[sparky212]

This sounds promosing:banana:

Centretown proposal unveiled
DEVELOPMENT PROJECT: Seniors and shoppers would fill the space in the 72-unit apartment building complex

By RANDY RICHMOND, THE LONDON FREE PRESS

Last Updated: 3rd February 2010, 7:32am

An apartment project is planned for the old home of Centretown Mall. A 72-unit apartment building complex with six street-level stores would rise above a key but long neglected part of Dundas Street under a proposal unveiled Tuesday night.

By next year, seniors and shoppers would fill the space that was once home to the Centretown Mall at 637 Dundas St. between Adelaide and Lyle streets.

"I am a big fan of downtown redevelopment," the property's new owner Jens Stickling said.

"I thought that this was one of the keystones in the turnaround of east London."

The idea of replacing the deteriorating former mall and parking lot with stores and affordable apartment units pleased many people at an open house held at the Old East Business Improvement Area office.

But several people suggested the early designs could be improved.

"I am just hoping everything they do does blend in with the streetscape we have there," said Ken Keane, owner of Centretown Pawnbroker a few buildings west of the site.

"But the concept and basic setup looks good. We are looking forward to having something productive in that area."

A seniors building would be a good addition to the area, said Old East resident Todd Lancaster "It would be nice if the streetscape looked a little better, but it's a nice design. It's a good concept."

The plans call for two buildings on one lot.

One is a nine-storey, 60-unit apartment building fronting on Marshall Street, which runs south of and parallel to Dundas St.

The second is a three-story building fronting Dundas with six commercial units, about 800 square feet each, and 12 apartments.

There would be 57 one-bedroom units, eight two-bedroom units and seven units for disabled residents, said consultant Greg Playford.

The one-bedroom units would rent for $540 a month, and the two-bedrooms for $675 a month.

Residents would have to be 60 years or older to rent.

"There are a lot of seniors who want to stay in the area, and not a lot of good rental opportunities," Playford said. "These units will be modern and safe, with a controlled access."

Stickling has several properties in the core and completed the purchase of the mall's property late last year.

He's hoping city council will approve this spring a zoning change to allow the apartment tower, and allow shovels in the ground by April.

It should take about a year to complete the project, he said.

That would give him time to get the right mix of commercial uses in the Dundas Street complex, such as specialty foods and artists studios, Stickling said.

[ForestryW]

Sounds great...just hope they keep the stucco to a minimum.

[MolsonExport]

Any chance of getting rid of centretown pawnbrokers? I am sick of those three guys plastered on the LTC busses.

[manny_santos]

Any chance of getting rid of centretown pawnbrokers? I am sick of those three guys plastered on the LTC busses.

Don't even get ME started about the ads on LTC busses. On the New York City subway there's ads for TV shows and on the TTC there's ads for radio stations. On London Transit the ads are for pawnbrokers, condoms, debt relief, for-profit IT colleges, and GED diploma programs.

[MolsonExport]

"Westervelt College!!!!"

[SlickFranky]

Westervelt should stick to radio ads, so we can all continue enjoying possibly the greatest jingle of all time!

You all just sang it to yourselves....and, you're welcome.

[sparky212]

New promising now lets hope it starts when they said it will.:banana: in the render it looks like it has a mix of yellow brick and red brick fo five buisness fecads in an alternating pattern and the tower is red brick

A London site whose downturn 20 years ago signalled for many the Old East Village's demise will give way to a $12-million residential development.

And just as the closing of the former Hudson's store was considered a worrisome watershed in the 1980s, the revitalization of the long-vacant property -- the building will be demolished -- should prove to doubters the neighbourhood has rebounded, a community leader says.

"It has to do with what (Hudson's) means to a significant number of Londoners," said Sarah Merritt of the Old East Village Business Improvement Area. "People saw the demise of (that store) as the demise of the area.

"In the psyche of many . . . this will flag that significant revitalization is underway."

The looming demolition of the property at 637 Dundas St., known more recently as Centretown Mall, is the latest step toward construction of a 72-unit apartment complex of affordable housing for seniors.

Construction, near the Dundas-Adelaide intersection, is expected to start June 1.

It'll likely be a year before the redeveloped property, owned by Jens Stickling, will be complete, city officials say.

The city is now in the final stages of handing over $1.115 million in funding -- $15,000 per unit -- that'll accompany a provincial-federal infusion of $5.4 million. The government role is part of the Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program.

Financial incentives put in place by city hall, notably breaks on development charges, have helped spur several projects -- including a 150-unit development at the former Embassy Hotel site and a 600-unit one in Old East by Toronto-based Medallion Developments.

Neil Watson, the city's housing consultant, agrees this project could have "symbolic" value given its location.

Coun. Stephen Orser, whose ward includes Old East, considers it the perfect project for the neighbourhood.

Orser also hopes some apartments will attract seniors who've spent decades in Old East, but have perhaps lost a spouse or are looking to downsize. That, he says, could open up their homes to young families.

The two-building project at the former Hudson's site will include six commercial spaces with two levels of apartments above them and a nine-storey tower behind.

