[drjohnnyfever]

Damn. Not another one.
Another what?

Large building? If that's what you meant, then I would reply "at least it has interesting architecture".

Place of worship? If that's what you meant, then I would reply "as a Christian I'm offended by your statement... but you are entitled to your opinion".

[ldoto]

Numbers show fewer vacancies, new loans and a positive vibe.

Yesterday was a good day for downtown London. :cheers:

"The downtown isn't just coming back, it is back," Bob Usher, London Downtown Business Association (LDBA) chairperson, declared at the group's annual meeting, held at a rapidly expanding art gallery owned by Jonathon Bancroft-Snell.

Numbers show fewer vacancies, new business loans, new street art and a positive response to a new revitalization strategy.

Owners of vacant property can apply for a tax reduction that in turn lowers the levy paid to the LDBA and Usher said the levy "clawback" has dropped from $85,000 to just $7,000 in the last five years, an indicator the downtown is in healthier times.

The LDBA also announced two new programs:

- An interest-free loan program for tenants who want to improve their business properties.

- The Spriet Trees -- 30, 4.5-metre metallic trees with multi-coloured leaves that will be installed as public art.

Earlier, at a board of control meeting, a new city plan for "downtown enterprise zones" received support.

It involves business incentives, tax holidays and a heritage district for a corridor of Dundas and Richmond streets.

Controller Gord Hume said the plan was "very well-received" and controllers had other suggestions, including improved lighting on downtown buildings.

Hume added that the current "lame duck" council can't make a financial commitment and the matter has been deferred until the new council takes office in December.

Hume expects the plan will be embraced by the new board of control because the only new member, Gina Barber, appears to be a strong downtown supporter.

At the LDBA meeting, five new "champions" were recognized for their contributions to the downtown.

Andy Spriet and Lindsay Elwood were honoured for the work with the LDBA and developers Joe Carapella, Jamie Crich and Bernie Bierbaum were recognized for recent residential projects their companies have built that have boosted the downtown population. :banana: :worship:

[ldoto]

A Century 21 survey shows London has been the second-hottest real estate market in Ontario for the last five years.

The semi-annual survey showed the price of a "typical" house in the London market was $220,000 last month, up 13 per cent in the last six months and 68 per cent over the last five years.

That ranked London second among 13 Ontario communities surveyed. The leader was the Beaches area of Toronto, where prices soared 106 per cent over five years.

Century 21 sales agent Sam Meddaoui said London had been a real estate bargain for years and has been catching up with other major markets in recent years.

"This is a great city and housing is still very affordable," he said.

There are signs the London market is slowing this fall, with more listings coming on the market, he said.

"The market is starting to dry up somewhat. It won't be the sellers' market it has been."

He said it may take some time for sellers to adjust their expectations, but more stable prices will be good for the market, helping London avoid the volatility seen in Toronto and Vancouver.

"The sellers have had some fun, now it's time for the buyer to have their fun."

Century 21 survey figures differ from those used by the London and St. Thomas Real Estate Board because they're based on a "typical" home -- in this case a two-storey home in the Byron area -- instead of accounting for all home sales.

Don Lawby, president of Century 21, predicts house prices will be stable across Ontario, saying Canada should escape the slump in housing prices seen in the United States.

The U.S. market has been skewed by "no-interest" mortgages and rules allowing homeowners to deduct mortgage interest from their income tax, he added.

"People start using their homes like an ATM. Once you start doing that, you treat your home as different vehicle rather than as a place to live." :notacrook:

[ldoto]

With nearly 11,000 suggestions to choose from, it's a toss-up which will be the taller order -- building London's newest high-rise, or naming it.

When Tricar Group began work on the $100-million, twin-tower apartment complex this fall, it invited Londoners to name the new downtown landmark in a contest offering more than $5,000 in prizes.

Nearly 11,000 submissions came in by the time the contest closed Friday. "The people of the city really seemed to embrace the contest. It's amazing," Joe Carapella of Tricar said yesterday. "We're really happy about it."

Many of the submissions are identical to others -- variations using the two street names, King and Ridout, where the towers are being built. Carapella and his staff will spend the next few days reviewing entries, the winner to be announced this Friday.

[FazDeH]

11000 entries? wow glad I submited 10995, I think I have a pretty good shot?! It is cool how there seems to be a ground swell of support for this project. Does anyone know the aprox. completion times the buildings?

[ldoto]

McKay-Cocker will construct the plant in Woodstock.

A London construction firm will build the new Toyota plant in Woodstock. :tup:

McKay-Cocker Construction is looking to hire more than 500 workers as it prepares to start construction on the $1.1-billion manufacturing plant, which will employ 2,000 when it begins production in 2008.

"We're thrilled. This is great for us," chief executive Paul Cocker said yesterday. "This is a very important, highly visible project and it is a real boost."

The company -- which is partnering with Michigan construction firm Walbridge Aldinger to build about 75 per cent of the massive job -- will double its staff of 150 and add another 400 workers through trades and subtrades to get the job done, he said.

"We will be hiring everywhere from Toronto to Windsor, but most of those people will come from here," said Cocker.

The deal comes at just the right time, helping to offset a cooling of employment in the auto parts sector, added Mike Ropp, training and apprenticeship co-ordinator for Local 1059, Labourers International Union in London.

"This is a huge win," Ropp said. "That much local work will mean job security for some workers."

Although area manufacturers have complained of a skills trade shortage, London has a 6.7-per-cent unemployment rate, meaning there are still workers available to get the job done, said Jeny Wallace, director of workforce development with the London Economic Development Corp.

"We have capacity. This is a clear indication of a fabulous spinoff for London and a great opportunity for London and area workers," she said.

The remaining 25 per cent of the jobs will be contracted to other firms, but McKay-Cocker and its U.S. partner will build:

- A 675,000-square-foot assembly building.

- A 185,000-square-foot paint shop.

- A 495,000-square-foot weld shop.

- A 45,000-square-foot utility building.

- Site work, which means paving and drainage for the area.

"We are very fortunate," said Cocker. "Now, we're just sitting down to staff it and schedule it and will start tendering it soon."

McKay-Cocker will also be looking for project managers, superintendents, labourers and carpenters.

The company has also won deals to build the $65-million Toyota Boshoku parts plant in Woodstock, which will supply Toyota with seats, door panels and floor carpets. And it's also contracted to tear down a shopping mall on the site.

In addition, McKay-Cocker will break ground tomorrow on Aisin Canada, a 140,000-square-foot auto parts plant in Stratford.

"We're a medium-sized company, but this increases our visibility, which is great. It may lead to other things," said Cocker.:banana:

[Snark]

..

[MolsonExport]

^Thanks for the info.

[ldoto]

The Winning Name for proposed 600-unit, $100-million twin tower apartment project in London's core is The Renaissance!:eek:

[FazDeH]

wow original,...

[ldoto]

Renaissance rises to top as name for towers for towers

Sat, December 2, 2006

By HANK DANISZEWSKI, FREE PRESS BUSINESS REPORTER



The Renaissance is rising in downtown London.

That's the name chosen from 11,000 suggestions for the new $100-million, twin-tower apartment project now under construction by Tricar Group.

The name came from Londoner Gordon MacPherson and was announced at a champagne reception at Covent Garden Market last night.

"I was totally shocked. My wife called me at work and I jumped right out of my seat," said MacPherson, who works at Carlson Wagonlit Travel and had to keep his win a secret.

He and his wife, Joanne, will get a $5,000 prize package, including a vacation on the Mayan Riviera, and a $1,000 downtown shopping spree.

MacPherson wasn't the only one to suggest the name Renaissance for the new London landmark, but was deemed the winner because he submitted the name first.

Tricar owner Joe Carapella said he was overwhelmed by the response to the contest and chose Renaissance as the most appropriate name.

"It really describes what's happening in downtown London . . . It means rebirth, revival and that's what is happening in the core," he said.

[ldoto]

Update!

Tristar works on preparing the foundation of the new double-tower residential development at the corner of Ridout and King streets this week.:cool:
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a138/ldoto/2006/Ldn20061128SB_twintowers1.jpg

[ldoto]

With courage, strong planning and lots more people, London's core could be Ontario's envy, expert says.:tup:

By JOE MATYAS, FREE PRESS REPORTER





A courageous city government armed with strong planning and urban design principles could make London the envy of Ontario cities, an internationally recognized planner said yesterday.

London has "a very strong ambiance" related to its architectural history and scale and river location, Larry Beasley, Vancouver's recently retired director of planning, said yesterday.

"Your inner city cries out for 60,000 people to live in it," he said.

"If you add 40,000 to 50,000 people to it, your downtown will be so alive, it will steal the show in Ontario."

Beasley was the keynote speaker at the 2006 City of London Urban Design Awards, organized by the city and sponsored by the London Development Institute and London Home Builders' Association.


Three projects received awards of excellence and one an honourable mention at the event attended by a who's-who of London planners, architects, designers and developers. Displays also celebrated four 2005 award winners.

'The awards are brilliant, because they start the process of people talking about design," said Beasley, who is listed by the United Nations as one of the world's top planners because of the way Vancouver was transformed in three decades.

Beasley said Vancouver was a terribly designed city, one of the worst in Canada, before the 1970s.

But political will and public interest created a climate of change that made it possible to put in place policies that led to highly designed development, he said.

The guidelines included high-density land use, compact growth, open space to control sprawl, underground parking and a conscious plan to encourage public transit and discourage use of automobiles.

"We do not build freeways, we limit them," Beasley said of Vancouver.

"We have fewer cars commuting in and out of the city than 10 years ago."

Good urban design sets back highrises, creates low-rise streetscapes in front of them and includes a wide range of businesses, services and resources, including schools, day-care centres, libraries, theatres and community halls, he said.

"You've got to bring the scale down to the street level," he said.

And it provides a mix of accommodation so the city is accessible to every income level, he said.

About 20 per cent of any new residential development in Vancouver must be social housing, he said, adding 25 per cent of new multiple housing units are geared to families.

