TORONTO | Highrise Developments Compilation Thread

[CHAPINM1]

Originally Posted by caltrane74

Seems for a 700ft tower its no big deal for Torontians. Everyone else seems pre-occupied with bigger and better things. I guess.

I would have thought people would actually care a big office tower is going up in our city . But they dont

Hey you have someone else out there who cares too! Keep us updated with the construction and developments, and also when is Trump Toronto supposed to break ground? I haven't heard anything as to when it starts construction...

[TOBoy]

Is there any confirmation that Richmond Adelaide 3 is going through?

[TOBoy]

A forumer on UT (very good with information and secrets) says that Oxford has lined up a major tenant for the Richmond Adelaide Centre. Hard to believe we will have 3 office towers going up at the same time!

[caltrane74]

I am very skeptical about Richmond Adelaide. But ill put it in wait and see for now.

[SSLL]

I agree. Anything is better than the stump! And it'd be nice to have a PATH alternative to going through the Bay (especially when it's closed).

[neilioo]

Originally Posted by TOBoy

A forumer on UT (very good with information and secrets) says that Oxford has lined up a major tenant for the Richmond Adelaide Centre. Hard to believe we will have 3 office towers going up at the same time!

Well...if that forumer happens to be V&E then its probebly true..i hope its V&E

[neilioo]

Originally Posted by caltrane74

Seems for a 700ft tower its no big deal for Torontians. Everyone else seems pre-occupied with bigger and better things. I guess.

I would have thought people would actually care a big office tower is going up in our city . But they dont

I care!! Im so doing a diagram for the new west tower!
And heck...if we get some elevations soon for the east tower maybe ill do that one to

[TOBoy]

Here is the report with heights for the bay-adelaide Centre (Page 13). It still doesn't have any conceptual drawings for the east and north tower though, but it has the same basic drawings for the west tower.

West Tower: 50s - 218 metres (715 feet)
East Tower: 43s - 180 metres (590 feet)
North Tower: 49s - 162 metres (532 feet unchanged)

[SSLL]

From: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/serv...omment/Ontario/
_________________

Where's the cash for Spadina subway extension?
JEFF GRAY
Number crunchers at Queen's Park say federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's budget, despite boasting of a $1.3-billion cheque for public transit, doesn't include any money for the province's proposed Spadina subway extension to Vaughan.

And a spokesman for Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan said the Conservatives actually failed to provide a single cent in new money to the province for public transit in last week's budget.

"We don't consider it at all money for the subway [extension]," Sean Hamilton said. ". . . They're just moving pots of money around to someplace else."

Ontario, when it got a heads-up about the federal government's budget plans, told Ottawa that more money would be required to build the Spadina subway extension, for which the provincial Liberals announced $670-million in their March budget. But Mr. Hamilton said the province hasn't received a response.

The federal budget promises at least $500-million over three years for Ontario alone for public transit. But Mr. Hamilton says all of this money was either committed by former prime minister Paul Martin in the deal he made with the NDP to keep his minority in power last year, or it is cash transferred from a pact signed long ago between Queen's Park and Ottawa for funding meant for climate-change programs.

Meanwhile, Toronto Transit Commission officials are gearing up for a marketing campaign to make sure riders know that, as of July 1, they will be able to claim a tax credit on their monthly Metropasses, as promised in the federal budget.

And no wonder: The tax credit, if you can manage to keep track of your old Metropasses in order to claim it, provides enough of a discount that it may persuade riders to switch from tokens and tickets to a monthly pass.

Public transit activist Steve Munro had done all the math: The current Metropass costs $99.75, meaning you have to ride the TTC at least 47.5 times a month (at $2.10 a ride) to break even. (Most passholders ride the TTC much more than that.)

But if you get a 15.25 per cent tax credit on each pass, that effectively reduces the price to $84.54, or about the equivalent of a 40-ride break-even point. Forty tokens is about what you would use going to work and back on weekdays for four weeks, meaning all other travel, if you had a Metropass, would feel "free."

That could mean a big boost in Metropass sales, of the order that saw the TTC run out of the cards last year when it first made the pass transferable between different riders, TTC chief general manager Rick Ducharme told Dr. Gridlock.

