London Construction - Development News Thread#1

[london2020]

Thanks for the welcomes guys.

To me the Sarnia bridge is almost comical. If the city won't pay for all of it then the builders should have to chip in. When was that built? The 1800s?

Another thing I was thinking about -- Why hasn't the city set aside any land for the North corridor of the imaginary ring road? They missed their chance to put it between sunningingdale and medway, as that is now all being developed. Arva has also grown somewhat so they'd have to put it all the way out on 8 mile road or something. If they don't do something soon there will never be a ring road!

And did anyone see what's going on with the Demolition at Adelaide and Kipps? They're tearing down most of the horrible three-story walk-ups, and I believe building a second large apartment tower like the new one completed a year ago. I don't necessarily think the density there makes sense, but at least the slums are going bye-bye.

[SlickFranky]

I never really understood the point of the ring road they were planning (if you could call that half-assed attempt "planning"). Apart from allowing trucks to avoid the crowded city streets, why would anyone use this route? Is it so that Summerside residents can more easily access the Fanshawe-Highbury powercenter? Seems to me like it would only promote residential sprawl and commercial decentralization.

As for Kipps-Adelaide, I have mixed feelings there as well. I used to live in one of the transglobe slabs across the street from those low-rises. I would walk through that place to get to the hasty-market all the time. Sure, there were always groups of young hoodlums hanging around, up to no good, but there were also dozens of kids running around playing (moms sitting off to the side chatting).
I don't know what my point was there. As far as density goes, it's not the greatest spot, but you could do a lot worse. At least that place has good bus service (unlike hyde park).

[ldoto]

Call centre to employ 150

Thu, March 27, 2008

The new centre, Transcom, will be on Fullarton Street in London's core.
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By NORMAN DE BONO, SUN MEDIA


A new call centre will call downtown London home, adding 150 jobs to the city's core.

Transcom, in an Old Oak Property building on Fullarton Street, will field customer service, billing inquiries, sales and technical support calls for a cable operator.

"Although some people don't get excited about call centre jobs, they use state of the art technology. They are a very well known business," said Peter White, chief executive of the London Economic Development Corp.

Transcom looked at "multiple locations" across North America before deciding on London, he added.

"It speaks very well of the city to win this," he said.




Transcom employees will take technical training and work in the technology and communications field, learning computer and customer-service skills, he added.

"This is excellent training, excellent skills development for young workers," said White.

Transcom has more than 17,300 employees in 73 offices in 29 countries. In Canada, there are 12 centres with London the ninth in Ontario.

Transcom is a member of the Kinnevik Group of companies, a Stockholm-based investment company established in 1936. Its client list includes Aventis, Capital One, Chrysler, IBM, Xerox and Yves Rocher.

"When Transcom decided there was a need to open a new site, we solicited interest from over a dozen communities across North America.

"Applicant flow from London was very strong, right off the mark, and the quality of applicants has been exactly what we're looking for to maintain sustained growth in the area," Bob Milne, corporate communications manager, said.

Transcom has opened a 6,200 square foot office on Fullarton St.

Transcom London office will be able to handle inbound customer service, billing inquiries, sales, and technical support. The company is now looking to hire workers.

"We're looking for candidates with great people skills who are computer literate and able to respond quickly to new situations", said Milne.

[GreatTallNorth2]

Originally Posted by SlickFranky

I never really understood the point of the ring road they were planning (if you could call that half-assed attempt "planning"). Apart from allowing trucks to avoid the crowded city streets, why would anyone use this route? Is it so that Summerside residents can more easily access the Fanshawe-Highbury powercenter? Seems to me like it would only promote residential sprawl and commercial decentralization.

I am with you in regards to sprawl. I think the point of a ring road is this: if I am traveling from T.O. to London on the 401 and I am heading anywhere in the north of London, I would take the ring road. It bypasses intercity traffic which is growing steadily. By the time they finish the ring road (if they do) there will be much more in city traffic and this road will seem like a much better idea. This road will cost hundreds of millions to complete, if not more and I can't see our city council spending that money. They are just too small minded. We should be putting all our money into transit and building a great transit system.

[MolsonExport]

Some nice London shots at SSP

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=577508

[MolsonExport]

Wal-Mart buys land for 4th London store
Thu, March 27, 2008

Wal-Mart is looking to add a fourth store and build another major commercial plaza in London, buying up a large chunk of land in the city's south end.

