Toronto Pan Am Village in the West Don Lands | ?m | ?s | DundeeKilmer | KPMB

Nice photo - for those who can't place it it is of the new Bayview Avenue taken from the Eastern Avenue Diversion bridge.They have already paved the area south/west of here to Cherry Street and, as shown in the photo, are getting ready to pave the section from where Bayview now ends to here. The City has started to put up traffic lights at King and River Streets and is moving some TTC poles that are in the way and I understand that they hope to open the new Bayview and Mill or Front Streets before the end of December and then will close off the current southern end of Bayview, where it goes up to King/Queen.
 
DC83 said:
I'm not being 'ironic', no. I'm serious - it's sad that the main purpose of the PanAms (you know, Amateur Sport Development) has been lost/forgotten amongst "what really matters" ie: brownfield development.
This whole thing is a PanAm Sham (to quote Hamilton Ward 4 Councilor Sam Merulla who called it as such well before we were handed the games)
Click to expand...

At this stage in the game (just after the preceding Pan Am to Toronto), Calgary's newsflow was all about construction (Saddledome, UC skating rink), boondoggles (Nakiska), etc. Not until the sled run and ski jump were finished were people concentrating on 'OK, what's this luge thing anyway' and finding out about the athletes. By the time 1988 rolled around, it was all about the athletes both stellar and silly (Jamaican bobsled team, Katerina Witt vs. Liz Manley, etc.)

Assuming the construction comes in on plan, or nearly so, there will be lots of time to celebrate the athletes.
 
I'm anxiously awaiting the raising of the hydro poles. You know, to add some heritage and messy urbanism to the area.
 
Riverdale Rink Rat said:
At this stage in the game (just after the preceding Pan Am to Toronto), Calgary's newsflow was all about construction (Saddledome, UC skating rink), boondoggles (Nakiska), etc. Not until the sled run and ski jump were finished were people concentrating on 'OK, what's this luge thing anyway' and finding out about the athletes. By the time 1988 rolled around, it was all about the athletes both stellar and silly (Jamaican bobsled team, Katerina Witt vs. Liz Manley, etc.)

Assuming the construction comes in on plan, or nearly so, there will be lots of time to celebrate the athletes.
Click to expand...

LOL you seem to forget the major socio-economic/cultural differences between 1988 Calgary and 2011 Toronto - Try getting a Busy Business Person to sit down and watch a slow Track & Field event, or an immigrant from south-Asia to watch a Court Volleyball sesh. (not being racist, just using generic examples)

I guarantee you, come 2015, the only people mentioning the PanAm Games will be sponsor-paid media and politicians. Torontonians will enjoy their new Park, but will have no interest in a third(to fourth)-rate sporting event. Venues will be mostly empty; more-so at the non-Toronto venues such as Soccer in Hamilton. The only place I forsee a crowd is Rowing at St Kitts' Henley Regatta.

Toronto has a 'World-Class-City Complex' already, and hosting an event which will be watched mainly by South American nations (and Mexico) and not Americans will certainly not generate the buzz McGuinty is praying for.
 
Tewder said:
I'm anxiously awaiting the raising of the hydro poles. You know, to add some heritage and messy urbanism to the area.
Click to expand...

Apart from the huge Hydro towers along the Don itself I think all the wires in the WDL will be underground and if you look at the streetlight poles they have put up on Mill Street east of Cherry they actually look very good. I assume they will be used throughout.
 
DC83 said:
LOL you seem to forget the major socio-economic/cultural differences between 1988 Calgary and 2011 Toronto - Try getting a Busy Business Person to sit down and watch a slow Track & Field event, or an immigrant from south-Asia to watch a Court Volleyball sesh. (not being racist, just using generic examples)

I guarantee you, come 2015, the only people mentioning the PanAm Games will be sponsor-paid media and politicians. Torontonians will enjoy their new Park, but will have no interest in a third(to fourth)-rate sporting event. Venues will be mostly empty; more-so at the non-Toronto venues such as Soccer in Hamilton. The only place I forsee a crowd is Rowing at St Kitts' Henley Regatta.