TTC staffers haven't worked out how many more riders, or pass users, the tax measure will generate. But the more people use Metropasses, the better it is for the TTC. For one thing, passes are easier to administer, and don't involve moving coins around or dealing with constant lineups.

And they create habitual, regular riders, more likely to use the system in off-peak hours, when the TTC has extra capacity.

"We're very positive," Mr. Ducharme said. "It's a good-news story."

The TTC boss had no idea whether, buried in the blizzard of federal budget numbers, there was funding for the Spadina subway extension. But he said that since it will be an eight-year project, there will be lots of time to sort out how to pay for the thing.

Last week's column on the sometimes deadly mix of cyclists and trucks caught the attention of reader and cyclist David Weatherston, who laments the apparent belief of many cyclists that they have the "absolute right of way" when coming up behind a right-turning truck.

"Aside from the unreasonableness of this belief with respect to all other traffic laws," he writes, "it flies in the face of what sailors call the 'Gross Tonnage Law,' which states that a collision between a large vessel and a smaller one is always a catastrophe for the smaller, no matter how 'right' he may be."

[M II A II R II K]

This is supposed to be about highrise developments.

[SSLL]

From: http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/n...e-6b8114591166
__________________

Will the third time be a charm for long-delayed Bay-Adelaide project?

National Post
Published: Tuesday, May 09, 2006
An office tower at the corner of Temperance and Adelaide streets will likely receive approval from Toronto city councillors today -- for the third time in its blighted history. The long-delayed Bay-Adelaide project was first approved in 1988 and construction began on the 57-storey office tower. But following a crash in the real estate market, the project was halted, leaving behind the six storey "stump" that currently occupies the site. In 1999, the developer submitted a revised proposal to the city for 47-storey office tower but the plan collapsed when no tenant could be found. The current proposal calls for the demolition of the stump and the construction of a 62-storey tower in its place. Toronto and East York Community Council will consider the proposal today.

[TOBoy]

Thanks to AoD at UT

No objections as city approves two towers
Unanimous vote: Downtown office tower, Shangri-La Hotel to be built

James Cowan, National Post
Published: Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Proposals for tall buildings usually provoke outrage and controversy at City Hall, but Toronto councillors yesterday approved two major developments -- a five-star hotel and a 50-storey office tower -- with almost no debate.

Councillors have grappled with numerous skyscraper proposals in the past year, including the Sapphire Tower (which they opposed) and a new Four Seasons hotel (which was approved). But Toronto and East York Community Council yesterday unanimously endorsed the 50-storey Bay-Adelaide Centre at Bay and Temperance streets and a 65-storey tower at Adelaide Street and University Avenue that will likely become home to the city's first Shangri-La Hotel.

A lawyer for the hotel's developers marvelled at how easily the tower was approved.

"In a city where building high-rises is so confrontational, this is a project that seems to be at the right place, at the right time and without a lot of controversy," Stephen Diamond said, adding later: "It is a very positive sign, given how difficult it can be to get construction going in the city of Toronto."

Mr. Diamond noted no local residents have objected to the project. Indeed, the only concerns have come from historians worried about preserving the Bishop's Block, one of the oldest surviving buildings in the downtown core.

Completed in 1833, the building was originally part of a series of row houses built by John Bishop, a butcher. The building soon became one of Toronto's first hotels and later the Pretzel Bell Tavern, a hangout popular with the Maple Leafs.

The site's developer, Westbanks Projects Corporation, earned the support of the Toronto Preservation Board by promising to restore the building's facade to its original appearance and preserve any artifacts found on the site.

Because of extensive water and weather damage, the interior of the Bishop's Block will be demolished and rebuilt. It will likely eventually be reopened as a restaurant or bar.

"We think this is a great opportunity to restore a building that is dilapidating today," Mr. Diamond said.

Craig Heron, a history professor at York University, urged councillors to preserve as much of the existing building as possible.

"This stands as a golden opportunity for bringing into being a heritage site that preserves the memory of the hotel industry," Mr. Heron said.

