(raises eyebrow)

The commitment is for over 100 acres of parkland, on top of Downsview Park which is right there.
Ah, I didn't explain this well enough - the new parkland is spread thinly across their development, often in linear parks and corridors. Parkland bisected by roads is never good parkland space. I'd rather see new parkland space concentrated into high quality spaces - "garden squares" or local parks, rather than tokenistic pocket parks across the vast area.

They are lucky to have Downsview Park right there - I've also queried how they plan to "signpost" and link the existing park from their development, and if the development has a 30 year time frame - surely the Park also needs a 30 year program of investment/improvements...

Also suggested planting an "allee" of trees on the runway ASAP - that way, future developments will have mature trees around them from Day 1. The risk with the "interim uses" is that Torontonians love the wide open spaces of the new "airfield park" - and demand that it isn't developed alá Templehofer Feld in Berlin!
 
Ah, I didn't explain this well enough - the new parkland is spread thinly across their development, often in linear parks and corridors. I'd rather see new parkland space concentrated into high quality spaces - "garden squares" or local parks, rather than tokenistic pocket parks across the vast area.

The level of detail provided in the high concept drawings is quite limited.

We don't see assigned size areas, and it would be difficult to calculate them as they reference roads that have yet to be built.

That said, if we know the total is 100 acres I think we can reasonably assume some of those larger wedges of green are multi-acre sites, not as small as they may appear.

I grant, it's difficult to judge that.

Obviously they are counting long, but narrow linear strips that tie the site together, presumably as walking paths, with generous landscaping and seating as park space.

I don't think that's a bad thing, as long as the functional program needs of parks that would require larger spaces are also met.

Would be worth submitting a comment to them to that effect.

ie. 'in order to better evaluate your proposed parks model, I need to understand the range range of park sizes/types being offered, could you outline the approximate numbers"

They are lucky to have Downsview Park right there - I've also queried how they plan to "signpost" and link the existing park from their development, and if the development has a 30 year time frame - surely the Park also needs a 30 year program of investment/improvements...

New Parks would surely be built out w/their respectively development blocks for the most part.

Perhaps a single signature space would go with the first phase as a marketing tool; but otherwise it makes no sense to build 'Park C' in the midst of vacant land or a construction site with no public road access.

Once a park is built, and the adjacent roads are ready to be assumed by the City, they City would assume those spaces as City Parks, after which it is the City who would maintain them. (we hope)
 
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Film and Television Production Studio Announced for Downsview Airport Lands


Downsview to Host World-Class Film and Television Production Studio​





PSP Investments signs MOU for a ground lease with Hackman Capital Partners

MONTREAL and LOS ANGELES, June 30, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - The Public Sector Pension Investment Board ("PSP Investments"), one of Canada's largest pension investment managers, today announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU") with Hackman Capital Partners ("HCP"), a privately-held real estate investment, operating company and owner of The MBS Group, for a long-term ground lease at Downsview in northwest Toronto, Canada, where HCP (or an HCP joint venture) will build a leading film and television production studio facility.

With surging demand for entertainment content and demonstrating its confidence in the industry as a source of growth and value, PSP Investments is committed to content creation and the film and television production sector. In 2019, it announced a joint venture ("JV") with HCP, Square Mile Capital Management, USAA and Teacher Retirement System of Texas for an investment in Amazon Studios' new HCP-developed campus in Culver City, California and The MBS Media Campus in Manhattan Beach, California. The JV also acquired a minority stake in Television City Studios in Los Angeles and invested in The MBS Group, the largest studio-based equipment and production vendor in North America and the United Kingdom that provides all the necessary studio resources and infrastructure for content production, including consultation services, studio design/development, training, tech incubation, management, and operational oversight.