Quoting Brazilian urban planner Jaime Lerner, Beasley said: "Every city has to have a design, a city without a design doesn't know where it's going and doesn't know how to grow."

London has assets to build on, including older architecture, medical facilities and the Thames River, he said.

Water engages people, whether it's an ocean, lake or river, he said.

2006 URBAN DESIGN AWARD WINNERS

- Buildings: London Hall student residence, University of Western Ontario. Project team: Architects Tillmann Ruth Mocellin Inc. and Murphy Hilgers Inc.; Vafiades Landscape Architect Inc.; Southside Construction Ltd.

- Landscape: London Life Queen Street Redevelopment. Project team: Kernow Garden Inc.; Vafiades Landscape Architect Inc.; Cintar Groundskeeping Services.

- Elements: No. 2 Fire Station on Florence Street for six bas-relief tablets of fire, wind, water, foundry, time and industry. Project team: Murphy and Murphy Architect Inc.; Puglia Mouldings and Plasterworks Ltd.

- Honourable Mention, buildings category: UWO child-care facility. Project Team: Ventin Group Ltd.; Jain and Associates Ltd.; Hastings and Aziz Ltd.; Wendy Shearer Landscape Architect Ltd.; Southside Construction Ltd

[MolsonExport]

"Your inner city cries out for 60,000 people to live in it," he said.

"If you add 40,000 to 50,000 people to it, your downtown will be so alive, it will steal the show in Ontario."

Pie in the sky. What is the current DT population? 6000? London is currently growing by ~4000 yearly. Only a small proportion of that mediocre growth will end up DT (unfortunately). Everyone else will end up in the exurbs, like Hyde Park (where I am ensconced), Lambeth, and other areas of the growing periphery.

[Snashcan]

Larry Beasley was at Fanshawe and I went to his Lecture, very very interesting.

He's done some amazing things in Vancouver.

Molson Export - the idea is not just to bring the new people in london to downtown but people throughout london to move back into downtown. So have burb londoners move back into the downtown. It worked in Vancouver, It could work here.

[MolsonExport]

^Most of the 'Vancouverites' that moved downtown were newcomers to the city.

[Snark]

..

[sbday]

I would have thought that with all of the residential development downtown in recent years (and that under construction now), the downtown population would have already significantly increased from what it was say just 5 years ago. Does anyone know what the downtown population is? For example the Cityplace development has approx. 400 units and if you consider and average of 2 people in each unit, thats 800 more people (theoretically) living DT.

I was in London for several weeks this past summer and the core seems to be healthier than it has been in many years. In fact, my inlaws have moved downtown into one of the towers this past summer, leaving their empty nest in Old North (subject of recent LFP article).

[ldoto]

Tue, December 12, 2006

By JONATHAN SHER, FREE PRESS CITY HALL REPORTER



A battle of wills between a downtown developer and city hall has spilled over across Dundas Street.

In October, Shmuel Farhi threatened to vacate his downtown office building if the city didn't allow him to tear down the former Capitol Theatre building on Dundas Street and replace it with a parking lot.

Yesterday, city staff used that as justification, in part, to recommend against allowing the continued use of a parking lot across the street owned by a consortium of some of the city's biggest developers.

"A property owner across the street wants temporary parking . . . Dundas Street is our main street and surface parking is not appropriate," city planner John Fleming told the Millennium Downtown Corp., whose members include Brayl Copp, Andy Spriet, Glen Sifton, Sheldon Aaron, Geno Francolini, Mitch Baron and Vito Frijia.

Staff are willing to allow a lot for another three years along King and Clarence streets but want to reject a strip of the lot that fronts on Dundas -- space that now has room for about 28 cars.

The site was home to Smugglers' Alley, which was dilapidated in 1999 when council allowed developers to level it.

When some on the city's planning committees said they wanted to replace the strip along Dundas with a parkette, Aaron said that's impractical, as benches there had been trashed by paserbys, and illegal, because other businesses had a right-of-way to use it.

The committee deferred the matter to give staff time to seek a compromise.

[ldoto]

Fix eyesore cop shop plan, critics say

Tue, December 12, 2006

With construction mere months away, they say the exterior design needs more work - and cash.

By JONATHAN SHER, FREE PRESS CITY HALL REPORTER



A proposed expansion of London's police station will be an eyesore unless city council spends more than $34 million it has already committed, residents and business owners say.

Police are months away from beginning work on an expanded headquarters that has little political opposition.

But neighbours in the Old East Village who support the expansion told a council committee last night they're repulsed by the proposed design, which features a windowless wall to the west, a lot of parking in the front and a facade that fails to hide the boxy structure behind.

"We'd like it rendered less like a modern, suburban mall," said Phil Singeris, who chairs the Old East Village Business Improvement Area.

The city should invest enough in the design to make the police headquarters an attractive gateway to the village, said Annecke Somann, president of the Old East Village Community Association.

Police want to address their concerns and will meet with them, but desire alone won't overcome what deputy chief Brad Duncan says is a budget that doesn't allow extras.

Duncan fears that if police must stick to their budget and improve the exterior, they'll have to scrap or scale back changes to the interior that affect how police function.

"We can't forgo a functional interior," Duncan told planning committee.

Police convinced council to approve expansion of the Dundas Street station because its staff are far more cramped than a typical force, with some working in former closets.

The expansion was initially pegged at $28 million and later raised to nearly $34 million.

That's a formidable sum for a council that has tightened its belt after years of spending on mega-projects such as the John Labatt Centre and the Central Library.

Council has adhered to a cap of $30 million it imposed on borrowing for capital projects.

But while restraint might be in order, it appears to conflict with two other goals that were important to council last term: Strengthening the Old East Village and improving urban design to help attract creative entrepreneurs to the city -- the so-called Creative Cities initiative.

Fears of a Dundas Street eyesore resonated with committee members.

"We learned from the Galleria (London) that a red-brick wall with no windows was not the way to design," Controller Gord Hume said.

If the city wants private developers to design attractive buildings, council must lead by example, Coun. Judy Bryant said.

"I'm reluctant to agree to zoning (changes for an expanded station) if we don't have an opportunity to get involved with the design," she said.

The zoning changes were approved by the committee, which voted for steps that might make the building more attractive:

- The public will have input on the design.

- The work won't go ahead until approved by council through site-plan review.

- City staff will speak with arts groups to see if there are ways to tap into funding for public art.

[FazDeH]

the police station is ugly but I think 34 million is over spending and thats what the face lift is projected to cost. says todays Free Press.

[ldoto]

Chief says he's handcuffed by cash flow

Wed, December 13, 2006

By JONATHAN SHER, FREE PRESS CITY HALL REPORTER




Plans for an expanded London police headquarters have drawn mixed reviews, with some urging enhancements such as more windows and others backing restraint.

To those who want the city to make an expanded police station as beautiful as it is functional, Chief Murray Faulkner has a simple message -- show me the money.

Police have scaled back plans to fit within a project budget that now stands at nearly $34 million, he said yesterday.

Police likely will need more cash if they're to make more attractive the planned exterior of the Dundas Street station , Faulkner said.

"I'd probably have to spend more money," he said.

Whether council would authorize more money remains an open question.


Coun. Bill Armstrong supports enhancements.

"What we build will be there for a long time and might be a catalyst for the area," he said.

But Controller Bud Polhill disagrees -- if council finds extra money for the police, it should be used to enhance the service, not by making their building look nicer, he said.

"Put it into something like equipment that enhances the whole city and not just one area," he said.

Coun. Steve Orser, whose Ward 4 is just across Adelaide Street from police headquarters, suspects taxpayers don't want to spend more on an expanded station.

"If there's going to be changes to the outside, how much will it cost and where will it come from?" he said.

Orser is concerned council may divert money from improving function and security to esthetics. "I don't want to take money from the inside to spend on the outside."

He's also leery of simply adding to the bottom line.

"I don't think the majority of taxpayers in the ward support (spending more)."

Within view of the station, business owner Tim Morris of Comic Book Collector wants to see options and their price tags.

Morris doesn't want a repeat of the windowless brick walls of Galleria London, but he's also wary of an extra hit to taxpayers.

Police are months away from beginning work on an expanded headquarters.

Neighbours in the Old East Village support the expansion, but don't like the design, which includes a windowless wall to the west and a facade that doesn't hide the boxy structure behind.

The expansion was first pegged at $28 million and raised to nearly $34 million.

That's a lot for a council that's tightened its belt after years of spending on mega-projects. Council has adhered to a cap of $30 million it imposed on borrowing for capital projects. Council voted Monday to give Londoners a chance to sound off on the design.

[ldoto]

London shatters record for building permits:cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

Wed, December 13, 2006

By HANK DANISZEWSKI, LONDON FREE PRESS BUSINESS REPORTER



Led by a surge in apartment construction, London has smashed the old record for building permits.

As of this week, the city has issued $720 million in building permits, easily surpassing the annual record total of $647 million set in 2004.

The final total for building permits will likely soar past $750 million because a permit should soon be issued for the $35 million downtown apartment project by Tricar Developments.

Even Rocky Cerminara, the city’s director of building controls, didn’t anticipate a record-breaking year.

“I was expecting things to taper off this year below $600 million . . . Eventually it will taper off, but our survey for next year shows between $500-$600 million in permits and that’s still pretty healthy.”

Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best said all the construction activity shows confidence in London’s economy. She said the city has invested heavily to improve the quality of life to attract and retain residents.

“Bricks and mortar and infrastructure are important but you need to offer more than that for people to come to live and work here,” she said.

Cerminara said his department has issued permits for over 3,400 housing units this year. When the Tricar project is added, the value of apartment starts alone will total about $140 million.

He said the market for single detached housing units has also been healthy.

“We haven’t seen this since 1989. Residential was really big this year,” he said.

The resale housing market has also been hot this year, defying predictions of a downturn.

Costa Poulopoulos, president of the London and St. Thomas Association of Realtors, said there is a “high probability” the annual record of 8,903 sales, also set in 2004, could tumble when the December numbers are tallied.

