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  #1721  
Old Posted Apr 24, 2009, 2:25 AM
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Are you sure about that!!!!
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  #1722  
Old Posted Apr 24, 2009, 2:56 AM
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Westmount models Galleria

Update!!!

London's mall wars are officially over.

The company that manages the Westmount Shopping Centre says London is "over-retailed" and the suburban mall is becoming a mixed-use complex, following the lead of Galleria London.

The mall wars broke out in the 1980s and early 90s with the rapid expansion of Westmount, White Oaks and Masonville Place and the creation of Galleria London.

Masonville and White Oaks are thriving, but for the past 10 years, Galleria has been filling up vacant retail space with office and institutional tenants.

Galleria will soon relaunch under a new name, Citi Plaza. Michael Dobrijevic of Bentall LP, managers of Westmount, said the mall is following the "same pattern" as Galleria.


"Obviously London is over-retailed, certainly in the mall sector, with two strong malls, and we don't need a third one in Westmount," he said. The second floor has been emptying out for years. Some merchants have moved to the ground floor.

The Cineplex movie theatre will soon move out to a new building in the rear parking lot, leaving only the food court and a single rug retailer on the second floor. The future of the food court, a fixture of suburban malls, is up in the air. "We're still contemplating where it should go, if it should go, or if we should have one altogether," Dobrijevic said.

He said retail would be concentrated on the first floor of the mall and the company is looking for office/commercial tenants for the second floor, although some retail may remain. Dobrijevic said Westmount offers office-commercial tenants a large underground parking garage and an expanded London Transit Commission bus terminal. The office vacancy numbers also favour Westmount.

A study by CB Richard Ellis predicts the suburban office vacancy rate will be 9.3% in 2009 compared to 14.3% in the city core. The study says suburban office space rents for about $9 a square foot compared to $11 in the core. New buildings have sprung up in the Westmount parking lot, catering to stand-alone tenants who need features such as drive-throughs.

TD Canada Trust, a long-time tenant, has moved into a new building in the parking lot that includes a drive-through. A building on the southeast corner, that formerly housed TD Canada Trust, will soon be demolished to make room for two 5,000 sq. ft. family restaurants. One will be Shoeless Joe's, a sport-themed restaurant, new to the London market. Bentall is still looking for the second restaurant tenant. The original supermarket anchor, now under the A&P nameplate, has signed a long-term lease and will soon renovate and rebrand as a Metro store.

Westmount opened in 1971, anchored by a Dominion supermarket and 15 retail shops. It was expanded in 1973 and 1981 and reconstructed in 1989 with Zellers and Eatons (now Sears) as anchor tenants. Westmount was once owned by the Ontario Teachers Pension Fund but is now owned by a consortium of investors.
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  #1723  
Old Posted Apr 24, 2009, 1:29 PM
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overmalled....but Westmount will still be a mall? Sounds like the managers are lacking a solid strategy. If I were a tenant in the mall, I would be worried.
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  #1724  
Old Posted Apr 24, 2009, 1:36 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ldoto View Post
Are you sure about that!!!!
Yes, I am sure about that.
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  #1725  
Old Posted May 1, 2009, 8:04 PM
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A generator atop Westmount mall exploded about 15 minutes ago,

The mall has been evacuated and closed for the day.

Fun times in westmount today!
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  #1726  
Old Posted May 5, 2009, 12:56 AM
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They instaled another city plaza sing over the king,wellington entrance
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  #1727  
Old Posted May 5, 2009, 10:20 PM
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Planning Begins for London Psychiatric Site

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  #1728  
Old Posted May 6, 2009, 2:09 AM
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This sound good for the future if it happens!!!!!!!
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  #1729  
Old Posted May 7, 2009, 10:28 PM
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Does any body know what they are building just off Richmond there is a crane up on site and it looks like the dug down 2-3 floors?
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  #1730  
Old Posted May 7, 2009, 11:06 PM
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Richmond and Mill St?

