

[ldoto]

Downtown London's historic Duffield Block could soon return to its artistic roots.

Photographer Mike Mullan is in the process of renting the second floor of the building at Dundas and Clarence streets from owner Shmuel Farhi.

Mullan will take a portion of the fully-renovated, 5,000-square-foot space for his business, mlm photography. He plans to sublet the rest of the floor to other "artists and creative businesses."

Mullan said tenants in the building will have access to a common waiting area, kitchenette, bathrooms and a boardroom.

Bringing creative businesses together under one roof and sharing some amenities would return Duffield Block to its artistic origin as a concert hall.

Spettigue Hall opened in 1871 with a concert featuring a soprano from Detroit, backed by a 50-person chorus and an orchestra. There is also a legend that famed London artist Paul Peel had his first lesson in the building.

The building was renamed after it was purchased by the Duffield family and it later became home to the City Gas company.

Mullan said he already has some prospective tenants lined up.

He said the building's historic roots and high visibility will be appreciated by creative businesses who value downtown locations.

"I live in the downtown and I believe in the downtown," he said.

[ldoto]

A Toronto-based company, described as one of the biggest players in London's apartment building market, added to its holdings yesterday.

TransGlobe Property Management announced it closed the purchase of 563, 573 and 583 Mornington Ave.

The purchase price wasn't divulged, but George Georgopoulos, senior sales associate of Sutton Group Select Realty Inc., said the vendor was asking $50,000 a unit for the 386 units involved.

It's likely the buildings sold for less than the $19.3 million asking price, he said.

"There was a lot of interest in the buildings because there's not a lot available right now," said Georgopoulos, who was not involved in the transaction. "It's a decent purchase by a good company."

The three towers, located near Oxbury Mall southwest of Highbury Avenue and Oxford Street, are known as the High Park Place apartments and are classified as condominium properties.

They were holdings of the Taft Forward Property Management Group and principals Morris Kaiser and Shlomo Sharon of Toronto.

TransGlobe president Daniel Drimmer said the buildings are in an attractive area of London, not far from Fanshawe College.

"They haven't been particularly well maintained, but we'll be upgrading them, starting on Monday."

Upgrades will include facelifts to lobbies and corridors and installation of "energy-efficient and environmentally friendly features," Drimmer said.

TransGlobe entered the London market in a dramatic fashion in July 2002, when the company bought 22 apartment buildings containing 2,270 units from local property owner and developer Tony Graat at a cost a local realtor estimated at more than $160 million.

Before yesterday's purchase, the company owned 25 buildings with about 2,500 units on Castlegrove Boulevard, Kipps Lane, Proudfoot Lane, Queens Avenue, Richmond Street, Talbot Street, Waterloo Street and Wonderland Road.

"I love London," Drimmer said. "I love the city for its strong diverse economy and its diverse demographics of students, seniors and families."

TransGlobe's focus is on affordable mid-market properties, Drimmer said, "not low-end and not luxury apartments."

"It's a good market for us because we're in it for the long term."

Dale Bensette, vice-president and associate broker with the Royal LePage commercial group in London, said TransGlobe has become one of the biggest players in the multi-family residence market.

"They're very aggressive and eager to buy good quality mid-market properties. They're a solid company. They have significant cash flows from their apartment properties and office buildings that allows them to buy more."

TransGlobe owns 10,000 apartment units and four million square feet of commercial space across Canada.

[ldoto]

Update!


Here are some Updated pics from the new above ground parking garage at 520 Talbot by Old Oak properties.

[MolsonExport]

In the newspaper today (London Free Press), it was mentioned that there is a strong possibility that London may get a new Honda Automotive Assembly plant. This would be huge news for the city, with thousands of direct/indirect jobs.

[ldoto]

A variety of factors make London a top contender with the automaker reported to be eyeing a new plant, observers say.






London is a leading contender to land a new Honda Canada auto plant, business and industry officials say.

The company is reportedly looking at building a third assembly operation, with Ontario the likely destination.

Observers said yesterday there are few places left in the province that a major assembly plant could be built.

But London -- factoring in cost, workforce, geography, transportation and proximity to suppliers and market -- is one.

Among the reasons why:


- Honda has exhausted the workforce in Alliston, where its two plants employ 4,000, said Gerry Fedchun, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association.

- High costs may keep Honda out of the Toronto area.

- The Kitchener-Woodstock corridor is "used up," Fedchun said, between the two Toyota plants in Cambridge, the Cami plant near Ingersoll and the new Toyota plant being built near Woodstock.

"They may skip over those areas and land in London," he said of Honda.

A new Honda auto assembly plant would be "west of Toronto and it will be close to Highway 401," said Carlos Gomes, automotive analyst with Scotiabank in Toronto.

"London is certainly a possibility -- you have the supplier base there," he said.

London, Brantford, Hamilton and Newmarket may contend for the plant, said Fedchun.