Toronto has a 'World-Class-City Complex' already, and hosting an event which will be watched mainly by South American nations (and Mexico) and not Americans will certainly not generate the buzz McGuinty is praying for.
Click to expand...

I lived in 1988 Calgary and I live in 2011 Toronto. I'm well aware of the cultural differences. Socio-economic?? What the heck is THAT supposed to say/imply? Personally, as a former rugby player, I'll get tickets to the 7s with some friends. Probably take in a couple of things down at UT. See what the girls want to see.

If they try to price this like it's an Olympics, it'll fail. But, if they price reasonably cheap, I'll bet a ton of the sporting types in a greater city of 5 million will take in an event or two. The Pan Ams is not the Olympics, to be sure, but I bet you have sell outs for the premier track events, the swimming finals, the soccer, and some decent crowds for a lot of other stuff.

The 'Busy Business Person' is probably not going to take in much. But the '4.95 million others of us' will probably have a little fun with it.

Lastly -- enough with the 'World Class City Complex' silliness. The only people in Toronto that have a 'World Class City Complex' are those of you who spend so much time trying to point it out. The rest of us will relax and enjoy a couple of events, welcome some people to the city, have a pint at a 7s game.
 
Here's some photos I took last weekend and didn't have the time to upload.

The connection to the Don Trail is blocked, but otherwise ready to go. The skyline view is great from here, and will be amazing from the top of the berm.

6346246606_da38bce488_b.jpg


6345499751_456f1bedba_b.jpg


6345495719_8514864831_b.jpg
 
The first of the Pan Am permits are being applied for this one will eventually be the student residence for George Brown:

Application: New Building Status: Not Started

Location: 475 FRONT ST E
TORONTO M5A 1G9

Ward 28: Toronto Centre-Rosedale

Application#: 11 330588 BLD 00 NB Accepted Date: Dec 23, 2011

Project: Multiple Use/Non Residential New Building

Description: Proposal to construct a 9 sty student residence and a 2 sty communicty sports facility with 1 level of below grade parking. PAN-AM. BLOCKS 1 & 14.

This one is for affordable housing after the Games.

Application: New Building Status: Not Started

Location: 475 FRONT ST E
TORONTO M5A 1G9

Ward 28: Toronto Centre-Rosedale

Application#: 11 330642 BLD 00 NB Accepted Date: Dec 23, 2011

Project: Apartment Building New Building

Description: Proposal to construct a 10 sty residential building with 1 level of below grade parking. 108 units. Affordable Housing. PAN-AM. BLOCKS 2 & 3.

Both also have the address 425 Cherry St. so I assume they have not really decided which addresses they will end up with.
 
The missing 100+ yards of the new Bayview Avenue (south of Eastern overpass) got its concrete base the other day (how can they pour concrete in December/January??) and one of the guys told me today that they expect to lay the asphalt "this week". The contractors were also unloading light standards today from where the new Bayview begins (just below the Queen/King bridge over the Don over to the new Lower River Street. The City originally wanted WT to finish the new Bayview by December 31 but they look likely to make an end-January deadline. As soon as it's finished the current southerly end of Bayview (up to River Street between King and Queen will be permanently closed and drivers will have to go on the new road until they cut back along the new Lower River Street. Apparently the Mill Street section east of Cherry will NOT open for a while as it is in the middle of the Pan-Am Village construction. When the new Bayview opens I think they will open most of the new Don River Park.
 
What's happening with the Queen/King triangle once they demolish the connection to Bayview? I know it's supposed to be some kind of open pedestrian space, but are there any designs for it yet? It's an odd space. I'm having a hard time picturing what it might become.
 
So how close to reality will those renderings be ? I'm referring to public realm elements i.e. trees / lighting / paving ..... ?
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top