Parts of this article (those related to the notable landmarks of a Canadian neighborhood) need to be updated. The reason given is: Requires update per P:WP.. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(March 2023)
What is now CityPlace was originally conceived as a way to revitalize what was Canadian National's former Spadina Street Yard Facility, which was part of the extensive Railway Lands in the waterfront area.
Railway Lands west of the CN Tower in 1999, shortly before new developments transformed the area into CityPlace in the early 21st century.
Going as far back as 1965, when CN began to shift the functions of many of its yards in the Greater Toronto Area to a centralized facility in the northern suburb of Vaughan, there had been plans to revitalize this part of downtown. One of them called for the construction of a large television/telecommunications tower as a showcase of Canadian industry, which was realized in the 1970s with the CN Tower in addition to the massive Metro Centre which was later cancelled. Further development took place in the 1980s, with the 1984 completion of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre drawing new attention to the area.
With the arrival of new visitors and development of new commercial draws, a fresh master plan was drawn up by the City of Toronto for revitalization of this area. At the same time Via Rail, the sole remaining occupant of the Spadina Street Yards, relocated their local operations to the newly built Toronto Maintenance Centre in New Toronto, freeing up the lands necessary for the planned revitalization. Work commenced after the demolition of the last railway buildings with the construction of SkyDome, which was completed in 1989.
At the same time, a new network of roads, parks and infrastructure began to take shape. The project proceeded smoothly until an economic downturn caused many of the development plans to be shelved, and much land stood abandoned until 1997 when construction of the Air Canada Centre arena commenced.
RedevelopmentEdit
Construction in CityPlace in 2008, looking south from the Union Station Rail Corridor. CityPlace reached its final phase of redevelopment in the early 21st century.
This began the third and final phase of redevelopment called CityPlace which called for a multipurpose development of commercial, residential, and retail along the western section of the Railway Lands. The current CityPlace development was conceived by Concord Adex Developments, the same company that helped revitalize a large section of former Expo 86 lands in Vancouver, who purchased the land in 1997 from the Canada Lands Company.[1]
The final portion of CityPlace to be developed is Block 31. Initially, the proposal for Block 31 included a 42-storey mixed-use tower (alongside schools and community centre). It was criticized for the shadows it would cast over nearby amenity spaces and the site's adjoining Canoe Landing Park, as well as the views it would partially obstruct.[2]
Following a round of public consultations in early 2015, the new schematic design for Block 31 was revealed. It will include two schools and a new community centre. Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) have both been designated to use the new space. The shared school building will seek to maximize spatial efficiency, with a common gym and theatre complex for both schools. Block 31's design attempts to maximize available green space. With an articulated green roof spanning the complex's footprint.[3] The 150,000 square foot complex is expected to cost $55 million to construct, and is set to be completed by 2019.[4] The schools are Jean Lumb Public School, named after Jean B. Lumb, the first Chinese Canadian woman and the first restaurateur to receive the Order of Canada for her community work; and Bishop MacDonell Catholic School, which is named after Alexander Macdonell, the first bishop of Kingston in Upper Canada
Project size: 18 hectares (44 acres) including an 8-hectare (20-acre)[5] community park. 7500 residential units upon completion.
Residential development is divided into 10 street blocks, numbered from 1 to 10. Each street block contains a number of residential towers with its own sets of common facilities.
Block 1 was developed first with 4 towers, namely Matrix A/B (Completed 2002) and Apex C/D (Completed 2003), all with Front Street West addresses. The street block features buildings directly facing the entertainment district and the closest walk to the Financial District.
Block 2 features 1 building (Optima) only, directly behind the Rogers Centre, fronting on Navy Wharf Court. It features a heightened privacy comparing to the other interconnected towers. Completed 2003.
Block 3 is the largest street block in the entire CityPlace complex, with 4 towers and a mid-rise building, as well as townhouses to decrease the tension of high density development. The project was named Harbour View Estates and was completed in 2006.
Block 4 features 2 towers and a mid-rise, mirroring the Harbour View Estates both in location and in design. The buildings are named as WestOne, N1/N2 and The Gallery, was completed by October 2007.
Block 5 contains one tower (Montage), completed in early 2009, and a mid-rise building (Neo), completed in late 2008.
Block 6 has further progressed in design as trend evolves, with 2 towers and 1 mid-rise, Luna and Luna Vista. Completed April 2010
Block 7-8 (Parade) Two towers with a 2-story bridge at floors 28 and 29, 2 podium buildings and 2 mid-rise buildings. Completed 2013.
Block 10 will contain the Panorama building with a 7-story podium/mid-rise and a luxury high rise. The high-rise will feature a number of 1500+sqft units with private elevators. Completed April 2010.
Number of Units: over 5,000 residential units to date.
