yyzer
Senior Member
very interesting article published at kelowna.com....
Trains, cranes and automobiles
Thursday, November 19th, 2009 | 5:00 pm
Canwest News Service
It is always fascinating watching a new condominium tower take shape. But in the case of Market Wharf in the St. Lawrence Market area, watch closely. Once construction workers hit the second floor, they will begin a four-storey, 365-spot parking garage and then expertly wrap residential units around it.
The uncommon design got the nod because Market Wharf is sprouting out of environmentally contaminated land, also known as a brownfield. Rather than dig it up to make room for underground parking and then dump the bad soil elsewhere, the folks at Context Development decided to forgo below-grade excavation and, instead, perch the parking garage in the sky and hide it behind the high-end suites. The move recently earned the company two Brownie Award nominations from the Canadian Urban Institute for its risk management and project development efforts.
"Sometimes the less-obvious solution, with innovation and creativity, can be quite successful," says Lewis Poplak, Context's director of development.
The origin of the Market Wharf property dates back to the 1800s. As the name implies, the city had built dozens of wharves and piers along the harbour, including one wharf connected to St. Lawrence Market. As the population grew, the city needed more industrial land so started filling in the lakefront. Factories and steel foundries followed, resulting in a mound of contaminated land.
The most recent tenant was Gross Machinery. Several years ago, the owners moved the business to Brampton and the site went up for grabs. Shoppers Drug Mart was the first to respond, but the city wanted to develop the site for mixed use and denied the request. Then Context got wind of the property and proposed a 25-storey, 450-unit condo tower with an eight-storey podium at the base including a Shoppers Drug Mart.
But the idea was not a shoo-in. Context spent about 18 months consulting with municipal and provincial authorities to prepare the site for safe construction. In fact, the project was one of the first to go before Toronto's Design Review Panel, established in 2007 to ensure the city's public spaces are up to snuff. When the panel advised that the soil was problematic, Context knew that excavation would be cumbersome and costly.
Already experienced with building on brownfields, Context got on the horn to the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and applied for a Site Specific Risk Assessment. Further testing and discussions ensued, followed by a long list of requirements including restrictions on building construction, maintaining a barrier to soils, implementing a health and safety plan, and implementing a soil management plan for the property.
"It's a risk management measure that ensures that the property owner over time manages the site in an environmentally responsible way," says ministry spokeswoman Kate Jordan. "Assuming the company is required to follow these measures, then the construction of the condo can go ahead as planned."
But there was another glitch: The city's rail crash-safety guidelines do not permit residential units to be situated within 100 feet of a railway line; Market Wharf would be too close. Goodness, what's a developer to do?
With that in mind, architect Peter Clewes of ArchitectsAlliance and the Context crew went back to the drawing board to rework the plans, and the above- grade parking and podium concepts took shape. Everyone signed on the dotted line and the city and province gave their blessings.
This month, construction at Market Wharf finally got underway. As Mr. Poplak explains, the foundation will sit on stilts called caissons that involve drilling rather than digging to minimize the amount of excavation required. The risk assessment has revealed there is no danger to human or environmental health, he adds, and potential buyers are completely in the know.
It seems all the effort has been worth it, as Market Wharf's sales are booming. Craig Taylor, Context's director of marketing, says the company has been selling about 20 units per month since May and is now 70% sold. Still available are one-bedoom, 525-sq.-ft. "skyline lofts" at $272,900 and a 2,444- sq.-ft. penthouse at $2,024,900. There are also eight townhomes on the sixth floor of the podium, ranging from 665 to 1,224 sq. ft. and $396,900 to $658,900. Occupancy is set for mid-2011.
Market Wharf is located at 18 Lower Jarvis St. For details, visit marketwharf.com.
Trains, cranes and automobiles
Thursday, November 19th, 2009 | 5:00 pm
Canwest News Service
It is always fascinating watching a new condominium tower take shape. But in the case of Market Wharf in the St. Lawrence Market area, watch closely. Once construction workers hit the second floor, they will begin a four-storey, 365-spot parking garage and then expertly wrap residential units around it.
The uncommon design got the nod because Market Wharf is sprouting out of environmentally contaminated land, also known as a brownfield. Rather than dig it up to make room for underground parking and then dump the bad soil elsewhere, the folks at Context Development decided to forgo below-grade excavation and, instead, perch the parking garage in the sky and hide it behind the high-end suites. The move recently earned the company two Brownie Award nominations from the Canadian Urban Institute for its risk management and project development efforts.
"Sometimes the less-obvious solution, with innovation and creativity, can be quite successful," says Lewis Poplak, Context's director of development.
The origin of the Market Wharf property dates back to the 1800s. As the name implies, the city had built dozens of wharves and piers along the harbour, including one wharf connected to St. Lawrence Market. As the population grew, the city needed more industrial land so started filling in the lakefront. Factories and steel foundries followed, resulting in a mound of contaminated land.
The most recent tenant was Gross Machinery. Several years ago, the owners moved the business to Brampton and the site went up for grabs. Shoppers Drug Mart was the first to respond, but the city wanted to develop the site for mixed use and denied the request. Then Context got wind of the property and proposed a 25-storey, 450-unit condo tower with an eight-storey podium at the base including a Shoppers Drug Mart.
But the idea was not a shoo-in. Context spent about 18 months consulting with municipal and provincial authorities to prepare the site for safe construction. In fact, the project was one of the first to go before Toronto's Design Review Panel, established in 2007 to ensure the city's public spaces are up to snuff. When the panel advised that the soil was problematic, Context knew that excavation would be cumbersome and costly.
Already experienced with building on brownfields, Context got on the horn to the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and applied for a Site Specific Risk Assessment. Further testing and discussions ensued, followed by a long list of requirements including restrictions on building construction, maintaining a barrier to soils, implementing a health and safety plan, and implementing a soil management plan for the property.
"It's a risk management measure that ensures that the property owner over time manages the site in an environmentally responsible way," says ministry spokeswoman Kate Jordan. "Assuming the company is required to follow these measures, then the construction of the condo can go ahead as planned."
But there was another glitch: The city's rail crash-safety guidelines do not permit residential units to be situated within 100 feet of a railway line; Market Wharf would be too close. Goodness, what's a developer to do?
With that in mind, architect Peter Clewes of ArchitectsAlliance and the Context crew went back to the drawing board to rework the plans, and the above- grade parking and podium concepts took shape. Everyone signed on the dotted line and the city and province gave their blessings.
This month, construction at Market Wharf finally got underway. As Mr. Poplak explains, the foundation will sit on stilts called caissons that involve drilling rather than digging to minimize the amount of excavation required. The risk assessment has revealed there is no danger to human or environmental health, he adds, and potential buyers are completely in the know.
It seems all the effort has been worth it, as Market Wharf's sales are booming. Craig Taylor, Context's director of marketing, says the company has been selling about 20 units per month since May and is now 70% sold. Still available are one-bedoom, 525-sq.-ft. "skyline lofts" at $272,900 and a 2,444- sq.-ft. penthouse at $2,024,900. There are also eight townhomes on the sixth floor of the podium, ranging from 665 to 1,224 sq. ft. and $396,900 to $658,900. Occupancy is set for mid-2011.
Market Wharf is located at 18 Lower Jarvis St. For details, visit marketwharf.com.
