adma
Superstar
Well, it may be a North York vs Downtown Toronto thing, but I *can* more likely see a Concord Park Place go the St. James Town route than Cityplace, demographically speaking...
Toronto Discovery at Concord Park Place | ?m | 28s | Concord Adex | BDP Quadrangle
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
From the Post:
$2B project would reshape North York
42-acre site; Cozy boulevards and a cluster of highrises foreseen
Zosia Bielski, National Post
Published: Tuesday, May 15, 2007
The largest condo development in North York's history was unveiled yesterday on a 42-acre industrial brownfield on which will be built 20 high-rises and an eight-acre park.
Construction will start this summer on the $2-billion Concord Park Place and take a decade to complete. It will house approximately 10,000 people -- from empty nesters to young families -- in 5,000 units on land once owned by Canadian Tire near Ikea on Sheppard Avenue East.
The project is headed up by Vancouver-based developer Concord Adex, which is also responsible for Toronto CityPlace, the condo towers that sprouted around SkyDome.
The towers at Concord Park Place are between six and 28 storeys. Willowdale councillor David Shiner said Concord agreed after negotiations with the city and local residents' groups to build the taller towers closer to Highway 401 and the lower buildings closer to Sheppard Avenue East.
"That's meant to not impact the neighbouring community with shadows. This development has support from the neighbouring communities when it was designed ... unlike others that have been controversial," Mr. Shiner said yesterday.
Early renderings show cleanlined glass towers and cozy, leafy boulevards. A community centre, daycare, new shops and a town square are also part of the plan.
At yesterday's launch, which drew approximately 500 developers and real estate types, Premier Dalton McGuinty painted an idyllic portrait of a "community in the making," even quoting Winston Churchill:
"First we shape our buildings, and then they shape us, which means that the physical spaces that we design and layout in fact have a profound influence on how we relate to one another. What I really like about Concord Park Place is the very deliberate intention to erect more than just buildings."
Mr. Shiner also gave guests an abridged version of the neighbourhood's history, which traces back to the early 1800s, when Thomas Clarke founded Clarke's Settlement: "There was no tavern or hotel because Thomas Clarke did not believe in liqour," noted the councillor.
In the mid-1800s, the community became Oriole Village, "because of the many black and orange birds in the area, which we're hoping with this new development, will return," Mr. Shiner said. (Only a family of Canada geese grazed by the construction hoarding yesterday.)
In the mid-1950s, the area became industrialized, and eventually dilapidated, save for the shiny Ikea on Provost Drive.
"I remember as a kid, we used to dream of getting out of here," recalled fashion maven Jeanne Beker, North York native who emceed yesterday's announcement at the site.
"But now, as many of us are getting older, many of us are remembering that there truly is no place like home, and a lot of us are wanting to reconnect with our roots. That's why this place is going to really resonate so wonderfully with us."
Chief executive Terry Hui has marketed Concord Park Place as both green and futuristic. So far, the only green principles in evidence are the neighbouring Bessarion and Leslie subway stations on the Sheppard line, opened in 2002. Alan Vihant, vice-president of development for Concord Adex, also noted a geothermal heating and cooling system, energy efficient appliances and a hybrid shuttle bus service that will deliver residents to local shops and the subway.
Zbielski@nationalpost.com
_______________________________________________
There are two fuzzy, impressionistic renderings of the project in the paper that doesn't tell much.
AoD
$2B project would reshape North York
42-acre site; Cozy boulevards and a cluster of highrises foreseen
Zosia Bielski, National Post
Published: Tuesday, May 15, 2007
The largest condo development in North York's history was unveiled yesterday on a 42-acre industrial brownfield on which will be built 20 high-rises and an eight-acre park.
Construction will start this summer on the $2-billion Concord Park Place and take a decade to complete. It will house approximately 10,000 people -- from empty nesters to young families -- in 5,000 units on land once owned by Canadian Tire near Ikea on Sheppard Avenue East.
The project is headed up by Vancouver-based developer Concord Adex, which is also responsible for Toronto CityPlace, the condo towers that sprouted around SkyDome.
The towers at Concord Park Place are between six and 28 storeys. Willowdale councillor David Shiner said Concord agreed after negotiations with the city and local residents' groups to build the taller towers closer to Highway 401 and the lower buildings closer to Sheppard Avenue East.
"That's meant to not impact the neighbouring community with shadows. This development has support from the neighbouring communities when it was designed ... unlike others that have been controversial," Mr. Shiner said yesterday.
Early renderings show cleanlined glass towers and cozy, leafy boulevards. A community centre, daycare, new shops and a town square are also part of the plan.