City Councillor Joe Pantalone praised the project, noting it will occupy the last empty lot along the University Avenue promenade. "What this particular proposal does is bring a high level -- perhaps Shangri-La -- development to the city," Mr. Pantalone said.

"It preserves the Bishop's Block as a stand-alone building.... One can always do more, but one can always aspire for more, but one must also be happy with an excellent proposal."

Construction on the $400-million project will likely begin next summer. It is expected to be completed by 2010.

Several blocks east of the hotel, work is also expected to resume on the Bay-Adelaide Centre, a long-delayed office tower.

First approved by city council in 1989, the development was originally intended to be a 57-storey office tower. While construction began on the project, work halted after the commercial real estate market collapsed. For the past 20 years, the site has been occupied by an infamous six-storey "stump."

A plan to restart the project in 1999 as a 47-storey tower fizzled after an anchor tenant could not be found. Despite the development's spotty history, Carl Blanchaer, the building's architect, said the Bay-Adelaide Centre now appears ready to proceed.

"It's definitely happening this time," Mr. Blanchaer said. "The office market has turned around after being in a slump for a number of years, and we've seen a lot of activity in the downtown and a lot of interest in the project."

The revised plan backed by councillors yesterday calls for the construction of a 50-storey office tower, with two additional buildings planned.

The site currently occupied by the stump will become a public square.

The development will also add a missing piece to the PATH network of underground pedestrian walkways.

jcowan@nationalpost.com

OFFICES

Bay-Adelaide Centre

Purpose: Office tower

Storeys: 50

Bonus for the City:

New public square

Developer: Brookfield Properties Corporation

Construction Starts: Fall, 2006

Expected to be completed: Winter, 2008

HOTEL

180 University Avenue

Purpose: Five-star hotel

Storeys: 65

Bonus for the City: Restored Bishop's Block

Developer: Westbank Projects Corporation

Construction Starts: Summer. 2007

Expected to be completed: Summer, 2010

Bay Adelaide - 715 ft. (218 metres)

Shangri-la - 702 ft. (214 metres)

[Jularc]

^ That is great news for Toronto!

[SSLL]

From: http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Con...2154&t=TS_Home
______________________

Battle over a logo at new opera house
Naming rights cost hotel boss $20M
Insists on tree-shaped corporate brand
May 11, 2006. 01:00 AM
MARTIN KNELMAN
ENTERTAINMENT COLUMNIST

Behind the scenes of Toronto's long-awaited opera house — nearing completion at Queen and University — you might hear the strains of a Rossini-like comic aria concerning a tree.
The building happens to be named the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. And Isadore Sharp, chairman and CEO of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, which gave $20 million for naming rights in perpetuity, insists the sign on the University Ave. side has to include the company's branding tree logo.
Some beneficiaries of the Four Seasons gift have been whispering disgruntled comments about making the opera house look like a convention centre with huge trees plastered on all sides.
"Jack has voiced negative views about the tree," Sharp said in a phone interview yesterday, referring to architect Jack Diamond. "He asked us to reconsider. We agreed to talk about it."
According to the veteran hotel tycoon, his company has made major modifications. "We've told the opera company we don't need to have the huge sign on the Queen St. side as originally planned."
Indeed, Sharp is willing to settle for the small tree logo on one side of the building instead of signs on three sides of the building as earlier planned. And the single remaining tree logo will not be nearly as large as originally envisioned.
But Sharp is adamant that whatever its size, the logo tree on the University Ave. side of the opera house is a necessity. Without that trademark tree, he explains, "Four Seasons" is just a generic phrase that could refer to Vivaldi or any number of things that have nothing to do with his luxury hotel chain.
"Frankly, I don't see what the fuss is about. What really matters is that Toronto is getting one of the world's great opera houses, for which Richard Bradshaw deserves a lot of credit. And June 14 is going to be a great night for the city."
Bradshaw, general director of the opera company, and Diamond both declined to comment on the tree logo tussle.
As far as Sharp is concerned, his company's $20 million donation has to work both as a commitment to the community and as an investment that can be justified in business terms.
That tree logo is what seals the deal and establishes instant public awareness of a link between the hotel company and the opera house.
"It's quite a light, subtle sign," says Sharp, "but I can't help it if some people consider it crass. I'm not looking for credit, but we came along at a time when the opera company urgently needed a lead donor, and we gave them what they asked for. In the four years since the deal was made, we have reduced the size of what originally looked like a huge sign on Queen St., and we're not asking for much. In fact, I think we're really settling for second billing."
By that he means that the Canadian Opera Company will also have its name on the building, although exactly where and how is not yet clear.
"The matter of signage is very complicated," says Wendy McDowall, director of the capital campaign for the opera house, "and we have had a lot of discussions with all the parties involved, including the Four Seasons, trying to decide what works best and serves everyone's interests."
Sharp said he looks forward to attending the June 14 gala. At the post-concert $2,000-a-plate onstage dinner, the Four Seasons will have several tables for its top executives.
June 14 is also the date the opera company is due to receive a hefty cheque from the Four Seasons — which has been paying its $20 million in instalments.
By then, in the tradition of classic comic operas, this much ado about a tree image may have found its happy ending.