London seems to be bucking a housing downturn seen in Toronto and more dramatically in the United States, where prices are dropping in many markets and risky mortgages are triggering foreclosures.

Cerminara said institutional building permits are also up this year, with the University of Western Ontario alone accounting for $65 million in building permits, including $31 million for a new student recreation building.

Figures to the end of November show that commercial building permits were about the same as the same period last year and industrial building permits were down substantially.

DeCicco-Best said the rising value of the Canadian dollar is having an impact on manufacturing but she said the economy is shifting to create more jobs in other sectors.

“We are still faring quite well and we are creating a different kind of environment for different kinds of jobs,” said DeCicco-Best.

[Snark]

..

[ldoto]

:previous:
That is Cool!:cool:

[ldoto]

Thu, December 14, 2006

The old record set in 2004 was toppled as of this week, with the final tally to hit $750M.

By HANK DANISZEWSKI, FREE PRESS BUSINESS REPORTER



Led by a surge in apartment construction this year, London has set a new building record -- and the final numbers still have to come in.

As of this week, the city has issued permits this year for construction worth $720 million, surpassing the old record of $647 million in 2004.

The final total will likely soar past $750 million because a permit should be issued soon for first-phase construction of Tricar's twin-tower, downtown apartment project.

Even Rocky Cerminara, the city's director of building controls, didn't expect such a banner year.

"I was expecting things to taper off this year below $600 million. Eventually it will taper off," he said of the building activity. "But our survey for next year shows between $500 million and $600 million in permits and that's still pretty healthy."

Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best said all the construction shows confidence in London's economy. She said the city has invested heavily to improve the quality of life here to attract and retain residents.

"Bricks and mortar and infrastructure are important, but you need to offer more than that for people to come to live and work here," DeCicco-Best said.

Cerminara said his department has issued permits for more than 3,400 housing units this year. When the Tricar project is added, the value of apartment starts alone will total about $140 million.

He said the market for single-detached housing has also been healthy.

"We haven't seen this since 1989. Residential was really big this year," he said.

The resale housing market has also been hot this year, defying predictions of a downturn.

There's a "high probability" the annual record of 8,903 sales, also set in 2004, could tumble when the December numbers are tallied, said Costa Poulopoulos, president of the London and St. Thomas Association of Realtors.

London seems to be bucking a housing downturn seen in Toronto and more dramatically in the U.S., where prices are dropping in many markets and risky mortgages are triggering foreclosures.

Cerminara said institutional building permits are also up this year, with the University of Western Ontario alone accounting for $65 million in permits, including $31 million for a new student recreation building.

Figures to the end of November show commercial building permits were about the same as the same period last year, but industrial building permits were down substantially.

DeCicco said the rising value of the Canadian dollar is having an effect on manufacturing, but the economy is shifting to create more jobs in other sectors.

"We are still faring quite well and we are creating a different kind of environment for different kinds of jobs," she said.

[MolsonExport]

And our municipal taxes keep rising to new highs, year after year.

London planning is asinine. First, they rezone a rural area to become residential and big box retailing, without upgrading the infrastructure. Swaths of homes/stores are built, which causes traffic to explode. Once the city is satisfied that gridlock is occuring, only then do they--in a piecemeal fashion--selectively expand the infrastructure, thus rendering the gridlock to a permanent state (and tripling the time it takes to make the upgrade).

For example, the intersection of Fanshawe and Wonderland has been under reconstruction for almost two centuries. And some people have been stuck in their cars at that intersection almost as long.

[ldoto]

Fri, December 15, 2006

The city's 3.6-per-cent vacancy rate is called a positive sign for the local economy.:cheers:

By HANK DANISZEWSKI, FREE PRESS BUSINESS REPORTER



London's apartment vacancy rate is down for the first time in five years, another good sign for the economy, says a housing analyst.

In an annual survey conducted by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), London's vacancy rate in October was 3.6 per cent, down from 4.2 per cent in the same month last year.

The city's vacancy rate had been rising steadily since 2001, when it was only 1.6 per cent.

CMHC housing analyst Penny Wu said the vacancy decrease was driven by a strong job market and an influx in recent years of younger people aged 25-44, which has helped spur demand for apartments in London.

"It's an important factor because younger people tend to rent," Wu said

But she said an unusually low number of apartment units came on to the market this year, although many projects are under construction.

There were about 1,100 apartment unit starts this year and Wu said the vacancy rate might rise next year when those units are completed and start coming on to the market.

"We expect the vacancy rate will rise slightly next year. But if the market for new housing and resale housing slows down, it might spur demand for rental," Wu said.

Wu said this year's 3.6-per-cent vacancy rate matches the 15-year average for the city.

Wu said the average rent increase for a two-bedroom unit in the city was 1.7 per cent in the last year, similar to the inflation rate. She said that suggests a good balance between supply and demand.

Across Canada, the average rental unit vacancy rate in 28 major centres declined by 0.1 per cent over the past year.

Windsor, reeling from a downturn in the auto industry, posted the highest rate in the country of 10.4 per cent. Windsor was also the only Ontario city to see a drop in average rents

[ldoto]

Update!

I went to the knight’s game on Friday night at the JLC. It looked like they had the crane on site for the twin tower project. Tricar Group must soon be putting up the crane!hyper:

[Snark]

..

[FazDeH]

^^ Very cool snark, yeah I wish someone would actually draw them up and put them in, I would but I wouldnt want to make a fool of myself. I have no artistic talent.

[MolsonExport]

Middlesex (what the hell is this, a hermaphrodite?) County Courthouse is the ugliest of uglies in London. Even beats the Social Science Centre at UWO.

[Snark]

..

[Snark]

..

[ldoto]

Wed, December 20, 2006

Council is seeking a private firm to build a parking garage at a city-owned lot in the core.

By JOE BELANGER, FREE PRESS CITY HALL REPORTER



Any taxpayer money spent on a parking garage must benefit all Londoners, not just private interests, the London Chamber of Commerce says.

And before city council spends any money on downtown parking, it should set up a permanent authority to develop a strategic plan and stay on top of parking issues.

"We have to be cautious," chamber general manager Gerry Macartney said. "Any parking garage has got to have multiple uses and purposes (hourly, daily, monthly and long-term parking) so it's available to everybody."

The chamber sent a letter to council outlining its position.

Council voted 9-8 Monday to seek a private firm to build a parking garage at a city-owned lot on Queens Avenue near Richmond Street.

It also voted 10-9 for a policy to give grants of as much as $10,000 a spot up to 500, or $5 million, to a developer willing to build a parking garage.

Neither initiative is approved for funding, but should be part of council's 2007 budget talks next month.

The close votes suggest the issue could get a rough ride.

Deputy Mayor Tom Gosnell is pushing for off-street parking, noting the city lost 500 spots when the new Covent Garden Market was built. The city lost at least another 500 surface spaces with construction of the John Labatt Centre and the twin apartment towers going up at King and Ridout streets.

"If we don't do something soon, there will be irrevocable pressure to move offices out of the downtown, or to demolish more heritage buildings for parking, and then it becomes a disaster zone," Gosnell said.

Downtown landowners, led by Shmuel Farhi who owns more than 70 buildings and hundreds of thousands of square feet of empty office space, said they need off-street parking to lease vacant space.

Farhi has threatened to demolish heritage buildings for parking, including the old Capital Theatre.

City planners and downtown businesses say demolitions will destroy the core's streetscape.

Coun. Joni Baechler leads opposition to spending taxes on a parking garage, arguing the city has already spent more than $110 million to support downtown revitalization, not to mention incentives and other programs.

"Where does it stop?" Baechler asked at Monday's meeting.

As well, Baechler and others, including Controller Gina Barber and Coun. David Winninger, argue the city should focus instead on improving public transit, biking, car pools and better access for pedestrians.

Gosnell agreed other options should be explored, but argued demand for off-street parking will get worse in the next few years as more surface lots are developed.

"You have to have a balanced approach and address the issue in a sensitive way," said Gosnell, warning revitalization will stall without more office workers in the core.

He said taxpayers will benefit in the long run from increased property tax assessment. "If we're not going to do something about the off-street parking, then we might as well writeoff the downtown and let the office jobs move to the suburbs," Gosnell said.

Macartney agreed the city will need off-street parking in the coming years.

"But wouldn't it be better to have a comprehensive downtown parking plan before we make any decisions that tell us where we want to be in the future?"

Macartney also agreed about the need to fill empty office space in the core, suggesting it would spur use of public transit since many workers already take the bus.

"If we don't have growth stimulated by parking in the core, then we won't get the kind of ridership we're looking for."

[1ajs]

this may sound like an odd question but what does it coast per month for an apartment in london onterio? my dad is asking cause hes got a job offer out there from esso

[ldoto]

City's economy brightens

Fri, December 22, 2006

A new economic forecast says London will do better in 2007 than originally thought.

By NORMAN DE BONO, FREE PRESS BUSINESS REPORTER



London's economy is on an upswing, driven by its diversity and strength in manufacturing.

The Conference Board of Canada predicted yesterday that the city's economy will grow at a greater rate than originally projected by two other economic forecasters.

The city's growth in gross domestic product -- the goods it produces -- will improve to 2.4 per cent in 2007, stronger than the 1.5 per cent London posted in 2006, Alan Arcand, economist with the board, said yesterday.

The city is gradually shaking off the effects of a economic slump this year, Arcand believes. "You will see a slowdown in London, but it will be shallow given how much investment there has been in manufacturing."

The Conference Board report comes after Export Development Canada and TD Bank Financial Group both projected in the fall London's economic growth will be two per cent next year.

Although London has been hit with recent layoffs in the automotive sector, they have been limited to North American automakers and suppliers, Arcand said. Other areas of manufacturing and suppliers to Asian automakers are still doing well, he said.

In addition, London has a diverse economy, with an emphasis on health care and service sector jobs.

"It is stable, it is less cyclical than other economies. The provincial government is pouring millions into the health-care sector now and that will keep it growing," Arcand said.

John Kime, chairperson of the London Economic Development Corp., agrees with Arcand.