The world's largest retailer has partnered with its landlord, SmartCentres, buying 14.5 hectares of property (36 acres) at the southeast corner of Exeter and Wonderland roads for $9.6 million.

It's the second land buy in the area. First Pro Shopping Centres,what SmartCentres used to be called, bought an adjacent 49 hectares (121 acres) in 2004 for $2.1 million.

"They are interested in developing that land, but there is also a lot of other activity going on in the south end," said Deputy Mayor Tom Gosnell, who works as a consultant to developers and advised SmartCentres on the land purchase.
"SmartCentres and Wal-Mart own it and intend to build if they get approval."




The new owners have applied to the city to complete an area study to develop a commercial shopping plaza, but it may be on hold until the city can determine whether it has the sewage capacity to allow development in that area, said city planner John Fleming.

There are several proposed developments for the region and many landowners are looking to build, waiting for the green light from city hall, he added.

"Planning staff recently looked at the southwest area. We are looking at proposals on the table and we have recognized servicing constraints in the area. We are recommending these proposals be put on hold until such time as a comprehensive review of the area is conducted to deal with growth," said Fleming.

The city is expecting a report on the servicing of the southwest area within the next two months, added Gosnell. "Sewage is the big issue now and what capacity is available."

George Kerhoulas, vice-president with Cushman Wakefield LePage commercial realtors, believes "hundreds of acres" of land in the area is ripe for commercial development and the southwest may be the next big area to grow, he said.

"It will be ground zero for future growth for London and services are vital," he said. "The Wonderland south area could be a major commercial node."

Sandra Kaiser, vice-president corporate affairs for SmartCentres, said the developer will start work soon on rezoning the site and confirmed this size of the purchase means it will be likely be a larger development, although a portion of the land is not developable.

"It is a possibility," she said of a large commercial plaza. "Wal-Mart is very interested in this market."

The development will be in the shadow of another major commercial plaza at Wonderland and Southdale roads owned by Southside Group, and its owner Vito Frijia.

In 2005 Frijia announced he and Wal-Mart were close to a deal that would see a store built at his Wonderland and Southdale site, but that never materialized. It is believed Frijia wanted to own the building and lease it to Wal-Mart while the retailer wants to own its own buildings.

Wal-Mart now has stores at White Oaks mall, Argyle mall and in the Hyde Park area.

Yeah, just what I expected, city council is totally in cahoots with the big box sprawl developers. Who gives a shit if inner London looks like shit, or if the Westmount mall completely dies? Just collect money from developers.

[MolsonExport]

Future freeway map of southwestern ontario? (wikipedia) It shows a ring around london, with Veteran's Memorial Parkway as the eastern N-S expressway, and Westbourne (?) as the wester N-S expressway.

[ldoto]

Wed, April 2, 2008

By JENNIFER O'BRIEN, SUN MEDIA


A surge of immigrants to the London area has helped the visible minority population grow by 30 per cent, a rate higher than the national growth rate of 27 per cent, since 2001, new census results released today.

With 50,300 visible minorities — about 11.1 per cent of population — the London Census Metropolitan Area still lags behind Canada's national average in which visible minorities make up 16 per cent of the population.

But it could be catching up, an analyst indicated today.

"Thirty per cent is pretty strong growth, higher than the national average," said Jarod Dobson.

The Census Metropolitan Area includes municipalities surrounding London, including Middlesex, Strathroy-Caradoc and St. Thomas.




The city of London is closer to, but still behind, Canada's average with 13.8 per cent of its population identifying themselves as visible minorities.

The census takes its definition of a visible minority from the federal Employment Equity Act, which is "persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour."

Respondents could choose from a list that included Chinese, South Asian (such as people from India, Pakistan or Sri Lanka), black, Filipino, Latin American, Southeast Asian (such as Cambodian, Indonesian or Vietnamese), Arab, West Asian (such as Iranians and Afghans), Korean and Japanese.

[ldoto]

Bank of Canada official declares London's economy diverse

Wed, April 2, 2008


The senior deputy governor of the Bank of Canada said London's economy is diverse enough to weather a slump in the manufacturing sector.

Paul Jenkins, a University of Western graduate, is in London today meeting with business leaders, Mayor Anne Marie De Cicco-Best and Western students.

Jenkins told the Chamber of Commerce this morning that global competition is slowly eroding the manufacturing base in the London area.

Manufacturing now accounts for only 14 per cent of jobs in the London are compared to 20 per cent 20 years ago.

But he said the decline has been offset by gains in sectors such finance, transportation and professional services.