[neilioo]

Manulife Tower

Hey everybody, im wondering what you all think of the rumoured Manulife Tower, apparently a forumer over on UT with a very good track record has told people to expect an annoucment from Manulife Financial (3rd largest insurance company in the world and about to become a bank) proposing a 1000ft+ world HQ building for Manulife in Toronto.

At first i dismissed it but now that its being discussed more, especially on SSC, it seems more and more likely the more you hear about it. Apparently VofE (the informed forumer) has a few connections.

He is also mentioned an "educated guess" that Foster will be the designer...now that would be something!!
This is a big rumour on UT and SSC so i thought id mention it here incase you guys havnt heard about it yet.

[Tony]

What is VofE's exact track record anyway? I have serious doubts on this rumour at this time. Manulife already has significant office space in a number of different municipalities in Ontario. I wouldn't think they need a dedicated tower in Toronto.

The talk on SSC about this is more like teenaged hype without any basis in reality than anything. Last time I checked, the talk on UT was rather skeptical.

[neilioo]

Originally Posted by Tony

What is VofE's exact track record anyway? I have serious doubts on this rumour at this time. Manulife already has significant office space in a number of different municipalities in Ontario. I wouldn't think they need a dedicated tower in Toronto.

The talk on SSC about this is more like teenaged hype without any basis in reality than anything. Last time I checked, the talk on UT was rather skeptical.

His track record is.....pretty much perfect, id rather not go back and find all the stuff that hes talked about and predicted but its amazing how so much of the stuff he predicts come true. And seeing as some adult forumers are just as excited about it i wouldnt say its just "teenaged hype" even if that is part of it.
I remain skeptical offcourse (i think everyone is) but hey ya never know, if it turns out to be true there will be crazy celebration among the T.O forumers.

[WhipperSnapper]

"im wondering what you all think of the rumoured Manulife Tower"

I think it started as an educated guess that quickly turned to rumor and then insider information - one thing for certain, the guy has an ego and is probably relishing that all the 'teenagers' are viewing him as such a valuable, accurate resource

Not that I'm saying he necessarily doesn't have connections and is privy to scraps of information but he lost most of my respect with his passionate trust in Harry Stinson concerning Sapphire


a reminder

-demolition/site prep will begin in Sept/05
-financing has being secured through a partnership with a resort developer
-approval is guarranteed
etc.

[WhipperSnapper]

"His track record is.....pretty much perfect"

hardly

[neilioo]

Originally Posted by goodlookin'

"His track record is.....pretty much perfect"

hardly

hardly? Obviously you havnt seen much of what he has posted, people crap on him because of Sapphire...and yet NONE of you have any idea whether Sapphire will go up or not, Harry cpuld very well pull through, unlikely or not, so you cant judge someone based on somthing that is neither successful or dead..we simply dont know what will happen with sapphire.
Harry Stinson has actually personaly told me in e-mail that they are going ahead with the project and that its in the process of re-design...i will give him the benefit of the doubte..if he fails then so what..im used to being dissapointed, no big deal.
Seriously people...think of the glass as half full for once.