Notable landmarksEdit
This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(July 2018)
In addition, a median is being set aside along Fort York Boulevard, the main thoroughfare through Cityplace, so that it can be used for a streetcar route by the TTC in the future.
A footbridge (Puente de Luz or Bridge of Light) is a pedestrian and cycling crossing from CityPlace to Front Street across the railway tracks was opened in October 2012, but promptly closed due to concerns over the sharpness of clips holding the controversial mesh to the sides of the bridge, as well as concerns over people tripping at joins while using the bridge. Those issues were dealt with, and the bridge reopened in December 2012.[7] The 100m bridge is designed by sculptor Francisco Gazitua of Chile.[8]
CriticismEdit
Some planners, architects and politicians have questioned the prudence of the development's urban design. Critics have lauded the architectural excellence of the buildings themselves, but believe suburban ideals have been engineered into the streetscape.[9] While not opposed to high density, critics cite the project's isolation as a potential hindrance to the future health of the fledgling community. They believe that as with other Toronto high rise developments in the past, CityPlace's lack of interconnectedness with the surrounding city may lead to ghettoization of residents.[10] Others believe community prosperity may be affected by the upward mobility of current purchasers. A lack of large units deters families from choosing CityPlace as a desirable place to live, threatening to recreate the conditions experienced in St. James Town and Regent Park, based on a dated article from 2007.[11] However, as the debate continues, proponents with a more optimistic view towards CityPlace's future have cited developments such as Canoe Landing Park, the rising prestige of the adjacent King West area and other future developments on the horizon in the Toronto Entertainment District as evidence of Cityplace's success.[12]
^Hume, Christopher. (March 13, 2010). Cityplace proving its critics wrong The Toronto Star
External linksEdit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to CityPlace, Toronto.
October 19, 2023
cityplace, toronto, parts, this, article, those, related, notable, landmarks, canadian, neighborhood, need, updated, reason, given, requires, update, please, help, update, this, article, reflect, recent, events, newly, available, information, march, 2023, city. Parts of this article those related to the notable landmarks of a Canadian neighborhood need to be updated The reason given is Requires update per P WP Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information March 2023 CityPlace is a neighbourhood in Downtown Toronto Ontario Canada within the former Railway Lands When completed this area will be the largest residential development ever created in Toronto The area is bordered by Bathurst Street to the west Lake Shore Boulevard to the south and Front Street to the north and Blue Jays Way and Rogers Centre to the east Cityplace is also a five to ten minute walk from King Street West and Liberty Village and a ten to twenty minute walk from Toronto s financial district The neighbourhood is also home to the Canoe Landing Park designed by famed Canadian writer and artist Douglas Coupland CityPlaceNeighbourhoodView of western CityPlace 2022 VicinityLocation within TorontoCoordinates 43 38 24 N 79 23 43 W 43 640044 N 79 395179 W 43 640044 79 395179CountryCanadaProvinceOntarioCityTorontoGovernment MPKevin Vuong Spadina Fort York MPPChris Glover Spadina Fort York CouncillorAusma Malik Ward 10 Spadina Fort York Contents 1 History 1 1 Early history 1 2 Redevelopment 1 2 1 Project scope 2 Notable landmarks 3 Transportation 4 Criticism 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksHistory EditEarly history Edit Main article Railway Lands What is now CityPlace was originally conceived as a way to revitalize what was Canadian National s former Spadina Street Yard Facility which was part of the extensive Railway Lands in the waterfront area nbsp Railway Lands west of the CN Tower in 1999 shortly before new developments transformed the area into CityPlace in the early 21st century Going as far back as 1965 when CN began to shift the functions of many of its yards in the Greater Toronto Area to a centralized facility in the northern suburb of Vaughan there had been plans to revitalize this part of downtown One of them called for the construction of a large television telecommunications tower as a showcase of Canadian industry which was realized in the 1970s with the CN Tower in addition to the massive Metro Centre which was later cancelled Further development took place in the 1980s with the 1984 completion of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre drawing new attention to the area With the arrival of new visitors and development of new commercial draws a fresh master plan was drawn up by the City of Toronto for revitalization of this area At the same time Via Rail the sole remaining occupant of the Spadina Street Yards relocated their local operations to the newly built Toronto Maintenance Centre in New Toronto freeing up the lands necessary for the planned