"Adjustment is not easy. But London does seem to me to stand out as an example of the importance of having the flexibility to respond and adjust to changing circumstances," said Jenkins.

[london2020]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Future freeway map of southwestern ontario? (wikipedia) It shows a ring around london, with Veteran's Memorial Parkway as the eastern N-S expressway, and Westbourne (?) as the wester N-S expressway.

The part running along the north is apparently the proposed 403 extension. Unsure how serious this proposal is, but i like the idea.

"A provisional plan supported by local municipalities is to extend Highway 403 westward past Woodstock between London and St. Mary's to terminate at Highway 402 near Strathroy. This project does not currently have the support of the provincial government, however, all planning and development is being performed by the municipalities only. It is expected that a portion of this new route would form part of London's proposed ring road/bypass route. Such an extension would back up the kilometre posts and the exit numbers would have to be revised accordingly if it comes to fruitition." - Wikipedia

[QuantumLeap]

The above map is a pure fiction, a wikipedian's wet dream.

[london2020]

I'm not sure if it's pure fantasy. I found mention of it here as well.

The Northern leg will be the 403 extension, and won't even be within the City of London but rather Middlesex Centre. For this reason, it is expected that the Northern leg will be a provincial project.

source: http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r198...ident~start=20

[Koolfire]

Originally Posted by QuantumLeap

The above map is a pure fiction, a wikipedian's wet dream.

Doubt it's a total wet dream as the two Highways to North Bay and Sudbury are being worked on. Might get done in the next 25 years.
417 extension east from Ottawa to North Bay. Well, maybe after the other two or if the Federal Government decides to build a freeway across the country. Wouldn't hold my breath.
The highway in the middle of the Niagara Pennisula is proposed and environmental assessment is being done. It's to help with traffic on QEW.

I know that half of the red line near Hamilton is done. Should be the Red Hill Valley expressway and the rest of the red line should be the expansion path.

The line running parallel to 400 is the 427 extension which is to help with traffic on 400. I think thats at the environmental assessment phase too.

Not all of it makes sense. Like the freeway to Nanticoke. I know there's lot's industry that way, but c'mon.

[QuantumLeap]

Do you really think in 25 years the Province is still going to be building expressways? C'mon yourself. That map above should show all the passenger rail routes in the province.

[ForestryW]

Sure they will be. Ontarians will continue to use cars regardless of how efficient our rail system is, and traffic will inevitably increase. I don't think they'll extend the 403 north of London any time soon (if ever) but I can guarantee they'll be building expressways for a while yet.

[LondnPlanr]

Old East facing new promise

Tue, April 8, 2008

A Toronto company plans to build a 600-unit complex housing as many as 1,500 residents.

By JONATHAN SHER, SUN MEDIA

London's Old East Village may soon be home to the city's most progressively designed residential towers, a showpiece city boosters believe will stand as an example to other developers.

Medallion Developments, a Toronto company, plans to build a 600-unit complex that could add 1,200 to 1,500 residents to a neighbourhood that's worked hard to recover some of its faded glory.

"It's going to propel the revitalization effort . . . We're really on our way now," Sarah Merritt, manager of the village's business improvement area, said yesterday.

It's not just the size of the project that had people buzzing at city hall after officials there unveiled Medallion's plans late yesterday.

Medallion has a track record of revitalizing GTA neighbourhoods with designs of the sort that go beyond basic boxes that have long marked -- some might say scarred -- London's skyline.




"They say this is going to be a flagship development," Merritt said.

City planner John Fleming couldn't contain a smile as he described key design elements Medallion officials say they will incorporate into the design that will take up much of the block between Dundas, King, Hewitt and Lyle streets:

- Two towers will be slender to allow sunshine to reach the streets below and will be different heights -- 24 and 21 storeys -- to avoid monotony.

- The towers will be near the block's centre along with a nine-storey building so their size doesn't dwarf pedestrians.

- Along Dundas, where there are gaps between retail fronts, the complex will fill the holes with commercial uses.

- Along King and Hewitt, the complex will have three-storey townhouses, each front door facing the street, to blend with other buildings.

City staff won't make a recommendation about the development until they review detailed designs later this week, but what they've heard excites them.

"These are the design elements we've been looking for . . . It could be a model for the rest of the city," Fleming said.

That also is the belief of the city's urban designer, Sean Galloway, who's preached the connection between well-designed buildings and thriving neighbourhoods since his arrival six months ago.