Quote:
Originally Posted by sparky212 View Post
Does any body know what they are building just off Richmond there is a crane up on site and it looks like the dug down 2-3 floors?
On Mill St.? if so then I believe there is an image of the building that is to go up somewhere in this forum.. I believe that its drelwo building their standard commie block.. haha.. Hurray! we need more of those

Galleria officially opened as Citi Plaza today, I was at the opening they had a whole lot of give aways and free food, lots of citi and other center employees were in attendance. I was hoping for some kind of announcement of a new big tenenant but no luck

And tommorow is the Grand Openning of the new Galaxy Cinema at Westmount mall, it looks pretty cool, from what I saw - especially the VIP section. I will put up some pictures later today or early tommorow on my Blog
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  #1731  
Old Posted May 8, 2009, 1:28 AM
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^ Its not Drewlo, its Auburn or some such minor player. But yes, it will be a commie block. The one nice thing in the design is that there will be two and a half storey townhouses on the St. George street side, and the tower will only be 4 storeys on the Mill side. Could be worse, could be a lot better.
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  #1732  
Old Posted May 8, 2009, 2:16 AM
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I cant find it so whats the hight supposed to be?
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  #1733  
Old Posted May 8, 2009, 2:57 AM
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Galleria is reborn as Citi Plaza

Galleria is reborn as Citi Plaza

Thu, May 7, 2009


With a cascade of confetti, Galleria London was reborn as Citi Plaza this morning.

With hundreds of staff and shoppers gathered in the new atrium entrance on Wellington Street, the complex was officially relaunched after an eight-year makeover.

Lucas Blois of Arcturus Realty, managers of the complex, said the new mix of office, educational, service businesses and traditional retail makes sense for the downtown core.

“It is not about filling space but making use of space in a way that makes sense for our tenants and those who live and work in downtown London,” said Blois.

Blois noted the complex had its roots in Wellington Square, which opened in 1960 as North America’s first enclosed mall.




In 1989, after a $175 million reconstruction and expansion, Galleria London was born as an elite retail mall. But shoppers stayed away in the recession of the early 90’s and Galleria starting losing tenants.

The mall was at its lowest ebb in 2001 when it was purchased by the investment arm of Canadian Commercial Workers Industry Pension Plan, who held a mortgage on the property.

Eugene Fraser, vice-president of the investment fund, said the new owner made the tough decision to scrap the original concept of Galleria.

“We came to the grim realization that to achieve our goals it was necessary to eliminate over 400,000 sq. ft. of retail space, a task not appealing to any developer,” said Fraser.

Over the years, the vacant retail space has been filled with tenants such as Stevenson Hunt Insurance, satellite campuses of the University of Western Ontario and Fanshawe College and more recently Citi Cards Canada, the major office tenant.

The retail space on the south side has been extensively renovated and the northern retail portion will be completed next year.

Joe Serratore has operated a shoe repair business in the mall for 10 years and has just opened an environmentally friendly dry cleaning outlet nearby.

Serratore said the retail space has undergone a dramatic transformation and he credited Blois for helping remake the image of the mall.

“With the previous managers I was losing faith, but Lucas told me he could turn this around and I believed him,” he said.
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  #1734  
Old Posted May 8, 2009, 2:59 AM
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Here is the link to the New Home page of citiplaza have fun!!!!!

http://www.citiplazalondon.com/
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  #1735  
Old Posted May 8, 2009, 4:33 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sparky212 View Post
I cant find it so whats the hight supposed to be?
13 floors, 120 units plus 7 two floor townhouses
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  #1736  
Old Posted May 8, 2009, 4:36 AM
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Originally Posted by ldoto View Post
Here is the link to the New Home page of citiplaza have fun!!!!!

http://www.citiplazalondon.com/
This is very similar to the old Galleria website. Despite the new name, I am hestitant about the extent of the Galleria's "Rebirth"
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  #1737  
Old Posted May 8, 2009, 1:11 PM
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The "rebirth" of the Galleria is rather like a woman experiencing 72 months of gestation followed by 24 months of labour.


This notion of rebirth is a bit of nonsense, as the Galleria has been moving in this direction for years...at least since I moved to London (June 2005).
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  #1738  
Old Posted May 16, 2009, 4:50 PM
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Grand Bend preps for fun

Update!!!

