What is planned in the Portlands is not comparable to suburban greenfield developments. It's mainly multi-family apartments. The city has endless room to build more of those. Developing this site is more advantageous than some brownfield subdivision in the depths of Scarborough but, it is entirely politically motivated and not necessary to meet long term growth needs. Personally, I'd rather have growth directed towards the Avenues. Most indicators point to growth being far slower over the next generation than this previous generation as well.
 
maestro said:
What is planned in the Portlands is not comparable to suburban greenfield developments. It's mainly multi-family apartments. The city has endless room to build more of those. Developing this site is more advantageous than some brownfield subdivision in the depths of Scarborough but, it is entirely politically motivated and not necessary to meet long term growth needs. Personally, I'd rather have growth directed towards the Avenues. Most indicators point to growth being far slower over the next generation than this previous generation as well.
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I don't think any of your points are arguments against the LDL or the Portlands. You can direct growth towards the Avenues and LDL.

On the positive argument side, however, is the fact building out the flood protection berms and spillway also brings the benefits of more commercial land, more parkland, and a new/expanded tourist hub in the east harbour. So, I think this has a much bigger positive impact than other options.
 
Riverdale Rink Rat said:
I don't think any of your points are arguments against the LDL or the Portlands. You can direct growth towards the Avenues and LDL.

On the positive argument side, however, is the fact building out the flood protection berms and spillway also brings the benefits of more commercial land, more parkland, and a new/expanded tourist hub in the east harbour. So, I think this has a much bigger positive impact than other options.
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Completely agree. And then there is the effect of the berms/spillway/parks development and people's actual access to the area raising general awareness and interest in further development beyond pictures in planning documents. As others have said, though, all this takes a long, long time--we really need public officials with the foresight, nerve, & ambition of an R. C. Harris to drive the process a bit quicker, and that's lacking in Toronto right now! (Although I'm cautiously optimistic that if Keesmaat remains a while longer--however pushback is growing in Council--and manages to hire innovative planning people, Toronto planning may improve durably.)
 
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ttk77 said:
Of course any funding announcement they make now means next to nothing unless the conservatives get re-elected. The trick will be getting the Liberals or NDP to make those same commitments.
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I doubt the Liberals or NDP would back out of any funding commitments made by the Conservatives. It would turn off too many voters.

devjohnson said:
http://www.portlandsconsultation.ca/node/18

To be renamed Villiers Island

VilliersIsland-11x8_2.jpg
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I like the naming scheme! This is the first time I'm actually realizing that, 'hey, that part of the Portlands is going to become an island!'.
 
maestro said:
What is planned in the Portlands is not comparable to suburban greenfield developments. It's mainly multi-family apartments. The city has endless room to build more of those. Developing this site is more advantageous than some brownfield subdivision in the depths of Scarborough but, it is entirely politically motivated and not necessary to meet long term growth needs. Personally, I'd rather have growth directed towards the Avenues. Most indicators point to growth being far slower over the next generation than this previous generation as well.
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I haven't had time to reply before now, but will agree generally with those who took you to task.

Toronto is not going to have much that's equivalent to "suburban greenfield developments" anywhere in the 416 again. For those who want the big backyard, they'll have to keep their eyes on resales if they want to stay in the 416, and there will always be those. Empty nesters will downsize into condos or retirement homes, while twenty-somethings will continue to move into condos, turning their parents into those empty nesters in the first place. People will continue to move to Toronto from elsewhere too, and maybe there's a slight slowdown in the last quarter, there's no indication that that is coming to an end.

Some of those moving will end up in Avenues buildings, some will end up in the Port Lands. They all have to go somewhere, and they never all want to go to the same place. Development of the Port Lands is coming, at whatever speed, and any government that ignores it puts undue pressure on the farmland and watersheds surrounding Toronto.

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So, $5 mill to continue preparatory study work, coming from the City, already in the budget. Nothing from the feds or the province (except words, which are free). Bit of a damp squib.
 
The only real news here is Tory's enthusiasm for the waterfront, which was in question given his choice of deputy mayor. Based on Twitter accounts, he seemed pretty gung ho at the announcement today.
 
smably said:
The only real news here is Tory's enthusiasm for the waterfront, which was in question given his choice of deputy mayor. Based on Twitter accounts, he seemed pretty gung ho at the announcement today.
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I think I know why.

Don Peat@reporterdonpeat
"SmartTrack is going to connect people to jobs ... Lots of jobs at the Unilever site. We need the Don River re-naturalized and fixed." Mayor John Tory #TOpoli
 
adHominem said:
So, $5 mill to continue preparatory study work, coming from the City, already in the budget. Nothing from the feds or the province (except words, which are free). Bit of a damp squib.
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Well, THAT was certainly a waste of time .....
 
Adjei said:
They should model it after Ijburg in Amsterdam.

amsterdam-ijburg-410859.jpg

http://static.natgeofoto.nl/picture...original/59/08/41/amsterdam-ijburg-410859.jpg

IJburg%20Amsterdam%20Small%20(11).jpg

http://www.eikongraphia.com/wordpress/wp-content/IJburg Amsterdam Small (11).jpg

IJburg.jpg

http://www.turismoamsterdam.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/IJburg.jpg

liag_ijburg_college_amsterdam_exterieur_1.jpg

http://www.liag.nl/media/filer_public/2013/06/20/liag_ijburg_college_amsterdam_exterieur_1.jpg

tafel-van-muiden-breidt-uit-naar-ijburg.jpg

http://debrugkrant.nl/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/tafel-van-muiden-breidt-uit-naar-ijburg.jpg
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OK, so this is a bit of 'crossing the streams' with the 'Shabby Public Realm' thread, but CDL and Adjei were all over Toronto the Ugly and comparing it to the gorgeous burg of Amsterdam. Really? That's what you consider to be lightyears better than Toronto? Really?

And, yes, I do know there's other, nicer parts of Amsterdam.
 
IJburg is a pretty cool part of Amsterdam, and we could do a lot worse than to emulate aspects of it.

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Riverdale Rink Rat said:
OK, so this is a bit of 'crossing the streams' with the 'Shabby Public Realm' thread, but CDL and Adjei were all over Toronto the Ugly and comparing it to the gorgeous burg of Amsterdam. Really? That's what you consider to be lightyears better than Toronto? Really?

And, yes, I do know there's other, nicer parts of Amsterdam.
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Show me any area better designed and with better public realm than IJburg in Toronto...
 
Anyways, the announcement was much to do about nothing. Please, spending 5M on a due diligence report and then gloating about it definitely counts as a new low in pointless pressers.

AoD
 
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