November/December 2011

Work Underway to Create Acceleration Plan for the Port Lands

Waterfront Toronto and the City of Toronto have started work to create a development and implementation plan for the Port Lands and are inviting members of the public to be part of the process.

The goal of the initiative is to deliver a high-level road map for accelerating the development and maximizing the value of the Port Lands as a city legacy. The undertaking, the result of Toronto City Council’s September 21 unanimous decision for Waterfront Toronto to lead a review of the Port Lands, will be informed by extensive public consultation.

An initial public meeting is being held from 6:30pm to 9:00pm on Monday, December 12 at the Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge Street. The meeting will include a summary of the process and goals for the Port Lands initiative, and an overview of challenges and opportunities in accelerating development. As well, the meeting will invite the public to ask questions and discuss their goals and ideas for accelerating development of the Port Lands.
 

Port Lands Public Meeting

Date: Monday, December 12
Time: 6:30pm to 9:00pm
Location: Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge Street
Bram & Bluma Appel Salon, 2nd floor

For additional information, call
(416) 214-1344 x248 or email info@waterfrontoronto.ca

Sherbourne Common Receives Accolades and Awards

Sherbourne Common has been recognized as one of the “Best New International Parks” and has received two prestigious awards.

The Atlantic Cities, a blog by the acclaimed magazine The Atlantic, surveyed international green spaces for the best in emerging standards for design and selected Sherbourne Common as one of the nine best new parks in the world.

In November, Sherbourne Common also received the Gold Award for Landscape Architecture at the 2011 Design Exchange Awards in Toronto and an Architectural Hardscape Award by the Ontario Concrete Awards. The Design Exchange Awards promote Canadian design excellence and the Ontario Concrete Awards recognize the vision and creativity within the Ontario construction industry.
 

The Design Exchange, 234 Bay Street, is holding an exhibition of winning projects until February 26.


 

Queens Quay Revitalization Construction Manager Announced

Following a competitive procurement process, the construction contract for revitalizing Queens Quay Boulevard has been awarded to Eastern Construction.

The project will transform the main waterfront street, Queens Quay Boulevard, from an unattractive
and dysfunctional street to a beautiful and functional main street for the waterfront. The revitalized Queens Quay will feature a generous, tree-lined promenade and a bike lane on the south side, a transit line in the center and traffic lanes on the north side. 

A Construction Liaison Committee made up of local resident associations, businesses and other groups is being established.

River City Sales Office Opens

On November 19, Urban Capital officially opened its new sales centre for phase two of its successful River City project. The second phase includes 248 beautifully designed units located in three connected mini towers.

The first residential development on Toronto’s new waterfront, River City is designed by Montreal-based architects Saucier+Perrotte and Toronto-based ZAS Architects. Phase one of the project is already underway. River City sits on part of the massive flood protection landform that is being built to enable development of West Don Lands and it will offer spectacular views of the new Don River Park. Phase two, as an extension of Phase one and with no basement levels, will be able to advance easily through construction.

The sales office is located at 554 Queen Street East, at River Street. For more information, visit www.rivercityTORONTO.com or call 416-862-0505.

East Bayfront Public Meeting

Approximately 100 community members joined Waterfront Toronto on November 22 for the East Bayfront Public Meeting.

The meeting included presentations on the Bayside and Monde developments, the treatment of the water’s edge street and promenade and the construction of George Brown College. The meeting also included a question and answer session and opportunities for members of the community to provide feedback on the projects.

If you were unable to make the public meeting, the presentations are available for review on our website.

Don River Park Construction Update

The construction of Don River Park, the iconic 7.3 hectare (18 acre) park in the West Don Lands, is making tremendous progress.

Work continues to advance throughout the park. In the play areas, the small and large slides are installed and the climbing boulders are in place. The fibre and rubber surfacings are also in place.  The pathways on the west side of the park are complete and the bike rings and bench bases have been installed.  

Work continues on the installation of the concrete pavers around the pavilion and wood decks in the play areas. Seeding of the park’s hills and valleys has begun, and the irrigation installation and the planting of trees and small shrubs is ongoing. The granite paving and concrete pavers in the River Square portion of the park will start soon.
 

Don River Park under construction.

View the West Don Lands webcam, at “full screen” mode, for an up close look at construction of the park.

Underpass Park Construction Update

Underpass Park, the uniquely urban park under and around the Richmond and Adelaide overpasses, continues to take shape.

In the portion of the park just east of St. Lawrence Street, the rubber surfacing in the play area is finished and concrete paving is complete. The installation of the lighting fixtures is ongoing and the Ipe wood seating surface on benches is underway.