"PSP Investments is excited to enter into this partnership which reinforces our focus on content creation and opportunities that foster and drive innovation," said Kristopher Wojtecki, Managing Director, Real Estate Investments, PSP Investments. "Hackman Capital Partners is the world's leading independent owner and operator of film and television properties, and we are proud to partner with Michael Hackman, CEO, and the team in support of an industry that attracts nearly $2 billion each year to Toronto. Moreover, the studio will embrace an innovative approach to sustainable design that will exceed the City of Toronto's Green Standard Version 3, Tier 2 – further demonstrating how PSP is putting sustainability at the centre of our investments strategy."

"We are proud to continue our partnership with PSP Investments as we expand our Canadian footprint; this new state-of-the-art film and television production facility will create thousands of new direct and indirect jobs through an investment of approximately CAD$200M," said Michael Hackman, CEO of Hackman Capital Partners. "Subject to approval by City officials, our long-term plan envisions more than 1 million square feet of production and support space, with soundstages ranging from 20,000 square feet to 80,000 square feet, with the goal of creating jobs and bolstering local and inward creative sector investment while reaffirming the city's stature as one of the world's leading destinations for film and television production."
Located in the North York district of Toronto, the Downsview Airport Lands span approximately 370 acres. It is surrounded by world-class research and innovation centers and benefits from proximity and connectivity to public transportation and highways. Northcrest Developments, a wholly-owned subsidiary of PSP Investments, will be directly involved in the integration of all future developments at Downsview.

"This plan not only will create thousands of film and television jobs, it will open the door to a new media, technology and innovation hub at Downsview that we can build upon and grow for years to come" said Christopher Eby, Executive Vice President, Northcrest Developments.

About PSP Investments
PSP Investments is one of Canada's largest pension investment managers with approximately $204.5 billion of net assets as of March 31, 2021. It manages a diversified global portfolio of investments in public financial markets, private equity, real estate, infrastructure, natural resources and private debt. Established in 1999, PSP Investments manages net contributions to the pension funds of the federal Public Service, the Canadian Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Reserve Force. Headquartered in Ottawa, PSP Investments has its principal business office in Montreal and offices in New York, London and Hong Kong. For more information, visit investpsp.com or follow PSP Investments on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Hackman Capital Partners and The MBS Group
Founded in 1986, Hackman Capital Partners is a privately-held and fully-integrated operating company that focuses on buying, renovating and re-imaging studios, vintage commercial, industrial, and other properties. Based in Los Angeles, HCP has invested over $6.8 billion in properties representing over 36 million square feet and 400+ buildings across 41 states. HCP is the largest independent owner and operator of studio properties with 8 studios comprising 70+ soundstages, an additional 35 soundstages planned for development, and nearly 5.0 million square feet of space.

The MBS Group, which is at the forefront of production innovation and technology, is a collection of companies that provides content creators with a comprehensive list of services, including equipment, studio management, logistics, and production planning solutions for the dynamic and ever-changing landscape of the physical production world. The business spans the spectrum of physical locations for film, TV, and new media production services. The MBS Group exclusively services more than 40 studios and over 350 soundstages globally.
Together, with more than 800 employees, HCP and The MBS Group operate a global studio and media platform with assets comprising approximately $4.3 billion in capitalized cost. The platform acquires and services premiere studios, media facilities and related real estate opportunities in the top production markets around the world. The HCP/MBS Platform is a fully built and integrated global network of experienced professionals and studio staff with the capabilities to acquire, develop, construct, provide production infrastructure and equipment, logistical support, operate and manage studios.

The HCP studio and media portfolio includes: The Culver Studios, the historic 14.3-acre film and television studio in downtown Culver City that is the new home to Amazon Studios; Television City Studios, the iconic former CBS broadcasting facility on 25-acres in the heart of West Hollywood; MBS Media Campus, a state-of-the-art 22-acre production facility in Manhattan Beach, CA; Silvercup Studios, one of New York City's most iconic studios covering 10.4 acres; Second Line Stages, the only purpose-built production facility in New Orleans, Louisiana; Eastbrook Studios London, which at completion will be the largest studio in the City of London; Saticoy Studios in Van Nuys, CA and Raleigh Studios in Hollywood, CA.