Visitors can get a peek at the $3.5-million lakeside makeover, including the boardwalk and splashpad before the June 1 opening.


The scene this week amid work on a $3.5-million upgrade to Grand Bend's Lake Huron beach.

GRAND BEND -- Feverish construction has taken over Southwestern Ontario's hottest beach destination.

Beachgoers this holiday weekend can get an up-close peek at Grand Bend's $3.5-million lakeside makeover -- including the broad boardwalk, splashpad and dune-grass zones -- before it opens June 1.

The turning circle leading to the main beach will be open all this weekend, although the surrounding construction zone is fenced off. So, instead of the bathing-suited sun worshippers, the beach here is teeming with orange-vested construction workers.

Instead of sunbrellas and cute convertibles cruising the strip, there are Bobcats, forklifts, wheelbarrows and an excavator.

"This is going to make a great beach even better," said Lambton Shores CAO John Byrne.




The main impetus behind the renovations is the community's bid to merit a Blue Flag designation, an international award for clean, accessible and eco-friendly beaches.

Even though the community draws as many as 10,000 out-of-towners on a good summer weekend, it also wanted to build attractions that would bring people in during the "shoulder" seasons of spring and fall.

And residents wanted to beautify the area for beautification's sake, not just for the tourists. "This is the community's beach, too," Byrne said.

New features include:

* A boardwalk that stretches from the pier at the south end of the main beach to the condos at the north. Made of salvaged hemlock, it's wide enough for at least three couples to stroll side by side and has posts topped with gentle, LED lighting. The boardwalk replaces the concrete path.

* A splash pad, sheltered by the main beachhouse and ideal for children on days when water quality is poor or waves are high.

* Dune-grass and natural-vegetation buffers between the beach and boardwalk, to help prevent erosion and to keep sand from blowing through town and having to be scooped up and trucked back to the beach.

* Viewing decks and picnic areas, both with shaded areas to protect visitors from sun.

* New lifeguard stands and more visible safety flags.

* More wheelchair-accessible areas and parking spaces.

"It was a very stark and harsh environment before this," Byrne said.

Also new this year is a beach manager and beach guides to help people navigate the facilities.

"We don't open up our arena facilities and say, 'Just come in.' We wanted to have more of a presence here," Byrne said.

The makeover has won considerable local support. The community has nearly met its goal of $1.5 million in local pledges to pay for it. It hopes to draw the remainder from other government sources.

Ryan Roethel of Kitchener, who has been visiting the beach regularly for 15 years, said he likes the new look.

"Some updating, I think, is good to get people to come back."

Grand Bend has for decades been a big draw, with its broad expanse of beach, restaurants, shops and people-watching.

This is traditionally the weekend when cottagers throw open their shutters and head down to the shorelines.

Some hardy souls will no doubt also be playing in the water, which is still too frigid for swimming.

The Bend project has been a long time coming, after having been discussed for decades. Once a concept was designed and approved, construction began quickly. St. Marys contractors McLean Taylor Construction is handling the work and has a June 1 deadline for completion.

The main beach area under construction will be closed this weekend but the north and south beaches are open.
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  #1739  
Old Posted May 21, 2009, 3:06 AM
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Pics of New Police Station

Update!!!

Pics and links of New Police Station


London Police Service Headquarters Expansion and Renovation!!!!

Take a look at these pics and links!!!
http://police.city.london.on.ca/News...onProgress.pdf

http://www.csparch.com/#section=3&category=10&page=54

http://www.bondfield.com/correctiona...npolicehq.html
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  #1740  
Old Posted May 21, 2009, 7:41 PM
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I don't tend to pay to much attention to the news media in London.. it's annoying.. and I went up to Grandbend for a day at the beach May24 weekend.. yeah I wasn't thrilled finding out wasn't able to access the beach, thankfully you can access private beaches from the marina side. I feel bad for the businesses in Grandbend, because I know for a fact that May24 weekend covers the whole seasons overhead for some of them. This probably hurt them alot. The town should have considered doing this earlier in the year.
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Knowing London has a better looking skyline than that of any other city our size? PRICELESS
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