In the eastern-most portion of the park, the sub-base for the ribbon walls and the concrete retaining wall is complete. Concrete paving and installation of the granite cobble strip and concrete steps continues. Planting of the park’s grasses and trees is also complete.  

When open in the spring of 2012, the park will provide local community members with a great place to hang out with family or friends, play pick-up basketball or ball hockey, or indulge in the playful climbing structures designed for all ages.

Underpass Park under construction.





Play features installed at Underpass Park.
 

West Don Lands Stormwater Infrastructure Update

The new stormwater treatment and conveyance system in the West Don Lands continues to progress. Tunnelling is complete and construction of the concrete lining of the tunnels is now underway. Work has also begun on the caisson wall for the oil grit separator.

The oil grit separator is the first stage of stormwater treatment in the system and it removes sediment, screens debris, and separates oil from stormwater. Then the stormwater is conveyed to a chamber for the second stage of treatment which then removes any suspended solids not captured by the oil grit separator.

Construction of the Cherry Street shaft is underway. This work has requires that Cherry Street at Lake Shore Boulevard East be closed for approximately two months. The Don Valley Trail has also been rerouted for pedestrian and cyclist safety. We thank you for your patience as we build this critical piece of infrastructure for the West Don Lands.


 

York Quay Construction Update

Construction of the underground parking garage for Harbourfront Centre is continuing on schedule for its a July 2012 opening. The project replaces a surface parking lot with an underground garage and unlocks this vital piece of waterfront property for future use.

Perimeter foundation walls, columns and the elevator shaft construction continue with crews also working to complete the foundations for the floors of level one and two.

Image of the York Quay underground parking garage under construction.

External Sanitary Sewer Construction Update

Construction for the new sanitary sewer for East Bayfront is continuing on the Esplanade from Scott Street to east of Church Street. Crews are excavating and installing the tunnel for the sewer pipe. By early December, this section of work and temporary restoration of the sidewalk will be complete.

On Jarvis Street, crews are installing the sewer between Lake Shore and Queens Quay boulevards  and preparing to do sewer construction on Queens Quay Boulevard at its intersection with Jarvis Street. The TTC route has been altered along the Esplanade to accommodate this work. Please visit the TTC’s website for information on the route detour. 

 

Tommy Thompson Park Construction Update

Waterfront Toronto and Toronto and Region Conservation are working together on upgrades to Tommy Thompson Park, a unique urban wilderness minutes from downtown. The improvements include building a new park entrance, staff booth, environmental shelter and lookout, and ecological research station.

All improvement activities are advancing well. The foundations on the ecological research station are done, and the foundations and the walls of the environmental shelter and lookout have been completed. The arching form of the shelter is clearly visible now. The walls and the floor of the staff booth have been completed, and the next major step in the work is the forming and pouring of the concrete roof structure for both locations.
 

Mimico Waterfront Park Construction Update

Construction of phase two of Mimico Waterfront Park, which began in July, is progressing well and on track to open in fall 2012. Phase two extends the park an additional 500 metres enabling Torontonians to enjoy the lakefront west of Humber Bay Park West for the first time. When complete the park will provide 1.1 kilometres of linear waterfront park space between Norris Crescent Parkette and Humber Bay Park West.                       

Waterfront Toronto is working with Toronto and Region Conservation to build this important community asset.  Mimico Waterfront Park will deliver much needed waterfront public space and enhance and strengthen the local community.  The investment in this new park is also a catalyst for re-invigorating the local economy.
 

Port Union Waterfront Park Construction Update

Port Union Waterfront Park, like Mimico Waterfront Park, provides lakefront access in an area where previously none existed. Waterfront Toronto is working with Toronto and Region Conservation to build this unique linear park on Toronto’s eastern waterfront.  

The park is located between the mouth of Highland Creek and the Rouge River in Scarborough. The new park features 3.6 kms of waterfront trail, cobblestone beaches, pedestrian lookouts, shoreline protection and the creation of terrestrial and aquatic habitat. Phase one of the new park opened in September 2006. Phase two is currently under construction and scheduled to open in fall 2012.
 

Waterfront Toronto Interactive Kiosk at Bay-Adelaide Centre

If you didn’t have a chance to visit the interactive kiosk while it was at Brookfield Place you can now visit it at the Bay-Adelaide Centre on the concourse level near the Scotia Bank. The kiosk will be on display at the Bay-Adelaide Centre until the end of December and then will move to another part of the city where we can continue to reach out to more Torontonians.

The touch-screen features of the kiosk enables users to learn about waterfront projects by exploring an interactive map, watching videos and viewing photos.