London has 20 businesses in growth mode, meaning they are hiring staff and spending money on capital projects, and 12 of them are in manufacturing, Kime said.

"It doesn't surprise me. A dynamic has been created in Southwestern Ontario, created by the enormous investment in Woodstock, and things are happening."

In 2008, growth is projected to be even stronger, going to 2.8 per cent, Arcand said.

"A real east-west trade corridor has opened in Ontario between Sarnia and Niagara region and London is right in the middle of that."

Gerry Macartney, general manager of the London Chamber of Commerce, also points to agriculture as an area poised to grow next year, benefitting London.

"Our diversity keeps us in good stead, agri-manufacturing will do very well," along with medical devices, life sciences and manufacturing other than automotive, said Macartney.

"All in all, I think we are in a bit of a catbird seat in terms of our diversification and geography."

The board cited solid non-residential construction, steady growth in the services sector and a rebound in manufacturing output as reasons for growth, Arcand said.

The services sector will grow about 2.1 per cent, up from 1.9 per cent this year, and manufacturing will post growth of 3.5 per cent in 2007, up from 2.4 per cent this year.

According to the Conference Board of Canada's Winter 2006 Metropolitan Outlook, London has enjoyed economic growth from 1998 to 2004 averaging 3.3 per cent.

London's growth will be comparable to other Southwestern Ontario cities, with Windsor posting growth in 2007 of 2.6 per cent, St. Catharines 3.1 per cent and Hamilton 2.3 per cent.

Ontario's GDP grew 1.8 per cent this year and will grow 2.5 per cent next year while nationally, Canadian GDP output up was 2.7 per cent this year and will go to 2.9 per cent next year, reported the board.

In November, Stephen Poloz, vice-president and chief economist at Export Development Canada, reported London will be dragged down by a cooling U.S. economy, but growth areas will include agri-food, livestock producers, farm machinery, telecommunications, aerospace and advanced technology -- all areas in which London is well positioned.

In October, TD Bank Financial Group economist Craig Alexander also cited the U.S. economic downturn, the cooling in the housing market on both sides of the border and slowing consumer spending as factors putting the brakes on the London economy.

[Snark]

..

[1ajs]

Bachelor, single

i have no clue about this hes just asking me cause hes got a job offer from esso out there...

[FazDeH]

^^ I've never seen a bachelor go for more than $750 incl. utilities. But for a 1 brd Ive seen as high as a $1000 a month. Like Snark said it depends on how much a person is willing to pay, and where in the city they want to live.

[1ajs]

^^ ok txs

[ldoto]

Wed, December 27, 2006

By JONATHAN SHER, FREE PRESS CITY HALL REPORTER



London taxpayers may need to spend $20 million to build parking garages downtown to revitalize the area, Deputy Mayor Tom Gosnell says.

City council voted Dec. 18 to to seek a private partner to build a garage on city-owned land on Queens Avenue and commit as much as $5 million to create 500 parking stalls.

But should the venture do well, the $5 million would only be the first step, Gosnell says.

"(The Dec. 18 vote) was just a starting point. I'd like to have (another) 2,000 spaces downtown, eventually," he said.

The city has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to try to turn around the downtown but Gosnell believes the area is still depressed, evident by the large number of parking lots where buildings should be.

Many buildings downtown are worth more as potential parking lots than sites for redevelopment, he said. That won't change until garages are built that make downtown attractive to businesses seeking office space near convenient, long-term parking.

"If it takes another $10 million to $20 million, why wouldn't we do it?" Gosnell said. "To do nothing condemns the city to what it is now."

Gosnell realizes he faces a political battle on a council that was deeply split when the issue was limited to $5 million.

Some, such as Coun. Joni Baechler, argue taxpayers have spent enough downtown.

Others, like Coun. Paul Van Meerbergen, say the city should leave it to the marketplace. If parking becomes scarce, spaces will increase in value and a garage will be built with private dollars.

"We should not be subsidizing the private sector to build parking spaces with hard-earned taxpayer dollars," Van Meerbergen says.

But Gosnell says a garage on Queens Avenue may not only be warranted, but if successful, it should be repeated elsewhere so offices across the downtown will have access.

If council doesn't invest in parking, it might just as well give up on downtown as a location for office towers, he said.

"Maybe we should let (offices) go elsewhere. That will finish off property values downtown," he said.

Council hasn't debated the expenditure in budget talks -- scheduled next month -- but has narrowly approved a strategy:

- Give as much as $10,000 per parking stall to developers.

- Spend $2.5 million a year on downtown parking.

- Grant a 10-year tax exemption for owners of garages open to the public on weekends and evenings, and a 20-year exemption for garages open to the public at all times.

- Shift the cost of development charges from developers of parking garages to taxpayers.

A study commissioned by council projects parking needs for the next decade in six parts of the downtown. It concludes four parts will have a surplus, one would be near break-even and the last, in the southwest, will be short about 108 spaces.

The shortfall will develop only if a few positive assumptions are met -- a halving of the vacancy rate in office buildings downtown and the replacement of eight surface parking lots with buildings.

The study recommends adding 750 more parking spaces downtown.

[FazDeH]

^^ I agree, for any substantial growth to occur there needs a master plan for the downtown that includes parking, this is a good first step. It's been said in the past that there is lots of parking downtown, but the amount of parking now is barely meeting the current requirements and will not be sufficiant if there were to be more developement in the core. and god willing there will be.

[Snark]

..

[ldoto]

:previous: Yes!

I have some pics that I took Saturday.:tup:

Update!


http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a138/ldoto/2006/DSC00018.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a138/ldoto/2006/DSC00021.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a138/ldoto/2006/DSC00024.jpg

[MolsonExport]

this may sound like an odd question but what does it coast per month for an apartment in london onterio? my dad is asking cause hes got a job offer out there from esso

I had a large (1100 square feet) 2 bedroom apartment in Southwest London for about a year, renting at 950$, which included utilities. All in all, a good deal.

Now I live in a new house in Hyde Park.

[ldoto]

Sat, January 6, 2007

Construction on the high-end Metro Hotel is set to start next month, for an August opening.:tup:

By JOHN MINER, FREE PRESS REPORTER



Downtown London's first boutique hotel -- common in big cities, rare in smaller ones --may be around the corner.

Construction of the Metro Hotel is to start next month, with the upscale lodging place expected to open by August, the owner said yesterday.

"We are going to make it very classy," said Al Velji. "Everything will be on the high-end level."

While some boutique hotels go to extremes, with a different theme for every room, Velji said he plans subtle differences at the Metro Hotel.

"It will create contemporary urban chic, a contemporary look inside the room with a Zen atmosphere," he said.

Velji's company, the Metro Group of Hotels, has bought the four-storey former Geilen Design building on Dundas Street, which backs onto the Covent Garden Market, for the project.

When finished, the converted building will include 20 regular rooms and two extra-large suites.

The emphasis will be on service.

There will be round-the-clock concierges, 24-hour room service, valets and porters.

There will also be a full-service spa, said Velji.

"The size of the property can't be too big so that you can give personalized service," he said.

The total cost of the project hasn't been finalized, he said.

With its location near the John Labatt Centre and neighbouring law offices, Velji expects the hotel will serve young professionals, performers, regional managers, sales representatives, business executives and lawyers.

Velji said his family has been in the hotel business for 17 years and has operations in Milton and London.

[ldoto]

Mon, January 8, 2007

The developer insists a proposed garage on Queens Avenue "is not going to help."

By JONATHAN SHER, FREE PRESS CITY HALL REPORTER



You might think a city hall proposal to spend millions to build parking garages in the core would be backed by downtown's biggest property owner.

After all, it was Shmuel Farhi, owner of more than 80 properties downtown, who has demanded more parking before he'll rehabilitate heritage buildings and secure tenants.

But Farhi says he's upset with a city plan to seek a private partner to build a garage at 185 Queens Ave., next to the London Club.

"A parking (garage) is not going to help rejuvenate this area . . . Parking is not needed there," said Farhi, who owns about 250,000 square feet of vacant space downtown.

"I want to work with the city but I'm losing my patience," Farhi said yesterday.

When Farhi speaks, city hall listens, as was the case 10 weeks ago, when he told politicians to step up with plans for parking or he'd raze or let rot some heritage properties.

"Literally, I can knock down 20 buildings tomorrow," he said then.

But while Farhi wants parking, he doesn't want a parking garage on the city-owned lot at Queens Avenue.

With the downtown so much in need of residents and key services such as a supermarket, the city shouldn't commit key real estate to a stand-alone garage, he said.

Instead the city should partner with a developer who could build parking underground, a supermarket on the main floor and residential apartments above, he insisted.

The city also needs to stop renewing temporary permits for parking lots such as the one at the old London Mews, which has been a lot for seven years and is seeking another three years, he said.

Temporary lots do nothing to fill vacant office space because those seeking to develop those spaces need permanent parking.

"I have four heritage buildings within a block (of the London Mews) and that lot does nothing for long-term development," Farhi said.

Farhi also contends the city examined the Queens Avenue location and rejected it for a parking structure.

"Why are they bringing this dead horse out now?" he said.

E-mail and phone messages detailing Farhi's concerns were sent last week to city finance head Vic Cote.

A divided city council voted last month to seek a partner to build a parking garage at the Queens site, the first step in a plan that could cost taxpayers as much as $5 million.

Deputy Mayor Tom Gosnell later said if the venture succeeds the city should spend up to $20 million to build more garages.

Council will debate in budget talks this month a strategy that has been approved in principle:

- Give up to $10,000 a parking stall to developers and spend $2.5 million a year on downtown parking.

- Grant a 10-year tax exemption for owners of garages open to the public on weekends and evenings, and a 20-year exemption for garages open to the public at all times.

- Shift development charges from developers of parking garages to taxpayers.

The city is so Dum!:koko:

[ldoto]

:previous: :previous:

"I want to work with the city but I'm losing my patience," Farhi said yesterday.