Chatham, he said, is too small a region and Windsor has a reputation for unionism. That will scare off the Japanese automaker, which doesn't have the Canadian Auto Workers union at its Alliston plants.

But even if it locates within an hour's drive of London, "it will still mean a big chunk of business" for the city, said Fedchun.

Honda, already an auto giant, is looking at increasing capacity in North America before the end of the decade because existing production won't be able to meet demand.

The company has quietly started the process of considering plans for a third assembly plant, likely in Ontario, media reports said yesterday.

The company has not made its intentions public.

The London Economic Development Corp. has contacted Ontario's Ministry of Economic Development and Trade to make its pitch to attract the plant, said John Kime, the corporation's president and chief executive.

"We already have our oar in the water on this one," Kime said. "We will compete very aggressively for this. We will figure out how to get to the right people at the automaker."

London has land available for a large plant, but it needs to be serviced and some of it is in private hands, said Kime.

Honda makes about 400,000 vehicles a year in Alliston.

"Honda's sales are taking off and they want to use Canada as a production base," said Gomes. "Canada has a cost advantage over the U.S. It has eroded, but it is still an advantage."

Wages are lower in Canada and low health-care costs also are attractive, he added.

Honda also has three major auto assembly operations in the U.S. and a small plant in Mexico.

It likely will make a decision within the next 12 to 18 months, in time to make new models for the North American market.

[ldoto]

Fontana urges London to bid for Honda plant





Federal Labour Minister Joe Fontana says London should go after a new Honda plant for Ontario, and he's willing to help out.

The Japanese auto giant, which has two assembly plants in Alliston and three major plants in the U.S., including in Ohio, is reported to be considering a new southern Ontario auto plant.

Fontana, Liberal MP for London-North-Centre, said Prime Minister Paul Martin helped land the new $800-million Toyota plant for the Woodstock area and could do the same thing for London.

"I'd very much like to see London make a pitch for Honda," Fontana said after yesterday's groundbreaking for the Toyota plant. "It should have made a pitch for Toyota."

Martin, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and other top officials were in Blandford-Blenheim, near Woodstock, for yesterday's event.

Martin visited Toyota's world headquarters in Japan in January and pitched Ontario to the former president of the automotive giant.

Toyota acknowledged yesterday Martin played a key role in the decision to build Ontario's first entirely new auto plant in nearly 20 years.

Fontana said he hopes Honda will build its third Ontario plant in London.

Asked if he'd want Martin to unleash his powers of persuasion again, this time on Honda, with a trip to Japan, Fontana said: "If that's what it will take, I'll go with him. I'll even practise Japanese."

Fontana said Toyota never would have come to Canada if Martin hadn't intervened.

"He indicated personally he wanted that to happen," Fontana said. "I think he snatched it away from the United States, big time."

Honda reportedly is looking for a plant some distance from its two in Alliston, possibly in Southwestern Ontario.

The automaker is facing surging demand for its products, which has propelled it past Ford into third place in sales in Canada, and wants to increase production.

Ontario officials figure the province has the inside track.

"I am extremely optimistic that they will choose Ontario for the same reason that Toyota is expanding here," said Joe Cordiano, Ontario's economic development and trade minister.

McGuinty said Ontario's quality workforce, combined with medicare, is "one of our biggest competitive advantages" to attract automakers.

A decision by Honda is expected in 12 to 18 months.

Traditionally, Japanese auto officials keep a tight lid on expansion plans

[ldoto]

London gets another auto parts plant

Wed, October 12, 2005





London has landed another automotive parts plant, its second in a week, the London Economic Development Corp. announced yesterday.

Warren Industries, which makes stamped and welded assemblies for the North American automotive market, will open an 85,000-square-foot plant in London, employing more than 80 people.

"We did a great deal of research before deciding on London as the site of our new facility," said Ian Higgins, Warren's chief financial officer.

"As a world-class supplier to the automotive sector, we believe the infrastructure, vision and skilled workforce in London will allow us meet the challenges of the future."

Gerry Fedchun, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers Association, said London's location and resources have made it attractive to parts makers.

"Where you are located is terrific. It is an excellent location between Toronto and the U.S.," Fedchun said. He added that London also has a "high quality workforce."

Warren has bought about 16 acres in the Forest City Industrial Park at Cheese Factory Road and Global Drive. Construction will begin in 2006, with production starting by this time next year.

"This is a company that supplies to other companies in London and they wanted to be closer to their customer base," said John Kime, LEDC chairperson and chief executive. "We worked closely with them and they came to the conclusion they have to be here."

Higgins also praised Kime and the LEDC for "how receptive and forward thinking the city was in their approach to economic development."

Forest City Industrial Park is almost filled, less than three years after it opened, said Kime.

Arkal Industries from Israel last week announced it will open an auto parts plant in the city, employing 15. In the past five years, London has landed eight other automotive assembly plants.

"You have a great economic development corporation and the person running it does a great job," Fedchun said of why London is successful