London Construction - Development News Thread#1

[FazDeH]

Its like the daily planet on this forum! LMAO.
Im glad to hear about all possitive feedback from the developers though!

[GreatTallNorth2]

Originally Posted by ldoto

Today I decided to send an E-mail to the city of London Building Division about the inquiry regarding the former central library land.

This is what they sent me!

I actually have spoken with the owner a couple of times. His name is Farhi (last name). He is definately not going ahead with the former library project with all these new towers being built. He said he was going to wait a while, but still has plans to build one day.

[ldoto]

Extra gas tax cash fuels LTC

Sat, October 14, 2006

With Ontario pumping $9.1 million to London, transit officials can expand routes and add buses.

By JOHN MINER, FREE PRESS REPORTER




London's share of the provincial gasoline tax is jumping to $9.1 million, up from $6.8 million last year.

The money is being funneled to the city's transit system, allowing the London Transit Commission to add buses and expand routes.

"As a result of this announcement, people are spending less time waiting for a bus, they are more likely to get a seat on the bus and they are riding newer, safer and more environmentally friendly buses," MPP Deb Matthews (L -- London-North-Centre) said yesterday. It's the third year the province has passed on two cents from every litre of gasoline sold in Ontario to municipalities for their transit systems.

LTC chairperson Gary Williams said the money helped increase ridership in London by four per cent last year and the trend is expected to continue this year.

If it does, ridership on LTC buses could top the 19 million mark, beating the record set in 1989.

"What we are hoping for in the long, long term, perhaps 18 to 20 years out, we want to try and get to our goal of 28 million annual trips in London. That would be a 10-per-cent share of the travelling public," Williams said. "That takes a lot of SUVs off the road."

Ridership on LTC buses declined after 1989 because public transit funding was cut, Williams said, adding that long-term funding is vital.

"Without that, you can't really create an ongoing, effective and efficient transit system, no matter how hard you try. Unless you have the funds, you cannot replace the aging buses on the street," he said.

The extra provincial money has helped LTC expand its fleet by 10 buses and reduce the average age of its buses, Williams said.

Across Ontario, Queen's Park is transferring $313 million from the gas tax to 86 transit systems in 104 centres.

The government estimates that by the end of 2007, public transit ridership will grow by 31 million, the equivalent of removing 25.8 million car trips from Ontario roads.

[ldoto]

A lot of big business deals are forged in the bustle of a coffee shop.

Now, a new downtown London business is hoping to capture some of that market by offering both coffee and private high-tech office space.

The Coffee Office will open Oct. 30 in a former bank building at 137 Dundas St., north of the Covent Garden Market. General manager Fred Anjema said the business will offer the casual convenience of a coffee shop with proper and private business space.

"It will be a place to meet and get work done and be comfortable," said Anjema, a London native with a background in hotel management.

The facility will be ideal for home-based entre-preneurs or anyone needing short-term office space, he said. The ground floor of the business will feature a small gourmet coffee shop and cafe that will be open to the public. The rest of the 7,500-square-foot building consists of offices, meeting rooms, cubicles and lounges equipped with the latest technology, including wireless Internet.

The Coffee Office is the brainchild of the people behind the fast-growing computer service Nerds On Site.

In their travels, David Redekop, John Harbarenko and Charles Regan found they often were trying to do business or meet clients at coffee shops.

"It wasn't a conducive place to do business. People at the next table could hear what they were saying," said Anjema.

The first Coffee Office opened in Windsor last September under the direction of John Millson, a former mayor of the city.

Anjema said more outlets are planned for Burlington, Toronto and Western Canada.

Mainstreet London manager Janette MacDonald said the Coffee Office will be a good addition to the downtown.

"It's a great concept and it a good use of a prominent space," she said.

The Coffee Office is one of several downtown developments, said MacDonald.

Others include:

- A 25-unit affordable housing apartment building opened with full occupancy on the same block as the Coffee Office.

- Loft apartment units opened above the former Swiss Chalet restaurant at 260 Dundas St.