"There's been a notion that this can't be done in London, that the city is too small, that it's not economically feasible."

What was needed was a benchmark project of the very sort Medallion is proposing.

"You can refer to urban design in living colour," Galloway said.

With Medallion expected to spend $60 million, the private investment is easily the biggest in the Old East Village.

"It's just as significant as the $100 million of public money for downtown development," said Controller Gord Hume, a member of the business improvement area.

A key lure was council's policy to have taxpayers, not developers, pay to service residential development in the village, he said.

Medallion hopes to get council's go ahead by July.

The project would be the company's second here. It's built the first of what will be three towers at Kipps Lane and Adelaide Street North.


This is terrific news, but I hope that this development will attract, for the lack of a better term, the 'right' type of people to allow for this development to truly help in the revitalization of the area. I've long thought that this little stretch of Dundas could be turned into one of the most hip areas in town with the right amount of residents and a few hip commercial anchor stores (Starbucks, a Record Store, etc.).

Let's hope this pans out as expected!

[MolsonExport]

^good news, but I don't think that record stores, as we know them, have any future, here or outside of London.

Interesting that it will be built in an area that has seen much better days.

http://www.londontopic.ca/article.php?artid=8488



development proposal submitted to the City of London by a Toronto-based real estate development company is eyeing a section of the city's Old East Village, and has been hailed as "very exciting," by London's Mayor, and potentially having "a major impact on the revitalization of the Old East Village," said City Controller Gord Hume.

The proposal, submitted by Medallion Developments, a privately-owned real estate development and property management company that's been in operation for 50 years, involves a 600-unit residential building, with the potential of adding 1,000-to 2,000 residents to the area. The building would be built in a block bound by King Street, Dundas Street, Hewitt Street and Lyle Street, said a City of London media release.

"The City has worked diligently on revitalizing this area for many years, so this type of proposal is very exciting," said Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best. "This is exactly the type of high quality urban design project that Council has been looking at in other cities such as Vancouver and downtown Toronto."

City officials said the proposal has the potential to add thousands of residents to the area, which in turn could create demand for commercial services, bringing revitalization to the area.

The first step in the process requires a zoning amendment application for the area.

This zoning by-law amendment application will be reviewed by city staff for appropriateness from a land-use planning perspective, said city officials, adding the application will then be subject to a public participation meeting expected to be held this summer, and finally City Council approval.

"This project represents a major investment in the Old East Village that will spark further investment in the area and move the revitalization of the Old East Village ahead," said Sarah Merritt, manager of the Old East Village Business Improvement Area (BIA).

City Council and the Old East Village BIA have worked together on the revitalization of the Old East Village. Council has established a Community Improvement Plan for the area, established an incentive program and created one of the largest heritage conservation districts in Canada.

"By putting feet on the street, this project will have a major impact on the revitalization of the Old East Village, furthering the renaissance that has been underway for some time," said Gord Hume, City Controller and member of the Old East Village BIA board of directors.

Ward 4 Coun. Stephen Orser agreed the development is exciting. "I am looking forward to seeing more of the details of this project."

Past Medallion projects include residential subdivisions and multi-family apartment communities throughout the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The company's portfolio is comprised of a full spectrum of real estate holdings: from high rise residential buildings to commercial office, retail and industrial properties.

[QuantumLeap]

This is fantastic news for Old East. I wondered why such a big deal was being made of the very small increase in the OE revitalization area at Planning Committtee yesterday, but here is the answer.

As to Molson's question, this is the whole point of revitalization. It is certainly strange that this building is going up when there is a lot more to be done in Old East, but anyone from Toronto can see the enormous potential of the strip. Queen West, King West and Queen East all share amazing similarities with our Dundas East.

[softee]

Originally Posted by Koolfire

Doubt it's a total wet dream as the two Highways to North Bay and Sudbury are being worked on. Might get done in the next 25 years.

The new highway to North Bay should be complete within the next 5 years. There is less than 40 km of two lane highway remaining and it is currently in the process of being 4-laned.

[SlickFranky]

Fantastic news for Dundas East!

That strip really does have so much potential. Now everyone cross all their fingers and toes...I really hope this actually happens.

I wonder why they haven't really tried to fix the situation there. I say just drop the commercial property tax to 0% for a few years and see what happens. Then again, maybe the plan all along was to allow property values to hit roughly $0 and just wait for a visionary developer to come along and fix the problem for them.
I can already see Decicco and Hume high-fiving each other on another job well done.