When Farhi speaks, city hall listens, as was the case 10 weeks ago, when he told politicians to step up with plans for parking or he'd raze or let rot some heritage properties. :worship:




No kidding. I vote we email all the councillors. I Email all the councillors and the Mayor! Please Email also.

City of london web site.http://www.london.ca/Council/ccm_mayor.htm

Anne Marie DeCicco-Best
(Mayor)
City Hall: 519 661-2500 Ext. 4920
City Hall Fax: 519 661-5308
E-mail: adecicco@london.ca



Tom Gosnell
(Deputy Mayor)
City Hall: 519 661-2500 Ext. 0332
City Hall Fax: 519 661-5933
E-mail: tgosnell@london.ca


Gina Barber
City Hall: 519 661-2500 Ext. 7011
City Hall Fax: 519 661-5933
E-mail: gbarber@london.ca



Bud Polhill
City Hall: 519 661-2500 Ext. 4882
City Hall Fax: 519 661-5933
E-mail: bpolhill@london.ca


Gord Hume
City Hall: 519 661-2500 Ext. 4877
City Hall Fax: 519 661-5933
E-mail: ghume@london.ca

[GreatTallNorth2]

Here is a letter to the editor in the LFP from Mr. Farhi, the developer who owns most of downtown London. Notice that he is calling for a new tower in combination with more parking downtown. If anyone saw his proposal last year for a tower beside the old library, you may recall that it was first class and his proposal was going to cost $100 million for just one 30 storey tower. That is what Tricar is spending to build two 28 storey towers and parking. Hopefully Farhi gets to build a structure downtown. I have talked with him personally and he wants to build a landmark structure.

Developer clarifies core parking concerns

The headline, Farhi rejects parking plan for core area (Jan. 8), painted an inaccurate picture of my position on the city's downtown parking strategy.

Farhi Holdings Corp. fully supports the city's efforts to increase parking in the core. It would, however, be a shame if the scarce lots still available were merely turned into parking garages.

I encourage council's long-term commitment to the heart of downtown and hope the city will be able to attract a larger-scale development, such as a supermarket and residential tower that includes significant parking, in key areas north (Dundas-Clarence-Queens) and south (the

Millennium parking lot at 195 Dundas) of Dundas Street, between Clarence and Richmond streets.

It is also my understanding that the city had studied the possibility of building a parking garage on the Queens Avenue lot several months ago and concluded it was not feasible, so I don't understand why it is back on the table. These are the points I believe I made to your reporter.

The city and Farhi Holdings are holding ongoing discussions to find a way to alleviate the shortage of parking for our downtown heritage buildings. To date, nothing has been "rejected."

Shmuel Farhi

President, Farhi Holdings Corp.

[summersideguy]

Does anyone have any updates on the new Summerside Shopping Centre at Highbury and Commissioners?

We know there is a Rona, Bank of Montreal and a strip plaza with Starbucks and Pizza Pizza going in, but we have heard rumblings of a Real Canadian Superstore and an LCBO.

Anyone connected enough to let us know?

Thanks!

SummersideGuy

[ldoto]

:previous: I live down behide the zellers in a 4 year house off commissoners.
I had no idea that a Starbucks was coming:banana: :cheers: :tup:

By the way welcome to the London Thread. You live just down the road from me hope hear you soon!:D

[summersideguy]

Yes a Starbucks is coming which is very exciting!

Looks like the Lobalws/RCSS might be confirmed, here is a link to the site plans....


https://riocan.com/property/property.cfm?property_id=204 :cheers:

[MolsonExport]

More big-box sprawl. Just what downtown London needs!

[upinottawa]

^ I was down near the Old Navy at the Hyde Park Wal-Mart complex during March break -- man has the chainstore sprawl expanded up there. The funny thing being that the old farm house and silo beside Sam's Club is still there!

I also love all the new Starbucks popping up on the fringes (Fanshawe at Wonderland now has one). I guess the SUV driving soccer moms need Starbucks, too.

BTW, was there any press on the Catholic Board's decision to more its headquarters from Wortley Village to RMC (southend) a year or so ago? I am not sure what is going to happen to that old building, and it is too bad that Wortley Village lost one of its bigger employers to the city's fringes.




On a separate matter, here is an interesting read from the London Free Press (archives): http://www.lfpress.com/specialreports/pdfs/nextlondon/20050312F3.pdf

[ldoto]

London construction, housing boom continues to build

Wed, January 10, 2007

By HANK DANISZEWSKI, FREE PRESS BUSINESS REPORTER



London's construction and housing market completed a triple play in 2006 with new numbers showing housing starts hit a 17-year high and building permits surged past the old record by nearly 20 per cent.

Last week, the London and St. Thomas Association of Realtors announced that annual sales for 2006 set a record of 8,916 housing units.

Figures released yesterday by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. show 3,674 house starts last year in the London area, nearly 20 per cent above 2005 and the best showing since 1989.

The housing starts reflect an overall boom in construction in 2006, with apartment buildings leading the way.

A December start for a $35-million downtown apartment building by Tricar Developments made for a strong finish and boosted the total value of building permits issued by the City of London in 2006 to $772.7 million.

The city beat the old building permit record of $647 million well before year's end.

Rocky Cerminara, the city's director of building controls, said the Tricar project and two new buildings at the University of Western Ontario boosted the December total to an unusually strong $97 million.

He said 2006 was exceptional and he expects the construction market to cool this year, which would come as something of a relief for his department.

"I'm not going to say, 'I hope so,' but we can't take much more of this here in the office. We have a backlog of permits to get to," Cerminara said.

He expects building permits to total about $600 million this year, based on surveys by his department and forecasts from other agencies.

"That may sound like quite a drop from this year, but that would still give us one of the best five years we ever had," Cerminara said.

CMHC analyst Penny Wu said she also expects a strong market in 2007.

"A continuation of low mortgage rates and an environment of growing employment in 2007 will bode well for housing demand," she said.

CMHC reports 227,400 new homes were built across Canada in 2006, the second-highest total in nearly two decades.

Chief economist Bob Dugan says the growth was driven by low mortgage rates, solid employment and income growth and high consumer confidence.

However, all regions saw urban starts fall in December compared with a month earlier.

The largest declines were in the Prairie provinces, where urban starts fell 20.5 per cent. Ontario recorded a decline of 3.6 per cent.

Dugan said housing starts are expected to remain strong in 2007, but are forecast to decrease to 210,900 units.

[ldoto]

The intersection of Wellington and Horton in London hasn't been a welcome sight in recent years, but now steps are being taken to change that.
The Salvation Army has purchased two properties on Wellington Street and another property owned by the Teen Drop-In Centre Street Connection.

It's part of an effort to beautify the streetscape.

The buildings are rundown and most are abandoned on the West side of Wellington, North of Horton but some of those buildings will soon be coming down.

The Salvation Army plans to put up a wrought iron fence and some trees to try and spruce things up.

Some neighbours say the Centre of Hope continues to bring more problems than solutions.

Anthony Veilleux has been with Blue Dragon Tattoo for almost 20 years. He says business has taken a real hit because of the Centre of Hope clients and the people they attract.

Centre of Hope officials say they're stepping up efforts to improve relations with area homeowners and business.

There are no plans for the properties at this time but the Salvation Army says it may put up a warehouse there in the future, but for now they will concentrate on cleaning up the corner.

[ldoto]

UPDATE!
Auburn Developments's 23-storey, 200-unit apartment building at Ridout Street and Dufferin Avenue -- a project valued at $35 million.
Here's some pics from my new 3.2 mega pixels Sony Ericsson cyber-shot cell phone. Today it is a little clouded over but it turned out not to bad for a camera phone!:tup:

It looks like in the pics works are adding more pieces to the crane.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a138/ldoto/2007/DSC00004.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a138/ldoto/2007/DSC00005.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a138/ldoto/2007/DSC00006.jpg

[ldoto]

Mon, January 15, 2007

By JONATHAN SHER, FREE PRESS CITY HALL REPORTER



City hall's plan to spend millions to build parking garages downtown is being questioned by two of London's leading players in the core.

Leading commercial realtor George Kerhoulas and Bernie Bierbaum, a partner in Old Oak Properties and past president of the London Chamber of Commerce, both say the city has yet to make a persuasive case taxpayers should subsidize new parking garages.

"There is a huge supply of parking downtown," said Bierbaum, whose company owns 750,000 square feet of office space, 175 units of residential space and about 2,000 parking spaces.

It would be cheaper, easier on the roads and more environmentally friendly to create satellite lots from which people can carpool or take buses, Bierbaum said.

City staff contend more parking will drive down commercial vacancies by making downtown more attractive to commercial tenants.

But Kerhoulas, whose career in real estate spans decades, believes high vacancies have been endemic to downtown for reasons unrelated to parking.

"I don't think the office leasing momentum is being held back by a lack of parking," said Kerhoulas, of Cushman and Wakefield LePage.

"I don't see (the) evidence."

Nor was there evidence of a link found by the consultant, whose study led city staff to recommend $2.5 million a year be set aside for parking.

The consultant, Marshall Macklin Monaghan, examined downtown and found no link between the availability of parking and vacancy rates.

"There is no specific evidence showing that the shortage of parking in some areas contributes to the higher commercial space vacancy," the consultant wrote. "The construction of a new parking facility may not be able to reduce the commercial space vacancy."

The consultant's findings may surprise those on city council who received a draft budget for 2007 in which city staff wrote Marshall Macklin Monaghan concluded more parking would reduce office vacancy.

The budget claim troubled councillors David Winninger and Joni Baechler, both opponents of a new garage.

"I'm concerned there be accuracy in our budget making. (The statement about the study and the study) seem to be at odds," Winninger said.

The belief a parking garage would reduce office vacancy was a driving force behind a failed venture in Windsor that cost taxpayers $3 million.

"It's been an unqualified disaster," said London realtor Peter Whatmore, vice-president of CB Richard Ellis .

Asked why such a project would fail in Windsor but succeed here, London's finance head Vic Cote wrote, "I am not aware of the specific issues relating to Windsor."

His response didn't sit well with Baechler.

"I think members of council and staff would make themselves aware," she said.

