Novae Res Urbis: 1 Bloor in Trouble - 80 storey condo stalls
additional report from Novae Res Urbis ... some info repeated ~
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Friday, July 24, 2009
The vacant lot at the southeast corner of Yonge and Bloor streets will likely stay vacant for the time being. Bazis International, the Kazakhstan-based developer behind the ambitious 80- storey 1 Bloor condo tower, has been waging a court battle this week against efforts by local lenders to force the project into receivership.
Michael Gold, head of Bazis’ North American arm, called the court proceedings a “back-door acquisition†of the prime location in a statement released on Monday. Bazis had taken out a $46-million loan from French bank Société Générale. When the bank ran into financial troubles a group of Toronto lenders bought up the loan. Bazis is in default on the loan, a situation which Gold attributes to the ongoing global financial crisis.
“Bazis was caught by events well beyond its control,†Gold said in Monday’s press release. “It has been impossible for any developer to arrange financing on projects of this scope because of the sub-prime meltdown and its impact on lenders.â€
However, Gold pointed out that on July 13 Bazis bought Hayden Street, a lane bordering the site’s southern end, from the city for more than $1 million, asserting that the developer still plans to go ahead with the project. In Monday’s statement, Gold asserted that “you don’t spend $1 million on something like that if you are not committed.â€
A court decision on Monday has given Bazis until mid-August to finalize the financing required to replace the defaulted loan.
“We anticipate paying off that debt obligation and successfully resolving what has been a challenging situation for Bazis, a large number of buyers and commercial and retail leases at 1 Bloor,†Gold said in a statement released on Tuesday.
When contacted through a public relations representative, Gold declined to comment further, citing the ongoing court case.
Briar de Lange, general manager of the Bloor-Yorkville BIA, told NRU that the news is “a big disappointment.â€
“It would have been a huge improvement to the corner,†de Lange said. “The concern now, if it’s not moving ahead and there isn’t going to be a new buyer and a new proposal put through in fairly short order, is that we’re left with a fairly desolate corner.â€
She added that the ongoing improvements being made to that area’s stretch of Bloor Street would stand in stark juxtaposition to the lot if it is left as is for a lengthy amount of time.
“If it’s going to sit vacant for an extended period of time, we certainly hope that the owners will clean up the site to some extent,†commented de Lange. “Given all the improvements that we’re doing to Bloor Street, we don’t want an eyesore left on the corner.â€
When the project was officially launched in October 2007 the developer stated that occupancy would begin by the end of 2011. The original plans for the tower included three floors of retail and a six-storey, 132-room hotel on the lower floors and more than 500-condo units above. (See NRU-Toronto Edition, March 23 and November 2, 2007.)