- Expansion at Jonathan Bancroft-Snell's ceramic art business in the form of a 1,500-square-foot addition in the rear of the 258 Dundas St. building.

[ldoto]

For as long as any of us can remember, downtown revitalization has been an election issue.

People are still talking about it today, of course, and it is still an election issue. That's not to say that nothing has been done. Or that what has been done has been a failure. Downtown revitalization is a long-term project. It should never end, no matter how healthy the downtown is.

For without a unique and distinctive downtown, a city loses much of its identity, and it begins to rot from the inside out. This simply cannot be allowed to happen.

London's core in particular will require special attention from taxpayers for years to come, and it needs renewed commitment from candidates during this election.

The current council members and some of their predecessors deserve considerable credit for their efforts, despite the costs to taxpayers.

Recent public projects such as the downtown library, the John Labatt Centre and the Covent Garden Market have proven themselves to be money well spent -- not because each is successful in its own right, but because together, along with other measures instituted by city hall, they have encouraged private investment on a broad scale not seen in some time in downtown London.

You need only look at the cranes downtown for office and apartment towers to know that city hall's strategy is working, and that taxpayers' money was not just well spent, but well invested. There is little doubt that without the initiatives by city hall, many of those private projects would not exist.

London as a city or a community cannot hope to prosper without a vibrant downtown. Economic development across the city depends as much on downtown's viability as it does on dozens of other factors. It should be the city's showpiece.

The heavy lifting may have been done by taxpayers and is now paying dividends, but a smart politician will promise to remain vigilant.

[Snark]

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[FazDeH]

^^^ This has been discussed in the past with little result. A city hall expansion isn't going to happen without some kind of cooperative developement with the private sector, being that there is a high comercial vacancy rate in London we have to face facts that such a project won't happen until the city is able to attract more big business to the core. My feeling is that some kind of tax insentive should be intitiated to draw more corporations away from Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.

[WhipperSnapper]

My feeling is that some kind of tax insentive should be intitiated to draw more corporations away from Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.


do you really think taxes are that important especially when rents in London are a huge bargain to those centres

[FazDeH]

^^^my feeling that any sound business person would consider any savings to be of a huge benifit to running their company, rents are lower but that doesn't seem to be enough. tax insentives MIGHT help. Can't say for certian but I believe its worth trying. Thats why Cami was built in Ingersol because they were given insentive. I believe the same goes for the Sterling truck plant in St. Thomas

[ldoto]

Wonderland Gardens bandshell can't be salvaged, city says

Thu, October 19, 2006

By JONATHAN SHER, LONDON FREE PRESS CITY HALL REPORTER




London city hall will restore Wonderland Gardens without the original bandshell, a late casualty to a fire last year whose complete devastation wasn’t apparent until recently.

In the aftermath of the fire city officials said they could restore the bandshell and restaurant but further investigation has shown that’s not the case.

The bandshell, which dates back to the 1930s, was not salvageable, its structure of chicken wire and plaster damaged beyond repair.

“It’s very unfortunate we lost the bandshell,” Andrew MacPherson, the city parks manager, said today.

While the city will rebuild the Gardens to reflect its art-deco heritage of the 1930s, it will do so with scant tangible links to the past: a few clay roof tiles and inlaid stones.

The demolition of the bandshell was OK’d by the London Advisory Committee on Heritage, whose head, Joe O’Neil, was stunned to learn of the flimsy structure holding it up.

“If someone had been doing the twist and swung his partner too far, she might have kept going and going,” he said.

A new bandshell will be built to replicate the original, using as a model a photograph from 1941, staff say.

The unexpected condition of the bandshell has delayed the project, which staff had planned to start in December and complete next summer.

Now staff hope to begin work in May and finish in mid-September.

The staff are also behind plans to remove a dilapidated chain-link fence to open up the space to the public — it was supposed to have been done months ago but hasn’t yet, in part because unsafe trees had to be removed first.