Whatmore believes more parking won't put a big dent in the office vacancy rate, but he supports a new garage, to help retail in particular.

The key question, Whatmore believes, is timing.

If the city waits too long, it may forego new investment downtown.

But if it goes ahead now, it will pay a premium. That's because there's so much parking now, rates are too low to sustain a new garage -- the consultant estimated rates would need to be 2 1/2 times higher, a gap taxpayers would have to cover.

The yearly gap would exceed $500,000, the consultant found.

If the city waits until surface spaces are lost to development, there will be higher prices and a smaller gap for taxpayers to fill.

A divided city council voted last month to seek a partner to build a parking garage at a Queens Avenue site, the first step in a plan that could cost taxpayers as much as $5 million.

Deputy Mayor Tom Gosnell later said if the venture succeeds, the city should spend as much as $20 million to build more garages.

Council will debate in budget talks this month a strategy it approved last year in principle:

- Give up to $10,000 per parking stall to developers and spend $2.5 million a year on core parking.

- Grant a 10-year tax exemption for owners of garages open to the public on weekends and evenings and a 20-year exemption for garages open to the public at all times.

- Shift development charges from developers of parking garages to taxpayers.
__________________

[FazDeH]

is the Auburn developement the Harristion?

[upinottawa]

If businesses in downtown London are not expanding and businesses are not interested in moving a) to London and b) to downtown London, then all the parking in the world is not going to help fill London's office towers.

[ldoto]

London airport business booms

Thu, January 18, 2007:)

Passenger traffic at London International Airport has grown 38 per cent over the last 2 years.

By NORMAN DE BONO, FREE PRESS BUSINESS REPORTER



Traffic is up at London International Airport, setting a record for the number of people boarding flights, the airport announced yesterday.

And traffic may increase even more this year because WestJet Airlines announced it is doubling its daily flights from London to Calgary.

"This is fantastic news, it demonstrates to us that our developing the airport as a hub has paid huge dividends," said Steve Baker, the airport's president and chief executive.

Passenger traffic increased 12 per cent last year over 2005 and has grown 38 per cent over the last two years, as 415,000 people boarded planes from the airport, making it one of the fastest growing airports in the country, said Baker.

"Most airports have six to nine per cent growth, we are leading and I'm very pleased."

Much of that growth has been from outside London. Fifty-five per cent of passengers are from outside the city, drawing from Windsor to Kitchener-Waterloo.

"We are linking Southwestern Ontario to the world," said Baker.

WestJet said yesterday it will add a second daily flight to Calgary, in addition to its existing daily flight to Winnipeg.

"Southwestern Ontario is a very good market for us, we are very pleased with London, couldn't be happier really," said Mark Brown, WestJet's director of airports for Eastern Canada.

While the airline declined to reveal exact passenger load numbers, they are near capacity on all flights out of London.

"We are finding people want to avoid Pearson (in Toronto) and we are seeing traffic up at more medium-sized markets," added Brown.

The additional flights and passenger growth is good news for the London business community because more direct flights out of the city is something business is always looking for, said John Kime, chief executive of the London Economic Development Corp.

"If you don't have an airport that connects nationally and internationally, people do not look at your community," he said. "We are very fortunate to have it here. When we talk to business people invariably they ask where are the flights to and from at the airport."

The airport's investment in a $20-million renovation has helped attract airlines and customers.

"We had a strategic plan which had us listening to customers. They wanted new facilities, fast service, direct flights, reasonable fares and we have been able to go out and attract those," he said.

Baker wants to continue growth by adding flights to the U.S. and Maritimes.

"What has been working for us is we have seen a continuous enhancement of service. There are still lots of targets and opportunities," he said.

[MolsonExport]

I want direct London-Montreal flights, goddamit! I mean, fer crissakes, it is the second largest city in Canada!

[Snark]

..

[upinottawa]

With respect to London to Montreal, the business travel is simply not there (so on that point I agree with the above). However, business travel is only one factor. London is but a spoke on Air Canada's and Westjet's systems.

However, Northwest flies London to Detroit in order to compete with Air Canada's flights to Toronto. Northwest does not fly London to Detroit because of business travel purposes.

There is one flight from London to Ottawa another flight returning each day. One flight. Again, London to Ottawa is not a major business run (Ottawa does, however, provide flights to other Canadian cities that also have no business connection to London). It is Air Canada's recent policy to provide more regional flights and to use Ottawa as a mini-hub for Canadian destinations (in order to avoid transfers in Toronto) that keeps the Ottawa-London route in business.

[ldoto]

Fri, January 19, 2007

By NORMAN DE BONO, FREE PRESS BUSINESS REPORTER



London is going "vertical," with so many new highrise apartments it's become Ontario's rental capital. :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

Fuelled by baby boomers leaving their homes into carefree rental living, London is building more apartments than any other city in the province on a per capita basis.

And that's not including the biggest new rental project rising on the city's skyline, Tricar's twin-tower Renaissance project downtown.

The city led the province over the last three years in per capita rental units built, while other cities are building more condominiums for sale, said Ken Sumnall, senior market analyst at Canada Mortgage Housing Corp.

From 2003 to 2006, 12,859 rental units were built in Ontario, 2,948 -- or 23 per cent -- in London. Only Toronto, at 47.4 per cent, had more.

"London, for its size, has been very active. We have seen numbers go up the last few years," said Sumnall.

The figures back up what many developers in the city are saying, said Derek Anderson, president of the London Home Builders Association: London appears to have more baby boomers set to retire and move into rental units.

"It is very attractive for seniors who want to take the equity in their homes and go out and travel," said Anderson, president of Graystone Development Group in London.

"We hear all the time people do not plan for retirement, but they have $400,000 in equity after their home is sold."

With the vacancy rate hovering at about 3.6 per cent, "there appears to be demand, but developers are primarily targeting the empty-nester market with the apartment developments," said Sumnall.

Of the apartment units now under construction in the city, "they are all local developers with extensive portfolios, they know the market and have capacity to build," he said. "These are not short-term investments, they are building now because they think the market will grow for a while."

Londoners want to rent highrise units more than residents in other cities because it remains a good value, said Anderson. And if they're interested in buying, there's a large selection of homes.

"People still look at London as having open space, they have more choices before they go vertical," he said. "We are also gaining a lot of young professionals who want to rent; it's an attractive option."

The next great wave could be retirement home construction as leading-edge boomers -- now turning 60 -- start looking at options, said Barry Parker, vice-president residential for Sifton Properties. :banana: :banana: :banana:

[ldoto]

Research project 'huge'

Fri, January 19, 2007

The $26M deal promises new insight into diseases through world-class imaging.

By JOHN MINER, FREE PRESS HEALTH REPORTER



A new $26-million medical research project, based in London, will tackle everything from cancer and chronic pain to mental illness.

Still being assembled, the project is already making London a destination of choice for some of the world's top research talent.

"It is absolutely huge," Dr. David Hill, scientific director of the Lawson Health Research Institute, the research arm of London's two hospitals, said yesterday.

Officially called the Biomedical Multimodality Hybrid Imaging project, it's expected to bring medical breakthroughs by uniting what are now separate medical imaging systems, such as MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and PET (positron emission tomography), into one unit to probe diseases.

"We want to focus on being able to see things with all of the possible tools we have," said Dr. Frank Prato, co-leader of the project.

The Canada Foundation for Innovation is contributing $12.9 million to buy equipment that primarily will be located at St. Joseph's Hospital.

Other costs will be covered by a grant from the province and contributions from the private sector.

The London Regional Cancer Program at London Health Sciences Centre, University of Western Ontario, Robarts Research Institute and Toronto's Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre are also taking part in the project.

It will involve 105 researchers in London, 26 Canadian researchers outside the city and 23 foreign scientists.

Some Canadian-trained scientists who moved to the U.S. to work at Harvard University, Scripps Research Institute in California and the National Institutes of Health are returning to work in London, said project co-leader Dr. Jim Koropatnick.

"They have returned to Canada because they have found the infrastructure support available here," Koropatnick said.

CFI president Dr. Eliot Phillipson said his institute, an independent corporation created by the Canadian government, rigorously assesses projects before investing in them to ensure they have the potential to enhance the lives of Canadians.

"There should be no question this is a highly meritorious project," he said.

A $10-million investment by CFI in 1999 in imaging and cancer research in London led to an extra $84.2 million in research money flowing into the city, creation of five spin-off firms and 41 new jobs.

This latest investment will do more, Prato predicted.

"The success will be significantly greater. We have a track record now, so it will be easier to convince people to invest in our programs," he said.

When existing medical imaging technology is used on its own, it's like someone colour-blind looking around a room. Some things are missed, Prato said.

By combining different imaging technologies to operate simultaneously, the researchers hope to get a more complete picture of how diseases develop, he said.

For example, schizophrenia researchers in London have been successful studying the changes of some chemicals in the brain using MRI technology, while other groups in the world have studied different chemicals in the brain using PET, Prato said.

"They never got the full picture. They never knew how these chemicals interplayed and we don't know, therefore, what the real nature of the disease is," he said.

---

IMAGING TECHNOLOGY

Doctors can use different imaging technologies to detect and decide how to treat disease. They include:

- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a diagnostic procedure that uses a magnetic field to provide three-dimensional images of internal body structures.

- Positron emission tomography. Also called PET imaging or a PET scan, it obtains images by detecting radiation from the emission of positrons -- tiny particles emitted from a radioactive substance administered to the patient.

- Computed tomography (CT) uses special X-ray techniques to produce multiple images of the body. The images are produced by an X-ray tube that rotates 360 degrees around the patient's body.

[MolsonExport]

With respect to London to Montreal, the business travel is simply not there (so on that point I agree with the above). However, business travel is only one factor. London is but a spoke on Air Canada's and Westjet's systems.

However, Northwest flies London to Detroit in order to compete with Air Canada's flights to Toronto. Northwest does not fly London to Detroit because of business travel purposes.