At yesterday's launch, which drew approximately 500 developers and real estate types, Premier Dalton McGuinty painted an idyllic portrait of a "community in the making," even quoting Winston Churchill:
"First we shape our buildings, and then they shape us, which means that the physical spaces that we design and layout in fact have a profound influence on how we relate to one another. What I really like about Concord Park Place is the very deliberate intention to erect more than just buildings."
Mr. Shiner also gave guests an abridged version of the neighbourhood's history, which traces back to the early 1800s, when Thomas Clarke founded Clarke's Settlement: "There was no tavern or hotel because Thomas Clarke did not believe in liqour," noted the councillor.
In the mid-1800s, the community became Oriole Village, "because of the many black and orange birds in the area, which we're hoping with this new development, will return," Mr. Shiner said. (Only a family of Canada geese grazed by the construction hoarding yesterday.)
In the mid-1950s, the area became industrialized, and eventually dilapidated, save for the shiny Ikea on Provost Drive.
"I remember as a kid, we used to dream of getting out of here," recalled fashion maven Jeanne Beker, North York native who emceed yesterday's announcement at the site.
"But now, as many of us are getting older, many of us are remembering that there truly is no place like home, and a lot of us are wanting to reconnect with our roots. That's why this place is going to really resonate so wonderfully with us."
Chief executive Terry Hui has marketed Concord Park Place as both green and futuristic. So far, the only green principles in evidence are the neighbouring Bessarion and Leslie subway stations on the Sheppard line, opened in 2002. Alan Vihant, vice-president of development for Concord Adex, also noted a geothermal heating and cooling system, energy efficient appliances and a hybrid shuttle bus service that will deliver residents to local shops and the subway.
Zbielski@nationalpost.com
_______________________________________________
There are two fuzzy, impressionistic renderings of the project in the paper that doesn't tell much.
AoD
scarberiankhatru
Senior Member
St. Jamestown is nothing but rental apartments, right? Honestly, I don't see either 'Place' going that route.
unimaginative2
Senior Member
Just because you don't like Cityplace's streetfront retail doesn't mean that it's going to turn into St. Jamestown. None of the other waterfront condos seem to be heading in that direction.
lxmoss
Active Member
There was a time where the cityplace building's may have turned into a ghetto of sorts but since the value of the units have continued to rise it is extremely doubtful these building's will ever fall into the hands of people that would let it get to the same condition of an apartment building in St. Jamestown.
It is hard to find a unit that is selling for under $300,000 these days.
It is hard to find a unit that is selling for under $300,000 these days.
EnviroTO
Senior Member
I always worry about residential buildings that have balconies that some person might decide to use as storage.
Mike in TO
Senior Member
^ Condo Corp rules usually are very strict about what can and what cannot be placed on balconies. Condo rules are almost always much more strict then rental apartments.
Bogtrotter
Senior Member
Indeed, I've also heard of places that don't allow garish objects such as flags in windows. Conform or be cast out...
caltrane74
Senior Member
i thought the buildings would have been taller than 28 stories. But I guess this fits in with the area better.
Mike in TO
Senior Member
NORTH YORK MEGA PROJECT LAUNCHES
Concord Park Place promises small footprint
The long-awaited master plan for the former Canadian Tire site in North York is finally becoming a reality. Although the project is “mega†in size, Premier
Dalton McGuinty said, its “environmental footprint is decidedly small and shows what is possible ifwe commit to living green.â€
Concord Adex Developments Corporation unveiled its plans for Concord Park Place, North York’s largest ever condominium development on land bought late last year for approximately $150 million from Canadian Tire Ltd.
Modeled after the Vancouver-based developer’s other award-winning master planned communities, such as Vancouver Concord Pacific Place, the plans for the first phase of its $2-billion redevelop-ment promises a sustainable, mixed community.The first of 5,000 units begin construction next month on the 42
acres of prime land located between Bessarion and Leslie subway stations on Sheppard Avenue.
“Concord Park Place is a fitting name for our vision of revitalizing this part of North York,†said Concord CEO Terry Hui. “The name encapsulates the connected community that aims to create a lasting legacy for residents and the local community alike.â€
“This first phase will showcase Concord Adex’s ability to create a highly liveable and vibrant environment where residents will be able to interact with their community and neighbours while taking advantage ofeverything that the
City of Toronto has to offer.
The list ofconsultants on the project is impressive including a legal team from
Aird & Berlis; planners and architects from Quadrangle Architects Ltd., Page+
Steele Architects Planners,Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects and du Toit Allsop Hillier; designers from Gervais Harding Design Associates Inc.; and program managers,engineers,surveyors and planners from Marshall Macklin Monaghan Ltd.and The MBTW Group.
The master plan was developed and approved more than five years ago. Canadian Tire retained planner Wendy Nott(Walker,Nott,Dragicevic Associates Ltd.) to develop a master plan for the site located in a corridor
between Highway 401 and Sheppard Avenue East surrounding Provost Drive.