The rent for a one-bedroom will be $571 a month, including heat and hot water, Watson said. They'll be open to those 60 and older whose household income is no more than $34,000.

[MolsonExport]

I' m so happy, I just got to say it: Westervelt College!!!

[sparky212]

update the centre town mall is now half torn down:cheers: :banana: :banana:

[ForestryW]

Could someone post a link to the rendering?

[bolognium]

Biked by this afternoon and the building next to the concrete Centretown bunker is completely gone. Hopefully the actual mall building is soon to follow.

I'm so happy to see Centretown Pawnbrokers gone. About 5 or 6 years ago I had my bicycle stolen from my house. About 2 weeks later while walking down Dundas St. I find my bicycle in their pawnshop window. I walk in completely ecstatic to find my bike, but unfortunately I don't have a serial number as proof. So I rattle off a slew of changes I'd made to the bike (seat, tires, derailleur, etc.) only to be told that I could see that stuff through the front window (I couldn't). Finally after 15 minutes I convince the guy that this is my bike and get him to sell it to me for $100. In my excitement I make the mistake of mentioning I paid over $600 for this bike the summer before. That's when the scumbag tells me he actually has a buyer for the bike already and that it really wouldn't be fair to break the deal he made earlier.

I spoke with the police but unfortunately without a serial number, I had no real proof it was actually my bike. For 3 months my bike sat in that shithead's storefront before being sold.

Better believe I have my current bike's serial number safely tucked away in my computer desk.

[MolsonExport]

CTPB is gone? Their website is still up and running...plus I saw an LTC bus with their faces pastered on the side.

Bastards about the bike. They cannot traffic in stolen goods, but they always do. I ran a Toys R Us in Surrey BC, and down the road were 4-5 pawnbrokers, filled with our stolen electronic products. Shoplifting was incredibly rife, with a methodone clinic just down the road.

[MolsonExport]

http://www.ctpb.ca/

Welcome to Centretown Pawnbroker!
Since 1991 we have serviced the London and surrounding area community with unparalleled service. With our dedicated and highly trained staff, we provide a friendly and efficient atmosphere for our clients.



Working with law enforcement has always been an important part of operating a pawnshop. Centretown Pawnbroker complies with all federal, provincial and local regulations.

[Kokkei Mizu]

Could someone post a link to the rendering?

Here's a link to the development application:
http://www.london.ca/Planning/PDFs/Z-7737Dundas637.pdf

I couldn't find a rendering though, unfortunately... I would love to see it as well!

[bolognium]

CTPB is gone? Their website is still up and running...plus I saw an LTC bus with their faces pastered on the side.

Crap, I confused CTPB with a different place called The Pawn. The scumbag I was talking about ran the pawnshop at the base of the actual Centretown Mall building.

So yeah, I suppose I shouldn't be bad-mouthing CTPB. Although I don't feel too bad about it since most pawnshop owners are greasy scam-artists anyway.

[MolsonExport]

c'mon you gotta love the CTPB plastering the LTC busses.

[manny_santos]

c'mon you gotta love the CTPB plastering the LTC busses.

Not to mention being on the inside of almost every single LTC bus.

By the way, when searching for them on Google, SSP is now the second website that comes up.

[MolsonExport]

How's that for "unparalleled service", eh, CTP?

[bolognium]

Few pictures from today.

http://i.imgur.com/5eBPr.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/WEJnu.jpg

And this one's for Molson:

http://i.imgur.com/IXQz1.jpg

[MolsonExport]

Lots-o-changes in old east. Good ol St. Regis tavern. Anybody ever ventured inside? And in the photo above...the one and the only...Centre-Town-Pawnbrokers!

[MrSlippery519]

This should be topped out now essentially correct? Drove by last night and counted 9 stories however it looks like they still have rebar sticking out of the top so not sure if that is just for the finishing of the roof or what?

[K85]

Topped out
http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/2254/img2570o.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/85/img2570o.jpg/)

[haljackey]

Looks super-duper short, especially compared to the Crown on King.

[MrSlippery519]

It does look short even when driving by it's not terribly noticeable even though aside from the Crown it's double anything in the area. I am more interested in the impact it's going to have on Dundas between Adelaide and Lyle.

I hope that with this and the Crown it dramatically changes the quality and traffic for those business'.

[K85]

http://img840.imageshack.us/img840/6563/img2831v.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/840/img2831v.jpg/)

[Simpseatles]

^ Nice shot!

I don't mind the two buildings, but I don't really care for them all that much either. The generic red brick, while better than concrete or stucco imo, is getting a little overused. I wonder if the tower will also be clad in the same red brick. Although this development is fantastic for Old East, I think it certainly leaves a lot to be desired from a design point of view (especially when compared to the Crown on King).

[bolognium]

I'm actually liking things so far. The 3-story facade is fairly bland, but I'd definitely take this over a building that tries too hard and incorporates too many different materials. This building fits in pretty well with the surrounding streetscape. Plus I'd imagine signage and the storefronts themselves will add a good deal of spice. Agreed, it's fantastic for Old East.

And from what I remember the tower is supposed to be clad in yellow brick, though specs may have changed since then.