There is one flight from London to Ottawa another flight returning each day. One flight. Again, London to Ottawa is not a major business run (Ottawa does, however, provide flights to other Canadian cities that also have no business connection to London). It is Air Canada's recent policy to provide more regional flights and to use Ottawa as a mini-hub for Canadian destinations (in order to avoid transfers in Toronto) that keeps the Ottawa-London route in business.


As a passenger, I hate the hub-and-spoke system. Adds HOURS to flights, with all the damned security. And out of the 4 times that I flew into London, my luggage did NOT accompany me on three of those times.

[ldoto]

Canada tops housing survey

Tue, January 23, 2007

London did well as a city in a study looking at the affordability of homes in six countries.

By IAN WILSON, SUN MEDIA



Canada is tops when it comes to housing affordability, said an international study that found citizens here would need only 3.2 years of annual income, on average, to buy a home.

The Demographia International survey of housing affordability -- which examined 159 cities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Britain and the U.S. -- found it takes more than twice as long to buy a home in Australia as it does in Canada.

By dividing house prices in individual markets by the annual gross household income in those cities, researchers determined how long it would take to purchase a home if all of the income was devoted to paying for it.

However, survey results also showed homes on Canada's West Coast are growing increasingly unattainable. Meanwhile, houses on the Prairies and in parts of Ontario remain affordable.

With 7.7 years of income typically needed to purchase a home, Vancouver ranked No. 13 out of the markets surveyed; Victoria was 25th.

Residents in Toronto and Calgary averaged 4.4 years of annual income to pay for a home, while Edmontonians can own a house in 3.5 years.

Regina was tied with Fort Wayne, Ind., and Youngstown, Ohio as the survey's most affordable city -- people there need just two years of income.

Quebec City, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Ottawa, London and Oshawa also placed highly on the list of affordable cities.

The least affordable city studied was Los Angeles and Orange County, where people needed 11.4 years of annual income to buy a home.

While it finished second to Canada in terms of overall affordability, the U.S. had seven of the top eight least affordable cities, with six of those coming from California.

"The housing cost escalation is principally the result of supply factors," said the study.

"Where there are significant constraints on the supply of land for residential development, housing inflation has occurred. Where there are no such constraints, housing cost inflation has not occurred."

CANADIAN RANKING

Median Median City price income

1. Regina $115,000 $57,500

2. Winnipeg $130,100 $52,300

Quebec $128,200 $51,100

4. Saskatoon $138,000 $52,100

5. Ottawa $201,500 $70,300

6. London $166,700 $56,100

Oshawa $222,900 $75,400

8. Halifax $176,000 $56,800

9. Kitchener $211,300 $65,500

10. Edmonton $233,800 $66,500

Hamilton $215,700 $61,300

[Remontech]

Hello all...

I know first hand of London's booming construction industry. Our London-based company specializes in remote monitoring of construction sites. The number of projects we are and have monitored recently is proof of a healthy construction industry.

I'll see if I can post a live feed from one of our internet cameras. In the meantime, you can visit our website: http://www.remontech.com

This forum is great!

[ldoto]

UPDATE!
Here are some new pics of down town London. The new crane is going to be The Harriston 23 floors. I will soon have the 28 floor Renaissance crane pics from a new viewing point.:tup:


http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a138/ldoto/2007/DSC00014-1.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a138/ldoto/2007/DSC00013-1.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a138/ldoto/2007/DSC00012-1.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a138/ldoto/2007/DSC00011.jpg:D

[ldoto]

Downtown arts centre drawing increased interest

Thu, February 1, 2007

By JONATHAN SHER, SUN MEDIA



For months there have been excited whispers by Londoners who want a performing arts centre downtown.

But now it appears that issue may take centre stage.

Talk of an arts centre has been mostly below the radar since June 2005, when city council delayed a debate over a recommendation by the Creative Cities Task Force to set aside half of each municipal surplus for a centre.

The issue bubbled to the surface yesterday as Orchestra London expressed concern about the viability of Centennial Hall -- and it appears there may be a full debate by council this year.

Executive director Rob Gloor gave a positive report on the orchestra, which has seen attendance and income soar and is on the verge of settling protracted contract negotiations with musicians.

But he said success has been achieved despite Centennial Hall, which turns 40 this year.

"All sorts of people tell us they just won't go to Centennial Hall," Gloor told board of control before calling for a performing arts centre.

He doesn't have to convince Controller Gord Hume, who's played a leading role calling for an arts centre.

In the next few months council should receive a report on the condition and future of Centennial Hall. That should spark a debate about a replacement, Hume said.

"Council later this year will probably want to put everything on the table," he said.

There's little doubt many on council would love to see a performing arts centre downtown that would boost the core and make the city a more attractive place to live.

"It's the last missing piece for us to become a grownup city," said Coun. Nancy Branscombe.

But whether the city can afford it is another matter.

Big spending on major projects in the late 1990s and early 2000s put the city in such debt council capped how much it borrows for capital projects.

The cap is $30 million and nearly all that money has been earmarked for basics such as road work and the expansion of the London police headquarters. There's little left to address a wide range of requests.

"There's $200,000 left over this year. That's nothing," said Controller Gina Barber.

That's frustrating, she said, since London needs a performing arts centre.

"In a city the size of London we have wonderful artists who can't perform here because we don't have a place to showcase them."

In short, the need for a performing arts centre is great but the fiscal constraints are even greater, Barber said.

All agreed if a centre is to be built, it would need help from private donors and federal and provincial governments.

Hume hopes the city could accelerate those donations by giving itself, an effort he hopes would lead not only to a new centre by 2015 but an endowment fund that would cover what would likely be operating deficits.

But Deputy Mayor Tom Gosnell is skeptical because the costs he hears bandied about frighten him.

"I've heard $60 million to $70 million, including an endowment fund," Gosnell said. "There's nothing now in the budget or in the foreseeable future to do it."

[ldoto]

^^
I just noticed that the reporters Names say Sun Media not Free press!

[Snark]

..

[GreatTallNorth2]

From what I understand (inside info), the LFP will be turned into a tabloid soon to fit the other Sun formats. Also we will continue to notice less local coverage as time goes on. Hopefully someone else decides to start a paper here.

On a different note, did anyone notice the article in the LFP regarding a heritage property downtown that is owned by Drewlo? The paper said Drewlo wants to build a highrise on the property and if he can salvage the heritage building, the city will consider higher density. London's downtown has had a lot of residential tower activity in the last few years. I don't know of any other city 500,000 or less with more activity in Canada. Too bad Drewlo has his blind grandmother design his buildings. Most of his buildings look pretty bad.

[MolsonExport]

Stats Canada (July 2006 estimates):
London 465,720 2,059

I was amazed how low the growth was, given the explosion of development on the city fringes, not to mention the commie slabs and downtown towers.

[Snark]

..

[GreatTallNorth2]

Here is the quote from January 30th LFP:

In a related issue, the planning committee was advised the 147-year-old landmark, Locust Mount, at 661 Talbot St., has been nominated to be listed as one of the top 10 Endangered Place by Heritage Canada.

Once owned by Elijah Leonard, London's mayor in 1857, and a senator from 1867 to 1891, the home was damaged by fire six years ago.

Its current owner, Drewlo Holdings, applied for a demolition permit but has agreed to hold off as the city tries to find a way to keep it standing. He plans to use the site for a high-rise development.

It says high rise, but I don't think there are specific drawings for the tower yet.

[ssiguy]

I too am surprised by the slow growth of London as I understood London was growing at 1.1% per year, the fastest since the 80s.

[Snark]

..

[FazDeH]

^^^ I don't think you have to worry about safety when the majority of new developement is upper middle class homes. I for one think the developement is fantastic, and that its been along time waiting. Still Id rather see more being done downtown and less satilite communities and suburbs. But thats the trend in North America so what can you do?

[ldoto]

Housing starts soar in January

Fri, February 9, 2007

By HANK DANISZEWSKI, SUN MEDIA



The launch of a new downtown apartment project in January got London housing construction off to the best start in 25 years.

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) said there were 406 housing starts in the London-St. Thomas area in January compared to only 134 in the same month last year.

But CMHC analyst Penny Wu cautioned that 300 of the housing starts came from a single project -- the 28 storey Tricar Group apartment tower in downtown London.

The single family-detached home starts, a more reliable indicator of construction activity, remained flat with 102 starts compared to 106 in January, 2006.

Wu said big apartment projects were a driving force in pushing London's housing starts to 3,674 last year.

The city smashed the old record for building permits with a total value of $733 million for permits issued in 2006.

About 1,800 apartment units are under construction, said Wu, and the market may become saturated as those units come on the market in the next two years.

"It seems like every major builder has a project on the go already," she said.

In the aftermath of the Tricar launch, February housing starts are likely to be much lower, but the housing market is still healthy.

"Single detached home starts are still close to last year's level and we are expecting that February's will be as well," said Wu.

Housing permits were also up in Ontario and across Canada last month.

Ontario's seasonally-adjusted housing starts jumped to 76,700 units last month with increases in both the single and multiple units.

Regional analyst Ted Tsiakopoulos said the gains came despite slower job growth in the province and a loss of migrants to western Canada.

He said low interest rates and consumer confidence is continuing to support the market.

Across Canada the CMHC report said urban starts jumped 19.2 per cent to 216,300 units.

Actual single starts in urban areas were 14.3 per cent lower in January 2007 than they were a year earlier, with all regions showing a decline, while urban multiple starts last month were up 37.7 per cent.

[summersideguy]

For those in London's South East

The Summerside Shopping Centre is well under way and its first set of tenants are expected to move in by early summer, with the rest (likely Rona and Loblaws) set for early next year.

Any word on the fate of Pond Mills Square?