The total costs of the project are also higher than first estimated, though what the city pays out-of-pocket won’t change much — thanks to insurance money from the fire.

The city had hoped to collect as much as $2.9 million from the fire, but its insurer, after four visits to the site, settled on $1.8 million.

That will leave taxpayers picking up a tab now estimated at $1.4 million — a little bit less than what it would have cost to restore the place before the fire.

The money will not only restore the site, it will link it to Springbank Park, creating continuous pathways along the river, staff said.

While the delays and unexpected losses are disappointing, Londoners will love the final result, MacPherson said.

“People who were there 40 years ago will say, ‘I remember this',” he said.

The destroyed ballroom at the Gardens once featured big-name acts such as Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians.

[MolsonExport]

What the hell. Why not, eh? The city saves nothing as it is. Just rezones more land for big box retailers on the periphery.

[ldoto]

Update!
An 11-storey, 52-unit apartment building by Ayerswood Development Corp. is under construction at Kent and Talbot streets.

[Snark]

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[Snark]

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[ldoto]

If London wants to be worthy of its title as the Forest City, it should make tree planting a priority, a woman who protects rare species said in London last night.

The city should also do everything it can to preserve its existing inventory of trees, Diana Beresford-Kroeger said before speaking to a full house at Wolf Performance Hall.

"You can't just leave it up to authorities," she said. "There has to be a lot of citizen engagement. Everybody who can should be planting trees, the right kind of trees for this environment."

Trees serve many good purposes, the most important being oxygen generation and water purification, she said.

"Trees are geniuses when it comes to doing these two things."

Beresford-Kroeger, a botanist and agricultural researcher who lives near Smith Falls, said the mental and physical health consequences of tree loss are enormous.

"If you want to have a healthy city, you need to have an abundance of trees."

Beresford-Kroeger said she approved of London city council's recent decision to give more protection to woodlands facing development pressures.

A healthy environment is good for business, she said.

"People want to live in cities that are attractive because of their natural resources."

Beresford-Kroeger's visit to London was sponsored by the Thames Talbot Land Trust and it attracted an audience from most of the city's "green" groups.

Since its formation in 2000, the trust has been raising money and acquiring natural environments to be held in trust for future generations, said executive director Don Gordon

[ssiguy]

I hope London maintains her trees and continues to plant more.
London truly is the Forest City and it is one of her true strenghns

[ldoto]

Battle looms over Capitol Theatre facade

Wed, October 25, 2006

By NORMAN DE BONO, LONDON FREE PRESS BUSINESS REPORTER




The city and developer Shmuel Farhi are on a collision course over the Capitol Theatre building on Dundas Street, Controller Tom Gosnell said this week.

The developer will apply to have the facade of the building torn down for parking, but the city has made it clear it wants the front of the old building saved to prevent more gaps in the downtown streetscape, said Gosnell.

“I would hope that does not happen. We have gone on the record stating we want to preserve the historical character of the downtown streetscape. If we allow piecemeal development to take place it will have a significant impact on the core,” said Gosnell.

But preserving downtown heritage is exactly why he needs additional parking — to keep his tenants in true heritage structures, said Farhi. If he cannot provide parking, the buildings may go vacant and that would hurt the core much more, he said.

“We need some common sense here. I hope common sense will prevail, but time is running out,” said Farhi. “I need to do this to preserve heritage stock.”

The Capitol Theatre facade is in very poor condition and is not historically significant, he added.

“Parking is essential for office use. It does not make sense to have derelict buildings rotting on Dundas Street,” said Farhi.

Janette MacDonald, MainStreet London manager, believes the issue exemplifies the two great challenges now facing downtown redevelopment: Providing parking and preserving aesthetically pleasing and historical facades.

“I really see both sides of it, it is a tough one. We know Mr. Farhi needs parking to care for his existing clients, but I don’t want to see gap-tooth development on Dundas Street,” said MacDonald.

There are negotiations now ongoing at city hall that may create a “win-win” for the city and Farhi, she added.