revitalization Work commenced after the demolition of the last railway buildings with the construction of SkyDome which was completed in 1989 At the same time a new network of roads parks and infrastructure began to take shape The project proceeded smoothly until an economic downturn caused many of the development plans to be shelved and much land stood abandoned until 1997 when construction of the Air Canada Centre arena commenced Redevelopment Edit nbsp Construction in CityPlace in 2008 looking south from the Union Station Rail Corridor CityPlace reached its final phase of redevelopment in the early 21st century This began the third and final phase of redevelopment called CityPlace which called for a multipurpose development of commercial residential and retail along the western section of the Railway Lands The current CityPlace development was conceived by Concord Adex Developments the same company that helped revitalize a large section of former Expo 86 lands in Vancouver who purchased the land in 1997 from the Canada Lands Company 1 The final portion of CityPlace to be developed is Block 31 Initially the proposal for Block 31 included a 42 storey mixed use tower alongside schools and community centre It was criticized for the shadows it would cast over nearby amenity spaces and the site s adjoining Canoe Landing Park as well as the views it would partially obstruct 2 Following a round of public consultations in early 2015 the new schematic design for Block 31 was revealed It will include two schools and a new community centre Toronto District School Board TDSB and the Toronto Catholic District School Board TCDSB have both been designated to use the new space The shared school building will seek to maximize spatial efficiency with a common gym and theatre complex for both schools Block 31 s design attempts to maximize available green space With an articulated green roof spanning the complex s footprint 3 The 150 000 square foot complex is expected to cost 55 million to construct and is set to be completed by 2019 4 The schools are Jean Lumb Public School named after Jean B Lumb the first Chinese Canadian woman and the first restaurateur to receive the Order of Canada for her community work and Bishop MacDonell Catholic School which is named after Alexander Macdonell the first bishop of Kingston in Upper Canada Project scope Edit nbsp Canoe Landing Park is a 3 24 hectares 8 0 acres park in CityPlace Project size 18 hectares 44 acres including an 8 hectare 20 acre 5 community park 7500 residential units upon completion Residential development is divided into 10 street blocks numbered from 1 to 10 Each street block contains a number of residential towers with its own sets of common facilities Block 1 was developed first with 4 towers namely Matrix A B Completed 2002 and Apex C D Completed 2003 all with Front Street West addresses The street block features buildings directly facing the entertainment district and the closest walk to the Financial District Block 2 features 1 building Optima only directly behind the Rogers Centre fronting on Navy Wharf Court It features a heightened privacy comparing to the other interconnected towers Completed 2003 Block 3 is the largest street block in the entire CityPlace complex with 4 towers and a mid rise building as well as townhouses to decrease the tension of high density development The project was named Harbour View Estates and was completed in 2006 Block 4 features 2 towers and a mid rise mirroring the Harbour View Estates both in location and in design The buildings are named as WestOne N1 N2 and The Gallery was completed by October 2007 Block 5 contains one tower Montage completed in early 2009 and a mid rise building Neo completed in late 2008 Block 6 has further progressed in design as trend evolves with 2 towers and 1 mid rise Luna and Luna Vista Completed April 2010 Block 7 8 Parade Two towers with a 2 story bridge at floors 28 and 29 2 podium buildings and 2 mid rise buildings Completed 2013 Block 9 contains the 3 24 hectares 8 0 acres Canoe Landing Park 6 Block 10 will contain the Panorama building with a 7 story podium mid rise and a luxury high rise The high rise will feature a number of 1500 sqft units with private elevators Completed April 2010 Number of Units over 5 000 residential units to date Notable landmarks EditThis article needs to be updated Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information July 2018 Rank Name Heightft Floors Started Completed Address Notes Image01 0 Apex C A 273 ft 83 2 m 28 2001 2003 381 Front Street West nbsp 01 0 Apex D A 371 36 2001 2003 397 Front Street West01 0 Concord Canada House A A 59 2018 October under construction 23 Spadina Avenue01 0 Concord Canada House B A 69 2018 October under construction01 0 Exchange A 8 2018 90 Queens Wharf Road01 0 Forward A 30 2018 70 Queens Wharf Road01 0 Gallery A 108 3 ft 33 0 m 8 2005 September 2007 July 15 Brunel Court01 0 Harbourview Estates A A 402 ft 122 5 m 40 2003 January 2005 10 Navy Wharf Court nbsp 01 0 Harbourview Estates B A 503 ft 153 3 m 49 2003 January 2005 35 Mariner Terrace01 0 Harbourview Estates C A 278 ft 84 7 m 26 2004 2005 3 Navy Wharf Court01 0 Harbourview Estates D A 378 ft 115 2 m 36 2004 2005 5 Mariner Terrace01 0 