The site represented the largest redevelopment site along the new Sheppard
Avenue subway corridor.
With construction starting in the summer, Concord Park Place will take approximately 10 years to complete. Nott worked in close collaboration with the City of Toronto and senior planner Nimrod Salamon, as well as
representatives of the local community through a complex planning process to ensure that the proposed redevelopment was responsive to area needs and concerns, she said. The revitalization includes building a community centre, daycare facilities,a range of retail stores and a mix of high-and low-rise buildings with more than 4-million square feet of living space.
The redevelopment also includes an eight-acre park designed to be an "urban oasis" similar to the Cityplace park, a downtown park located west of Spadina Avenue and south of Front Street. Cityplace Park was designed by landscape architect Greg Smallenberg (Phillips Farevaag Smallenberg) and is the most significant privately-funded downtown Toronto park in decadeds. It will be completed in the spring of 2008.
Concord Park Place promises small footprint
The long-awaited master plan for the former Canadian Tire site in North York is finally becoming a reality. Although the project is “mega†in size, Premier
Dalton McGuinty said, its “environmental footprint is decidedly small and shows what is possible ifwe commit to living green.â€
Concord Adex Developments Corporation unveiled its plans for Concord Park Place, North York’s largest ever condominium development on land bought late last year for approximately $150 million from Canadian Tire Ltd.
Modeled after the Vancouver-based developer’s other award-winning master planned communities, such as Vancouver Concord Pacific Place, the plans for the first phase of its $2-billion redevelop-ment promises a sustainable, mixed community.The first of 5,000 units begin construction next month on the 42
acres of prime land located between Bessarion and Leslie subway stations on Sheppard Avenue.
“Concord Park Place is a fitting name for our vision of revitalizing this part of North York,†said Concord CEO Terry Hui. “The name encapsulates the connected community that aims to create a lasting legacy for residents and the local community alike.â€
“This first phase will showcase Concord Adex’s ability to create a highly liveable and vibrant environment where residents will be able to interact with their community and neighbours while taking advantage ofeverything that the
City of Toronto has to offer.
The list ofconsultants on the project is impressive including a legal team from
Aird & Berlis; planners and architects from Quadrangle Architects Ltd., Page+
Steele Architects Planners,Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects and du Toit Allsop Hillier; designers from Gervais Harding Design Associates Inc.; and program managers,engineers,surveyors and planners from Marshall Macklin Monaghan Ltd.and The MBTW Group.
The master plan was developed and approved more than five years ago. Canadian Tire retained planner Wendy Nott(Walker,Nott,Dragicevic Associates Ltd.) to develop a master plan for the site located in a corridor
between Highway 401 and Sheppard Avenue East surrounding Provost Drive.
The site represented the largest redevelopment site along the new Sheppard
Avenue subway corridor.
With construction starting in the summer, Concord Park Place will take approximately 10 years to complete. Nott worked in close collaboration with the City of Toronto and senior planner Nimrod Salamon, as well as
representatives of the local community through a complex planning process to ensure that the proposed redevelopment was responsive to area needs and concerns, she said. The revitalization includes building a community centre, daycare facilities,a range of retail stores and a mix of high-and low-rise buildings with more than 4-million square feet of living space.
The redevelopment also includes an eight-acre park designed to be an "urban oasis" similar to the Cityplace park, a downtown park located west of Spadina Avenue and south of Front Street. Cityplace Park was designed by landscape architect Greg Smallenberg (Phillips Farevaag Smallenberg) and is the most significant privately-funded downtown Toronto park in decadeds. It will be completed in the spring of 2008.
alklay
Senior Member
These articles keep talking about a 'green' community but mention nothing about any 'green' steps being taken (being able to walk to a subway is not 'green' anymore than much of downtown is 'green'). I will wait but I will be surprised (pleasantly) if the buildings take any serious 'green' measures (which begs the question as to why none of the Cityplace buildings were built with active 'green' steps).
Edward
Senior Member
Construction is certainly sooner then I expected. Wonder if investors from Concord's previous projects have already bought a big chunk of the units.
'Construction' is thrown around very vaguely in that article. My bet is that it means a sales office, not the first residential building. With so many towers to sell, no doubt Concord will want a semi-permanent structure just like they have down at CityPlace, on the site of the last building they intend to develop.
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ShonTron
Moderator
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"Construction" could mean the demolition of the CTC warehouse, which finally has demolition contractor signage on it.
Mike in TO
Senior Member
Construction could also mean infrastructure work - I would imagine that significant dollars would be required to upgrade water, wastewater, storm sewer capacity etc... with a multi-tower project this large the infrastructure requirements may mean the Concord would actually start construction on the non-residential portion soon soas to be prepared for residential construction sometime in 2008.