For more information, visit www.hackmancapital.com.
SOURCE PSP Investments
... the studios will be built in two phases, with the first half-million sq. ft. built on land currently vacant, from 2022 to 2024, with productions starting in 2024... Another roughly 600,000 sq. ft. will go on land being vacated by Bombardier...
turini2:
... The risk with the "interim uses" is that Torontonians love the wide open spaces of the new "airfield park" - and demand that it isn't developed alá Templehofer Feld in Berlin!
https://www.id8downsview.ca/progress
... this plan will likely take over 30 years to fully implement. Beginning with three neighbourhoods enables us to start close to transit (Downsview Park and Wilson Stations) and support the creation of new jobs—including in the existing Bombardier hangars, which will be repurposed...
Does that mean the airfield runway will just be left there, unused and empty, for many years?
 


https://www.id8downsview.ca/progress

Does that mean the airfield runway will just be left there, unused and empty, for many years?
In terms of airplane use, yes because bombardier is ceasing operations in 2022. They are discussing right now interim uses for the runway - opening it up fully year-round for pedestrians and events in a couple years time.
 
It's essentially a 200 ft wide, 7000 ft long parking lot -- a big strip of pavement more than a mile long. I might go there once just for the novelty of it, but then what?
What kind of event would be held there? It would be a very uninteresting venue, even for something like a 5k or 10k run or bike-a-thon type of thing.
 
It's essentially a 200 ft wide, 7000 ft long parking lot -- a big strip of pavement more than a mile long. I might go there once just for the novelty of it, but then what?
What kind of event would be held there? It would be a very uninteresting venue, even for something like a 5k or 10k run or bike-a-thon type of thing.
I beg to differ. Templehofer Feld in Berlin is a hugely successful and interesting public space: https://futurelandscapes.ca/tempelhofer-feld

Mind you, it's surrounded by dense neighbourhoods.
 
Well, let's surround this with a dense neighbourhood!

42
Indeed. Berlin has plenty of linear park spaces lined with density too - Tilla Durieux Park and Gorlitzer Park, for example. Whether Toronto can actually conceptualize and build out something like Berlin remains a question with an saddeningly doubtful answer.
 
I have a piece up with some details and renders:
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/can...ogether-in-green-minded-design-for-downsview/

YGN5U2BO3JEKPMVGJAG4AENJL4.jpg
City-Nature_view-1.jpg
 
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you could build a city core with that land. if you're not going to have towers, work on having the majority of buildings in the 10+ storey range and mass timber works with that too.

trying to have an urbanized pedestrian street without an urbanized population basically means those renders are full of BS. you'll have 10% or less of the people on that street than they want to portray

we want to add city pieces to the city, not suburban pieces.
 
The concept that it is mostly 5 to 8 storey structures (although I suspect this is for the core of the site and there will be taller near the subway stations as indicated in the consultation to-date) is a bit undersized to me. If the range were even more like 6 to 12 storey structures, I think the feel would be maintained, but it would push it up towards 100,000 residents and 50,000 jobs, instead of the 80,000 residents and 40,000 jobs proposed.

I think getting the density up a bit is integral to the success of the new neighbourhood, and also important given that this is an unparalleled opportunity to make better use of existing transportation infrastucture (three subway stations, one GO).

That being said, aside from the density being somewhat less than ideal, I am really liking the rest of what I am seeing and hearing about this project, and appreciate the level of thought that has gone into this exercise.
 
Anyone have insight about how they expect to fund major infrastructure construction by building only 5-8 storeys?

I also wonder what the City's willingness is to accept linear parks as parkland dedication. Linear parks are great, lots of great examples of these integrating and improving urban areas, but is there a threshold for what the city considers a MUP vs. a Park?
 
Overall, I think it looks good. I'm concerned that it will still very car-dependent, despite being on the subway line, like all the developments along the Sheppard subway line.

I would also like to see a "landmark" square or park that is more than just your typical gazebo-and-swing sets-community park. Something that attracts people from all corners of the city.
 
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