Harbourview Estates Loft A 85 3 ft 26 0 m 8 2004 2005 9 Spadina Avenue01 0 Luna A 229 7 ft 70 0 m 22 2007 January 2010 April 8 Telegram Mews01 0 Luna Vista A 413 ft 125 9 m 38 2007 January 2010 April 25 Capreol Court nbsp 01 0 Matrix A A 320 ft 97 5 m 32 2000 2002 361 Front Street West nbsp 01 0 Matrix B A 274 ft 83 5 m 28 2000 2002 373 Front Street West01 0 Montage A 476 ft 145 1 m 47 2006 November 2009 February 25 Telegram Mews nbsp 01 0 N A 425 ft 129 5 m 41 2005 June 2007 August 15 Fort York Boulevard nbsp 01 0 Neo A 210 ft 64 0 m 16 2006 June 2008 October 4K Spadina Avenue01 0 Newton A 21 2018 80 Queens Wharf Road01 0 Optima A 357 6 ft 109 0 m 34 2001 2003 81 Navy Wharf Court01 0 Panorama A 315 ft 96 0 m 28 2008 January 2010 April 38 Dan Leckie Way nbsp 01 0 Parade 1 A 366 ft 111 6 m 39 2008 January 2013 15 Iceboat Terrace 10 Caperol Court nbsp 01 0 Parade 2 A 418 ft 127 4 m 44 2008 January 2012 November 21 Iceboat Terrace 151 Dan Leckie Way01 0 Quartz A 41 2015 75 Queens Wharf Road01 0 Spectra A 39 2015 85 Queens Wharf Road01 0 The LakeFront A 41 2020 17 Bathurst Street Toronto01 0 The LakeShore A 41 2020 19 Bathurst Street Toronto01 0 West One A 486 ft 148 1 m 49 2005 2007 October 11 Brunel Court nbsp 01 0 Jean Lumb Public School TDSB Bishop Macdonell Catholic Elementary School TCDSB 3 2017 September 2019 September 20 Brunel Court denotes estimate See Concord Pacific Masterplan in External LinksTransportation Edit nbsp Southbound streetcars from the 510 Spadina line enters CityPlace The 510 Spadina is one of three streetcar lines that operate in the area With its location nestled between the Gardiner Expressway and Union Station CityPlace is a very accessible area The development is also serviced by the Toronto Transit Commission s 509 Harbourfront 510 Spadina and 511 Bathurst streetcar lines In addition a median is being set aside along Fort York Boulevard the main thoroughfare through Cityplace so that it can be used for a streetcar route by the TTC in the future A footbridge Puente de Luz or Bridge of Light is a pedestrian and cycling crossing from CityPlace to Front Street across the railway tracks was opened in October 2012 but promptly closed due to concerns over the sharpness of clips holding the controversial mesh to the sides of the bridge as well as concerns over people tripping at joins while using the bridge Those issues were dealt with and the bridge reopened in December 2012 7 The 100m bridge is designed by sculptor Francisco Gazitua of Chile 8 Criticism EditSome planners architects and politicians have questioned the prudence of the development s urban design Critics have lauded the architectural excellence of the buildings themselves but believe suburban ideals have been engineered into the streetscape 9 While not opposed to high density critics cite the project s isolation as a potential hindrance to the future health of the fledgling community They believe that as with other Toronto high rise developments in the past CityPlace s lack of interconnectedness with the surrounding city may lead to ghettoization of residents 10 Others believe community prosperity may be affected by the upward mobility of current purchasers A lack of large units deters families from choosing CityPlace as a desirable place to live threatening to recreate the conditions experienced in St James Town and Regent Park based on a dated article from 2007 11 However as the debate continues proponents with a more optimistic view towards CityPlace s future have cited developments such as Canoe Landing Park the rising prestige of the adjacent King West area and other future developments on the horizon in the Toronto Entertainment District as evidence of Cityplace s success 12 See also EditConcord Park PlaceReferences Edit Lee Shanok Philip 2018 12 17 Canada House Last piece of the City Place puzzle falls into place Toronto CBC News Retrieved 2020 03 14 Concept Plan Revealed for CityPlace Schools and Community Centre UrbanToronto Urban Toronto CHART Communications Inc Retrieved 7 August 2015 Concept Plan Revealed for CityPlace Schools and Community Centre UrbanToronto Urban Toronto CHART Communications Inc Retrieved 7 August 2015 Ghebrelassie Makda 7 July 2015 CityPlace condo community plans new schools daycare CBC Radio Canada CBC Retrieved 7 August 2015 After months of hurdles Canoe Landing Park opens retrieved 2011 12 05 PFS Studio Commons Projects archived from the original on 2014 08 26 retrieved 2014 08 23 Puente De Luz Bridge Re opens Urban Toronto 2012 12 18 Photo of the Day Bridge of Light Pours across CityPlace Urban Toronto Urbantoronto ca 2012 03 27 Retrieved on 2013 07 26 Hume Christopher July 14 2007 City Place Hurt by New Spadina Expressway The Toronto Star Hume Christopher April 21 2007 Some causes for concern in condo design Retrieved on 2008 08 16 Tossell Ivor September 1 2007 High Stakes The Globe and Mail Hume Christopher March 13 2010 Cityplace proving its critics wrong The Toronto StarExternal links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to CityPlace Toronto Official Concord Adex developer homepage Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title CityPlace Toronto amp oldid 1180809325, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
