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Agreed. The Olympic venues may, in the end, be the only thing that prevents that entire site from being turned over to private development, save for a razer-thin walkway along the water. I'd love to see at least one iconic structure on the waterfront, as has been done in Cardiff and many other cities that redeveloped their rusty waterfronts. We didn't get one on QQ. Pier 27 doesn't cut it.
 
Having said that, WT has done a pretty spectacular job on Sherbourne Common, with more to come from Peli's Bonnycastle St. and Bayside. We'll see. Still need a big draw down there though.
 
Here's one to fight about: I say if we bid for 2024, go with the original 2008 plan of burying the Gardner and doing the Front St. extension. Screw it, let's do it right and open up the Portlands without the Gardner looming overhead. Work around Tory. Bring it to council with a bolder, better long-term vision. They might just go for it in the post-Pan Am euphoria.
 
If anything, the Olympics would bolster the argument that the Gardiner should stay due to the increased traffic in the East end. I don't like it but that's a battle left for another generation.

In terms of venues that can be brought to the Portlands that would serve the community after the Games, an Olympic Stadium could become the new home of Toronto FC and Toronto Argos. By 2024, if the current trend continues, TFC will be up for yet another expansion and a beautiful purpose built soccer stadium would take the team to another level. The Track & Field infrastructure could stay in place where Toronto could bid for future international athletic events.

This was the relatively modest proposal for the TO2008 Olympic Stadium.

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An Olympic swimming pavilion could be built on the waterfront with a pool on the main level and ice rinks above as was the original plan for a stacked ice skating building in the Miller days.

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The Athletes Village could be built along the Portland's Ship Channel and then converted to condos, a portion of which would be affordable housing. An Olympic rowing centre could be established on the Ship Channel itself, and then converted into a rowing club with the intention of training future Olympic athletes.

Waters edge features like boardwalks and parks along with infrastructure like hydro, water, sewage, data would establish groundwork to build the Portlands into a community, attracting private investment.

We have so much to gain from hosting an Olympic Games. That's not even counting the international exposure and the resulting influx of tourism dollars into our economy and international investment in the development of our city.
 
Riverdale Rink Rat said:
Finally, on the whole 'But hosting the Olympic Games will be, like, our total Debutante Ball! We'll be announcing ourselves to the World!' front: Have you thought about Atlanta differently since? Have you gone/thought of going (no fair counting a Delta transfer at the airport)? Yeah. Me Neither.
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I wrote about my recent visit to Atlanta in a different thread. I was thoroughly unimpressed.
 
MetroMan said:
In terms of venues that can be brought to the Portlands that would serve the community after the Games, an Olympic Stadium could become the new home of Toronto FC and Toronto Argos. By 2024, if the current trend continues, TFC will be up for yet another expansion and a beautiful purpose built soccer stadium would take the team to another level. The Track & Field infrastructure could stay in place where Toronto could bid for future international athletic events.

An Olympic swimming pavilion could be built on the waterfront with a pool on the main level and ice rinks above as was the original plan for a stacked ice skating building in the Miller days.

The Athletes Village could be built along the Portland's Ship Channel and then converted to condos, a portion of which would be affordable housing. An Olympic rowing centre could be established on the Ship Channel itself, and then converted into a rowing club with the intention of training future Olympic athletes.

Waters edge features like boardwalks and parks along with infrastructure like hydro, water, sewage, data would establish groundwork to build the Portlands into a community, attracting private investment.

We have so much to gain from hosting an Olympic Games. That's not even counting the international exposure and the resulting influx of tourism dollars into our economy and international investment in the development of our city.
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Wow. Just wow. You compare the current WT plans for the Portlands and this nausea-inspiring scheme, and you think it's better? We have a 'purpose-built soccer stadium' that's being expanded right now. The soap plant push for an eastern commercial/transport hub to be built as they put in place the flood protection landforms is going to move WT's plans along smartly. And, instead, y'all wave your hands and say 'see'? This is the pretty bauble you can have so I can put a billion dollar stadium in place for two weeks of sporting events, and then abandon.'

I like the swimming pool reach -- as if they're going to retrofit it for new ice pads. That's such a sop, it made me giggle.
 
Said it before, and will say it again: If there is a bid and if the complex is located at the Portlands, I will fully expect it to adhere to the overall plan set forth by WT. The 2008 bid plan for the area won't cut it anymore, especially if one is going by the argument that the games facilitates waterfront redevelopment. Now could they have worked it in? Quite possibly, but they need to demonstrate how that is to be done.

AoD
 
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Close YTZ, build the Billy Bishop Olympic Stadium, here's already a pedestrian tunnel. Historically it'll return to it's original function as a baseball stadium. Maple Leaf Baseball was previously on that site before it moved to the mainland near Tip Top Tailors.
 
AlvinofDiaspar said:
Said it before, and will say it again: If there is a bid and if the complex is located at the Portlands, I will fully expect it to adhere to the overall plan set forth by WT. The 2008 bid plan for the area won't cut it anymore, especially if one is going by the argument that the games facilitates waterfront redevelopment. Now could they have worked it in? Quite possibly, but they need to demonstrate how that is to be done.

AoD
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There is a bid. It's been underway for years and was revived after Tory won and took on extra urgency when Boston started to go south. This whole "wait until after ParaPan" is an invented crisis so that they can push the letter of intent through without a proper public or council debate. Once the letter is in they will make spending $50M on a bid a fait accompli.
 
I find all of this talk about revitalization and renewal quite inspiring, many great ideas! This is what an olympics can do for us, it stimulates vision and planning, which is often in far too short supply.

As for Metroman's post, the point is that a games will ensure the area is not entirely left to private development and condos with a few slivers of public land here and there. We may actually get a focal point waterfront here and not a boardwalk that passes for one. Riverdale believes that anything that isn't a condo is a 'bauble', but that's exactly the kind of thinking we need less of!
 
Tewder said:
As for Metroman's post, the point is that a games will ensure the area is not entirely left to private development and condos with a few slivers of public land here and there. We may actually get a focal point waterfront here and not a boardwalk that passes for one. Riverdale believes that anything that isn't a condo is a 'bauble', but that's exactly the kind of thinking we need less of!
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We have to be careful about how the post-games use of the site gets worked into the plans - there hasn't been a proposed site that is nearly as promising setting-wise probably since Barcelona (and I am not particularly impressed by the Rio plans).

AoD
 
Tewder said:
I find all of this talk about revitalization and renewal quite inspiring, many great ideas! This is what an olympics can do for us, it stimulates vision and planning, which is often in far too short supply.

As for Metroman's post, the point is that a games will ensure the area is not entirely left to private development and condos with a few slivers of public land here and there. We may actually get a focal point waterfront here and not a boardwalk that passes for one. Riverdale believes that anything that isn't a condo is a 'bauble', but that's exactly the kind of thinking we need less of!
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I think your analysis of the motivations of anti-Olympic posters is overly simplistic and largely inaccurate.
 
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