[RickRobs]

From AM980 in Montreal [link (http://www.940news.com/local.php?news=4301)]

Shriners again threaten to leave
2007-02-16 06:13:02

The new Shriners hospital in Montreal is again in jeopordy. The Gazette reports high level Shriners are again threatening to close their current children's orthopedic hospital on Cedar and build the new facility in London, Ontario. They say both the Quebec government and the MUHC broke their promises to decontamintate the entire Glen yards site and start construction in the Spring of 2006. The Shriners say the last part of the Glen yards has not been decontaminated. But the government says the area slated for the Shriners hosptial has been decontaminated, and the remaining 10 percent that hasn't been will be for a grass area. A spokesperson for Health Minister Phillippe Couillard says the Shriners should not have any worries, adding everything that must be decontaminated has been certified decontaminated by the Quebec Environment department.

[ldoto]

I'm back it's been one week with out the internet. I was on internet withdrawal! :nuts:

[ldoto]

One year after choosing Montreal over London, the Shriners may be reconsidering the location of their new children's hospital.
The Shriners' leadership says the Quebec government is not living up to its promise to decontaminate the land where the hospital was to be built. Instead, published reports indicate the land will be covered with a membrane and a layer of grass.

Construction was to have begun last year, but has already been delayed until 2008.

That's not good enough for the Shriners according to Treasurer Gene Bracewell, who is raising the possibility of moving the hospital to London. In fact, a report in the Montreal Gazette suggests the Shriners are going to revive and reconsider the London bid.;)

Tourism London's John Winston, and London West MPP Chris Bentley says the door here never closed to the Shriners, and they are still more than welcome.

[ldoto]

Hold the phone on London not getting the new Shriners Hospital for Children.

The Montreal Gazette is reporting high level Shriners are again threatening to pull out of Montreal and build the new hospital in London.

The paper says the Shiners feel the Quebec government and the McGill Health Centre did not follow through on promises the centre made.

A major problem is apparently McGill's announcement it won't clean up a portion of a contaminated site where the a new hospital is to be built in Montreal.

As a result senior Shriner Gene Bracewell says the London proposal -dead since 2005 - will likely be reconsidered.

[Snark]

..

[flar]

I visited downtown London this week, the city is looking pretty good. Overall things look quite healthy. I see there are three cranes and a couple other new highrises downtown since I moved about 4 years ago. I made a photo thread in the city photos section if you guys are interested:

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=125840


***EDIT***

Even more interesting for you guys, on the second page of the above photothread, I've posted some old pictures, including the old Covent Garden Market, the destruction of the CN Tower, and the construction of the JLC.

[ldoto]

Lombardo museum may broaden its scope

Mon, February 26, 2007

By KELLY PEDRO, SUN MEDIA



Guy Lombardo would share the spotlight with other musicians at the museum that bears his name as part of a proposed redevelopment of Wonderland Gardens.

City staff are recommending the community and protective services committee approve a plan that would recreate the Guy Lombardo Music Centre to focus on the musical heritage of the former Wonderland Gardens.

The recommendation goes before the committee today.

"Attendance in the current form (at the museum) has been quite low," said Ross Fair, the city's general manager of community services who oversees the museum's operation.

"Council is looking for a way to better organize and market the centre."

Last year, 1,401 people visited the Wonderland Road museum and attendance figures have never dropped below 1,000, said Douglas Flood, president of Friends of Lombardo, a not-for-profit volunteer-run operation.

Part of the city's plan is to include the Lombardo centre in redevelopment plans for Wonderland Gardens, razed by fire in 2005, Fair said.

The recreated centre would showcase the history of all performers during Wonderland Gardens' 80-year history, including Lombardo, a London native, in an effort to attract more visitors.

Using storyboards, audio and photographs, the centre could become an interpretative centre with self-guided audio tours, city staff said in a report. It would cost about $25,000.

Flood, whose personal collection represents about half the items on display, said he doesn't think visitors will like the new set-up.

"I don't really care for that type of an operation," he said. "To me, it's boring."

If approved, the new centre would be phased in over two years and reopen in the summer of 2008 -- without one key piece of Lombardo's collection.

The city plans to put Lombardo's speedboat, the Tempo VII, into storage -- a move Flood disagrees with.

Lombardo was a top speed- boat racer in the 1940s and '50s. He was U.S. national speedboat champion from 1946 to 1949 and scored his two biggest victories in the 1946 Gold Cup and 1948 Ford Memorial competitions in Detroit.

Lombardo was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame in 2003.

Until the centre reopens in 2008, city staff said it will be business as usual at the museum until September 2007, when it will close while changes are made.

Part of the recommendation also gives the Friends of Lombardo a chance to submit a business plan within 90 days for the long-term management of the museum.

Flood said yesterday the Friends of Lombardo won't be submitting a business plan.

Lombardo and his band remain Canada's biggest-selling recording artists, with more than 300 million albums sold.

Lombardo died in 1977

[ldoto]

UPDATE!
Beaverbrook Towers


http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a138/ldoto/2007/DSC00030.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a138/ldoto/2007/DSC00028.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a138/ldoto/2007/DSC00027.jpg:D

[FazDeH]

^^ I'm happy to see those going up, since Im still a card carrying communist. urgh.

[MolsonExport]

Yeah, aren't they vile?

[GreatTallNorth2]

Thought this might be of interest to the London forumers...

I was talking with a client of mine who rents space in the Wright Lithography building downtown (Wellington near Dundas). She told me that Farhi just bought the building and has told his clients that they have two years to find new space. The building is right beside the old library. Does this mean that he is going to knock down the building for parking for his library tower or would he build a tower where the Wright building is?

Also, if you go to Farhi's website (fhc.ca), you can see that this guy owns a lot of property downtown...including that big chunk of land just north of the courthouse.

I don't think that we have seen the last of the towers downtown. Farhi will build something nice in the next couple of years and Drewlo looks like they will build something too. Add to this all the buildings that have been built, and we could say that London is definately in a residential tower boom. Once again, I don't know of any other Canadian city of similar size that is building anywhere near what London is. Even Hamilton, Winnipeg, Quebec City which are quite a bit bigger aren't building many towers downtown.

[ldoto]

:previous: I couldn't say it beter my self.:tup:

[ldoto]

Here's some more good news for the city!:banana:

Two plants, 600 jobs

Thu, March 1, 2007

Two auto parts suppliers are to announce their plans for London within four months.

By NORMAN DE BONO, SUN MEDIA



KITCHENER -- London is poised to land two new auto parts plants, creating up to 600 jobs, sources say.

A Southwestern Ontario commercial real estate conference, held by CB Richard Ellis, heard yesterday that major industrial projects are on the horizon for London as the manufacturing sector booms.

"We will see some additional plants coming to London soon," said Peter Whatmore, senior vice- president in London of CB Richard Ellis Ltd.

Whatmore declined comment on details of the development. But sources in the manufacturing sector confirmed two parts suppliers, more than 100,000 square feet each, will be announced for the privately-owned Gateway Industrial Park within four months.

The new investments would supply parts to other plants that make components for auto assembly plants.

"There have been layoffs and closings in manufacturing, but there have also been new contracts, new players and overall there is a balance," Whatmore said.

"London is steady as she goes."

John Kime, president and chief executive of the London Economic Development Corp., declined comment on reports of the new industries.

Still, he agreed London's industrial land remains in demand as the city's manufacturing sector continues to defy a national downward trend.

"It has been surprisingly resilient despite everything that is going on," said Kime.

The land availability rate in London's industrial sector is stable at 6.3 per cent.

Statistics Canada reported London gained 3,500 manufacturing jobs during the quarter that ended in January, while Ontario lost 54,500 manufacturing jobs over the same period and the rest of Canada 42,000.

London's new automotive parts assembly plants will join a 520,000-square-foot project by O.R.E. Development Corp. at Highway 401 and Highbury Avenue, a centre for trucking and shipping, said Whatmore.

"There has been a softening of the economy overall, but the industrial sector remains strong here and we think it will for the next few years," said Whatmore.

Don Drummond, chief economist with TD Financial Group, wasn't surprised by news of industrial growth in London and area.

The city is enjoying a boost from Woodstock's new Toyota assembly plant, he said, and has a diversified economy with manufacturing, financial services, health care, education and services, including technology businesses, rounding out the employment scene.

Still, he cautioned London remains challenged by a cooling U.S. economy and competition from emerging markets in Asia in all sectors -- manufacturing, technology and even life sciences.

"London will get a pickup in manufacturing, but their woes are not behind them," he warned. "The emerging economies are penetrating virtually every sector right now."

The Kitchener conference heard industrial land values in London and Woodstock are held "artificially low" because the cities are the developers.

London posted the cheapest industrial land in Southwestern Ontario, lower than Woodstock and Windsor, at less than $100,000 an acre, compared to nearly $300,000 in Waterloo.

London is also the cheapest place to build, with land and construction costs totalling less than $5 a square foot, compared to more than $10 in Waterloo.

The conference also heard of commercial and industrial land parcels attracting more than 10 purchase bids and vacant land hard to come by throughout Southwestern Ontario.

From Windsor to Waterloo investment in industrial land grew by 14.7 per cent from 2005 to 2006, from $150 million to $176 million, CB Richard Ellis reported.

[ldoto]

More good news for london! But I hered that Workers at the London Siemens VDO plant are wondering about its future following Friday's company announcement it was moving most of the production from its Chatham plant to Mexico.


Job Boom at London's Diamond Aircraft:cheers:

London's aerospace industry may be small, but it is about to undergo massive expansion.
Diamond Aircraft is preparing to hire up to 500 new workers to meet the demand for it's new D-Jet.

The new jet is priced at $1.3M, which is low enough to attract a lot of interest from people who otherwise couldn't afford a jet.

The company is already hiring, and with a $10,000,000 loan from the province, the boom could spin off across the entire Forest City economy.

And Diamond is also eager to obtain a federal government loan.

Some of the government money will be used to conduct a search for workers with exactly the skills Diamond will need.

With both loans in place, D-Jet production could be at full throttle by next summer.
:notacrook:

[upinottawa]

^^^ I thought Farhi wanted to knock down a bunch a buildings to provide parking. Parking appears to be his priority for his London properties for the near future. He likely acquired this latest property to make it into a surface lot.

[flar]

I really hope the Wright Lithography building isn't torn down for a parking lot. There's so much parking in downtown London it's not even funny.

[Snark]

..