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Costco (42-46 Overlea Boulevard) Demolition of Heritage Building, Former Coca-Cola HQ

Amazing how sanctimonious UT can get about retail. Costco would be a considerable improvement to a decaying bottling plant, and its formula of 'cheap but in bulk' doesn't seem too out of place at East York crappy mall. (Although, to be fair, the mall looked better last week than I'd seen it in a while when I picked up my daughter from Bowlerama). Also, Costco would provide some jobs whereas the current state of affairs provides none.

Is there any way of severing the properties so the office could get a reno and repurpose? Maybe even KO would do their image a favour by doing the work and selling/leasing it with the caveat the signage/sculpture stays in place? From the overhead photos, it looks like you could sever & leave plenty of parking for Costco behind the office building (assuming they repurpose the plant rather than tear it down). Has that been put to KO?
 
Funny about the complaints about Costco. I live downtown near a quite pricey Metro. Anytime I have a car (Zipcar at that) and I'm in the suburbs I make a point of going to Costco. They are cheaper than Metro and I have no problem stocking up on non-perishables.

All they need to do is save the office component.
 
That said, Costco buildings are invariably utilitarian to the extreme with absolutely zero architectural worth. Considering the future alignment of the DRL and the possibility of a stop at Thorncliffe, one'd hope whatever is built by Costco will be temporary in nature.

AoD
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
That said, Costco buildings are invariably utilitarian to the extreme with absolutely zero architectural worth. Considering the future alignment of the DRL and the possibility of a stop at Thorncliffe, one'd hope whatever is built by Costco will be temporary in nature.

AoD
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Costco isn't known for being very adaptable, but there is an urban Costco near Chinatown in Vancouver, at the base of a condo tower:
https://maps.google.ca/?ll=49.27866...MBZGm09UCk7lkLItTHhBrQ&cbp=12,270.89,,0,-4.78

It's also adjacent to Stadium-Chinatown SkyTrain station.

I passed by here yesterday and yes, the office is worth preserving, and I'd like to see that reused somehow. But worrying about the DRL? It won't be open for at least 15 years and since big-box structures are so simple and disposable (especially with Costco as the sole owner, rather than a multi-tenant developer), I wouldn't see it as being a major problem.
 
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Juan_Lennon416 said:
Sorry but how does a Costco help the low-income people of Thorncliffe Park?
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https://twitter.com/johnparker26/status/384025947449470978, not to mention that Section 37 $ might be in play according to the Planning Department.

The local tenants association is either supportive or co-opted, depending on your point of view: http://globalnews.ca/news/844979/big-box-store-welcome-in-toronto-neighbourhood/

My mother in law is excited that she doesn't have to schlep to Warden from Yonge/Eglinton if this goes ahead but if they don't include a hotdog stand like Warden's it might be a dealbreaker.

While Costco does usually mean bulk they do sell clothes and other stuff which is a bit more portable - it's not just massive slabs of popcans. Also since the Costco will be "right there" it wouldn't be quite as necessary to make large trips as when you have to go to the burbs. The upfront membership is not nothing but at least for those who can't afford it, other area retailers like Loblaws Redway will now have to react to retain their customers.

As far as entry and egress is concerned, I'd agree that a gas station would put pressure on adjoining roads given what happened at Warden, although it got a bit better after they did a bit of internal traffic management and hired paid duty cops at peak. However, perhaps if Costco would come to an arrangement with the City and CP to convert Village Station Road into a public road... The Esso on Millwood (which sits on the exit of Village Station Road is probably quite unhappy that their profit margins are about to take a dive.

If Village Station did become a through road then the question of the Redway connection to Bayview might resurface, but probably one for Transportation if it happens rather than Projects and Construction :D
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
Considering the future alignment of the DRL and the possibility of a stop at Thorncliffe, one'd hope whatever is built by Costco will be temporary in nature.
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Threading a subway N-S through Thorncliffe to get an Overlea/TPB stop will involve tearing down more than Costco. If it runs under Overlea from a bridge west of Millwood turning toward the T-junction north of the bridge, then clearly a lot of decisions may be made about land uses in the 2025-2030 timeframe which the DRL seems to be sliding towards.
 
Costco

dowlingm said:
Threading a subway N-S through Thorncliffe to get an Overlea/TPB stop will involve tearing down more than Costco. If it runs under Overlea from a bridge west of Millwood turning toward the T-junction north of the bridge, then clearly a lot of decisions may be made about land uses in the 2025-2030 timeframe which the DRL seems to be sliding towards.
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I agree with many of the points that were raised so far. I've lived in the area since 1998 and I've been shopping in Costco (on Warden) for the past 10 years. There are many things that someone can get from Costco for cheaper price than other stores: Medication, Vitamins, Soap, Coffee, etc. It is true that someone ends up with a much bigger quantity that he would need but many times these items are non-perishable. My biggest concern about Costco opening in Thorncliffe is the traffic. The traffic is already bad on Overlea blvd and adding a 627 car parking lot and a gas station will aggravate the issue. Many TTC buses go thru the area (#25, 100, 81, 88) so the traffic situation will be very bad. So, I have mixed feelings about this
 
So is the former Coca Cola headquarters being demolished for certain? The thread title is misleading. It's not a heritage building; at least not yet.
 
Looks like the Coke building is not long for this world. Fencing up and heavy equipment on site. I guess Costco wants a fait accompli before even a smidgen of heritage opposition can be mobilized.

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Rezoning application to permit a one-storey, 14,543 square metre retail warehouse facility (Costco Warehouse Membership Club), an ancillary 4 island, 8 pump gas bar and 607 surface parking spaces. The existing office building and bottling plant formerly occupied by Coca Cola Refreshments Canada would be demolished. An application for Site Plan Approval has also been submitted.
 
Hasn't this building already been listed? I swear, if this is demolished, F our heritage system.

Costco, why don't you put the parking below grade -- that way customers can have access to the store, in the winter, via an underground parking garage (a la the Loblaws Superstore at Don Mills & Eglinton)? What an absolutely poor use of space to waste on surface parking.

Why can't the former Coca Cola headquarters and glass portion of the bottling plant be retained? Tear down the brick portion of the plant, and build on top of that and the extant parking lot. There's plenty of room on this site that makes it possible to keep the heritage buildings in tact.

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