Celestica Enters Into Agreement To Sell Its Toronto Real Estate

TORONTO, July 23, 2015 /CNW/ - Celestica Inc. (NYSE, TSX: CLS) Celestica, a global leader in the delivery of end-to-end product lifecycle solutions, is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement for the sale of its property located in Toronto, Ontario, which includes the site of Celestica's corporate headquarters and its Toronto manufacturing operations. The site is being sold to a special purpose entity (the "Property Purchaser") to be formed by a consortium of three real estate developers, namely Diamond Corp., Lifetime Developments and Context Development Inc. ("Context"). The consortium intends to work with the City of Toronto to develop a mixed-use community including office, retail and residential uses. If the transaction is completed, the purchase price will be approximately CDN$137 million, exclusive of applicable taxes and subject to adjustment in accordance with the terms of the agreement of purchase and sale (the "Property Sale Agreement"), including for certain density bonuses and other adjustments in accordance with usual commercial practice.

Pursuant to the terms of the Property Sale Agreement, the Property Purchaser will pay Celestica a cash deposit ofCDN$15 million, which is non-refundable except in limited circumstances. Upon closing, which is subject to various conditions including municipal approvals and is anticipated to occur within approximately two years, the Property Purchaser will pay Celestica an additional CDN$53.5 million in cash. The balance of the purchase price is to be satisfied on closing by an interest-free, first-ranking mortgage in the amount of CDN$68.5 million to be registered on title to the property and having a term of two years from the closing date.

As part of the Property Sale Agreement, Celestica will enter into an interim lease for its existing head office and manufacturing premises on a portion of the real estate for an initial two-year term on a rent-free basis (subject to certain payments including taxes and utilities), which will be followed by a longer-term lease for the new home of Celestica's corporate headquarters on terms it would settle with the Property Purchaser. There can be no assurance that this transaction will be completed within two years or at all.

Approximately 30% of the interests in the Property Purchaser will be held by Context, a privately-held company in which Mr. Gerald Schwartz, a controlling shareholder and director of Celestica, has a material interest. Mr. Schwartz also has a non-voting interest in Diamond Corp.'s Whitecastle New Urban Fund 3, which will have an approximate 25% interest in the Property Purchaser.

Given the interest in the transaction by a related party, Celestica's board of directors (the "Board") formed a Special Committee, consisting solely of independent directors, which retained its own independent legal counsel, to review and supervise a competitive bidding process. The Special Committee, after considering, among other factors, that the purchase price for the property exceeded the valuation provided by an independent appraiser, determined that the Property Purchaser's transaction terms are in the best interests of Celestica. The Board, at a meeting where Mr. Schwartz was not present, approved the transaction based on the unanimous recommendation of the Special Committee.
 
Big news! So this is going to be Diamond Corp. Looks like we have a new kid on the block with Context Developments headed by the director of Celestica.

Is it normal for these deals to be done in cash?

I hope this site favors a more traditional urban streetgrid rather than suburban style tower in the park streetgrid. One way or another this development will completely transform this part of the city!
 
I'd prefer to see more commercial uses than residential in this stretch - if the DRL is going to go through the area, it would help to have generators of reverse flow along the route.

AoD
 
Given that the intersection will definitely be serviced by the Crosstown and will likely be serviced by the DRL (at some point) I'd hope to see transit-oriented development on this site. At the same time, I think preserving some greenspace would be integral to maintaining the feel of Don Mills. It would be great to see a central park, with a street grid of midrise residential around it, and commercial/retail uses facing Eglinton and Don Mills
 
Update from Burnside's newsletter:

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err no surprise here whatsoever .. other than the fact Celestica is willing to stay ... wow I wonder if that's the right footage, that's about 650,000 square feet (larger than King East Center); Yea no wonder the developer is concerned that's a lot of space; I'm really surprised Celextica needs 300k to be honest ..
 
So time to bump this thread / discussion

Settlement Reached to Redevelop Celestica Site in North York
http://urbantoronto.ca/news/2016/07/settlement-reached-redevelop-celestica-site-north-york

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"

Over seven development blocks, this proposal would add 2,897 residential units, 77,136 m2 of office space, and 9,105 m2 of retail. It would also add new open spaces, a hockey arena or other community facility, and 930 structured and underground parking spaces.

The proposed modification to Official Plan Amendment 231 would make much of the western portion of the site exempt from the Employment Area designation. Instead, this portion of the site would be classified as a Regeneration Area. This unique designation is aimed at reintegrating areas of the city which are no longer productive by attracting new investment, re-using buildings, and animating public streets. Regeneration Areas can accommodate a range of uses, including commercial, residential, institutional, light industrial, and live/work arrangements.

As a Regeneration Area, a Comprehensive Planning and Development Framework will need to be created for the Celestica Site. The content of this Framework is outlined in the settlement agreement. It is to include a physical structure plan, including street networks and blocks; land use plan; parks and open space plan; servicing plan; transportation plan, suggesting an extension of Wynford Drive into the site and a potential connection between the Wynford Drive extension and Leslie Street across the Canadian Pacific Railways right-of-way; housing plan, outlining the desired mix of unit types; heritage conservation plan; built form policies; community services and facilities strategy; economic revitalization strategy; environmental strategy; rail safety strategy; and, a phasing strategy and implementation plan. This Comprehensive Planning and Development Framework will be prepared in conjunction with the ongoing Don Mills and Eglinton Study which aims to integrate the planning directions of Eglinton Connects into a Secondary Plan.

"
 
Seems pretty standard progress update, about as much as we could have expected.

I echo my thoughts from previous pages of this thread however, we could be more ambitious here if we were a European or Asian city. Higher densities, smaller blocks, more streets. This is a large site that will potentially be the location of the interchange of two rapid transit lines. Yet, what I see is something you would expect from a North York development by the 401.

If Toronto is truly going to be having this massive population explosion we are projected to have over the next 20-30 years, then we must begin thinking of places like this as we would a downtown neighbourhood. We need an urban streetgrid fabric, not a suburban tower-in-the-park design.
 
844 DON MILLS RD
Ward 26 - North York District

►View All Properties

New Subdivision of office buildings, commercial space, residential towers and low-rise town houses, open spaces and parks.
Proposed Use --- # of Storeys --- # of Units ---
Applications:
Type Number Date Submitted Status
Subdivision Approval 16 236405 NNY 26 SB Oct 12, 2016 Under Review
Rezoning 16 236387 000 00 OZ Oct 12, 2016 Under Review
 
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They are probably stacked towns to be honest. It's an unusual built form for Toronto, but is becoming more popular and is actually quite high density. It's a great built form for families in high density areas.
 
So it's called Wynford Green now. Interesting team:

TACT Architecture Inc. - Master Planning and Residential Architecture
Giannone Petricone Associates Inc. Architects - Master Planning and Mixed-Use Residential Architecture
Goldsmith Borgal & Company Ltd. Architects - Built and Cultural Heritage
MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects - Community Hub and Recreational Facilities
Sweeny &Co Architects Inc. - Mixed-Use Office Architecture
NAK Design Group - Landscape Architecture
Public Work - Public Realm and Landscape
Bousfields - Planning and Housing Policy
 
Overall, I dig it-- but the proposed preservation of the "entrance blocks" of the original IBM factory just feels like it falls short. I understand it's a bit of a difficult thing, but I think isolating the entrance blocks from the rest of the building just makes them looked tacked-on to whatever else is around it.
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A bit more inspiration with the tower designs would be nice too. Don Mills/Eglinton is the next Yonge/Sheppard, let's try to improve the concept!
 

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