Thanks for the updates, K85. Now put that Al Bundy avatar back on.

[Simpseatles]

And from what I remember the tower is supposed to be clad in yellow brick, though specs may have changed since then.

.

Ooh, that would be nice to see. I hope that's what it does get clad in! :yes:

The other thing that I wonder about this development is how successful it will be in attracting seniors to a rather unsavory area. I realize that their presence should help to gentrify the area, but I'm just wondering how this will attract some of the senior crowd away from the typical developments way out in the burbs. Is it meant more for current Old East residents? :shrug:

[K85]

How in the sam hell did you remember that???

Thanks for the updates, K85. Now put that Al Bundy avatar back on.

[bolognium]

:previous: Haha, that's what I'm talking about.

[K85]

seriously though, how'd you remember?

[bolognium]

The other night I was browsing back a few pages in the London thread on SkyscraperCity. You made a post last year about the Terrasan condo in Old East being canned, and you still had that avatar on. I just find that Bundy avatar a little more awesome than the Cartman theme park one.

Wish I had a more exciting explanation. :haha:

[K85]

Fair enough, was hoping for an "I know Ed O'Neil" type one :D

[haljackey]

That's a pretty bland facade... hopefully it will look better when it's done.

[K85]

I'm desperately trying to figure out what kind of stores would fit those spaces...

I am having no luck in that. Maybe a timmies, maybe

[bolognium]

I can't imagine any chains moving into these storefronts. Maybe the new construction will entice a Timmies or something like that, but I think the majority of shops will be unique one-off places.

I'd really like to see at least one bar or restaurant move in there to add a little more after hours life to this section.

[sparky212]

And from what I remember the tower is supposed to be clad in yellow brick, though specs may have changed since then.
That it has they have started to clad the tower it is red brick sorry to burst the bubble

[K85]

Red and yellow on the front. Looks like crap, it isn't symmetrical.

[sparky212]

Crane is now down and brick is at 3rd floor

[Simpseatles]

Red and yellow on the front. Looks like crap, it isn't symmetrical.

Ya, why the heck would they do this? I'd rather they kept the whole facade red brick.

Hopefully they don't attempt to do this with the tower.

[K85]

Because whoever the project manager, in his or her infinite wisdom, said "durr, lets make it look like this, durr, and den all the pictures and people will like it, durr" People who building buildings in London REALLY need to have to be slapped by common folk sometimes. I work with disabled children, and I have a better eye for this stuff than those who work professionally for it... fucking sad... Should have stuck with architecture for a career.

[Kokkei Mizu]

Red and yellow on the front. Looks like crap, it isn't symmetrical.

Can we get some pictures please?

[K85]

Check my post from Feb 23, 2012, 8:06 PM

It goes red yellow red yellow red red

[Kokkei Mizu]

Yeah but that shows no yellow bricks. I could visualize it but I would prefer a picture if somebody is in the area.

[K85]

between the red???

[bolognium]

I don't mind the different coloured facades. I'm not drooling over this building or anything, but I'm fairly happy considering it's just an affordable housing complex. The yellow and red kind of helps to break up the building. Here's to hoping they can land some good tenants for those shiny new storefronts.

http://i.imgur.com/QIVCz.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/P9w8K.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/2AXsB.jpg

[MrSlippery519]

I actually like this from Dundas street, the different brick helps break things up. As you mentioned I also hope to see some decent storefronts which will slowly help that small section get some "good" life back into it.

[bolognium]

Last weekend I decided to take a couple pictures of the area behind Dundas. The little back alley (Marshall Street) is pretty bombed out, it'll be interesting to see if this building has any kind of impact.

http://i.imgur.com/5lqvR.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/4Px2b.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/qGO4O.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/YnQcT.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/5jdYp.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/etPM7.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/5yEsy.jpg

[MolsonExport]

^would have survived if only they had renamed it "Budweiner's Adult Emporium"

[Simpseatles]

From today, by me:

http://i1141.photobucket.com/albums/n596/Simpseatles/P9111642.jpg?t=1347483739

http://i1141.photobucket.com/albums/n596/Simpseatles/P9111650.jpg?t=1347483757

http://i1141.photobucket.com/albums/n596/Simpseatles/P9111644.jpg?t=1347483957

[haljackey]

Thanks for sharing but on gawd that facade is disgusting.

[FazDeH]

Thanks for sharing but on gawd that facade is disgusting.

agreed, but it's better then what was there before..

[K85]

Can we change this to completed?

[MrSlippery519]

agreed, but it's better then what was there before..

About a hundred times better yes...hopefully it will help spark some more work in the area as well.

[Whisper09]

Taken on 29/09/12

http://s7.postimage.org/sbno61n3v/fqwgaw_009.jpg

http://s12.postimage.org/a0sfw7hwt/fqwgaw_010.jpg

http://s16.postimage.org/xcmqv4tj9/fqwgaw_011.jpg

[Simpseatles]

^Great pictures! The area to the west of the tower looks like it could have been a nice little courtyard or garden, but unfortunately it looks like it will just be parking.