“They are talking and something may happen. We have a suggestion to offer and we will be at the table.”

Farhi now has about 250,000 square feet of vacant space downtown. He bought the buildings at 204 and 206 Dundas St. to tear them down for parking spaces, but the city allowed the demolition permit only for the rear of the building — allowing Farhi to create 50 spaces. Demolishing the front would add another 20 spaces.

If the city denies him the demolition, Gosnell fears the city may face a legal challenge in the form of an Ontario Municipal Board application from Farhi.

“If we allow this, what is to stop other buildings from being demolished? This could affect four or five blocks downtown and it may never recover,” said Gosnell.

The facade of the theatre has been identified as a “priority item” on a list of historically significant buildings, but does not have a designation, added Gosnell.

Farhi has not yet applied for a demolition permit. He needs the parking because he has lost spaces in Galleria London’s parking garage because the mall needs spots for its tenants, said Gosnell.

[MolsonExport]

Pave paradise, put up a parking lot.

[Shadow11P]

Another open parking lot, cut into beautiful, priceless buildings. Just what London needs!

[ldoto]

Public gets a peek at proposed Wonderland Gardens redesign

Fri, October 27, 2006

By KATE DUBINSKI, LONDON FREE PRESS REPORTER




The concept for a redeveloped Wonderland Gardens site drew both praise and criticism this week as it was presented to the public for the first time.

Sprawling trails, a concession stand, lookout points and a spruced-up bandshell, pavilion and dance floor will all be part of the new Wonderland Gardens grounds.

But some were concerned the pavilion — which is covered but opened on all sides — wouldn’t be able to accommodate those who want to use the space in winter.

“I think if it’s going to be used in the spring, summer and fall, maybe people should be utilizing it in the winter, which can’t happen with an open pavilion in the freezing cold,” said Joanne DiCicco, a breast-cancer survivor and an avid dragon boater.

“I think large groups may be limited in how they can use this,” she said, adding she often went to the gardens to dance in her youth.

So did Ruth and Bob Geoghegan, married 49 years, who hope to dance on the same spot they did in the early years of their marriage.

“I think it was in pretty bad shape for a lot of years. It will be nice when it’s open,” said Ruth Geoghegan.

“I just think that it’s great they’re making it a park and not condominiums or apartments, so that everyone can use it.”

The input from people will be presented to city council, who can then vote to give the project the go-ahead.

The conceptual plan was already presented to board of control, who liked the idea but wanted public input.

Among other concerns raised at the public meeting, held Wednesday night at the civic gardens complex adjacent to Springbank Park, was lighting, parking, and installing traffic lights into the site.

A concession stand that will be leased out to a private vendor also raised some eyebrows, with people wondering if the food sales would be year-round and how many people it could serve.

The new site, with the bandshell rebuilt to the original early-1930s style and the pavilion, will hold about 500 people, and could be cordoned off for private functions, said architect John Nicholson.

“We will be respecting the cultural history of this place, that place where people had their first dance, their first date, their first kiss, and that is important,” said Nicholson.

The bandshell, which city council originally wanted to keep and restore, has to be torn down because it's in such disrepair, Nicholson said.

A new restaurant or teahouse would also be too costly to rebuild.

“We’re trying to capture the ambiance of this place’s heyday,” said Bruce Cudmore, a consultant who is working with the architects.

“We’re looking at musical, natural and river heritage trails that would tie all of this together. Ramps, squares and paths would allow people to access all of the new greenland.”

A massive fire in August destroyed much of the formerly glorious bandshell and pavilion. The insurance payout to the city from the fire will be $1.8 million.

The first phase of the project, rebuilding the dance floor, pavilion and bandshell, should be done by September 2007. The trails and gardens should be done by 2008.

Those gathered this week were excited about the restoration, particularly the gardens and trails, which are currently overgrown and not accessible.

The principle use for the new facility and gardens at the site would be for large activities like walks and runs, continued use by people who already use the area like dragon boaters and canoers, and those who want to use the trails.