[karledice]

Fengate, on behalf of LPFCEC, CRAFT and Kingsmen announce co-development partnership for the transformative ORCA Project

/CNW/ - Fengate Asset Management ("Fengate"), working on behalf of the LiUNA Pension Fund of Central and Eastern Canada ("LPFCEC"), CRAFT Development Group...

www.newswire.ca

http://www.orcatoronto.com/orca-intro-video-april-2021/

Looks like the project is back from limbo!

Thanks for the info, still really hoping they lose at LPAT and it gets turned into a park fully...

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

that triple tower reminds me of an extremely watered down Marina Bay Sands. Maybe they took some inspo from it.

Same architect - Moshe Safdie.

Anyways, those towers look like mish-mash of a unbuilt Toronto - initial Monde design x initial the One design. I highly doubt they mean to build it as portrayed.

AoD

 

[leftfieldto]

I'm feeling quite conflicted about this. I am originally of the "let the city turn all of it into a park" side of the argument. However, post-Covid, the city is not and is not likely to be able to pull together the required funding to pull it off. The kind of money required to construct the giant park is simply not economically viable for a city which is barely able to provide some basic services, such as housing.

I agree that the parking needs to go, and that some of the buildings and massings need to change. But is this the only feasible chance to have ANY park over the rail corridor in the foreseeable future? I'm beginning to think so.

 

[Northern Light]

But is this the only feasible chance to have ANY park over the rail corridor in the foreseeable future? I'm beginning to think so.

Any developer in this area can be compelled to provide 20% of their site for park space.

****

Beyond that; it's worth saying that infrastructure money, including for parks is likely to rain from above in short-order.

Whether any of that will go to Rail Deck Park is TBD.

The City does have ~400M for parkland development stashed away. That has to go to more than just this project though, and the entire RDP would certainly be substantially more than that sum.

 

[UtakataNoAnnex]

I gather those two tall buildings standing south of this are Concord Canada House rendered with better cladding than we'll likely ever see... /sigh

 

[karledice]

Any developer in this area can be compelled to provide 20% of their site for park space.

****

Beyond that; it's worth saying that infrastructure money, including for parks is likely to rain from above in short-order.

Whether any of that will go to Rail Deck Park is TBD.

The City does have ~400M for parkland development stashed away. That has to go to more than just this project though, and the entire RDP would certainly be substantially more than that sum.

Either all park or smaller buildings and more park land

 

[ciceror]

this proposal is amazing but I thought the city was opposed to anything other than RDP being placed here ?

 

[karledice]

this proposal is amazing but I thought the city was opposed to anything other than RDP being placed here ?

Yes they still are
Too complicated for me to understand but they have designated it as park only and so I dont know how this developer can get that converted to another purpose (residential)
And we don't know how feasible each of the Project is...
I do hope it's still a park fully

 

[ADRM]

Too complicated for me to understand but they have designated it as park only and so I dont know how this developer can get that converted to another purpose (residential)

This argument is effectively being litigated at the LPAT right now, and I doubt the City will prevail.

I know it's usually anathema to the City, but I'd like to see them take an outcomes-based approach here, and begin negotiating the project with the developer, as they do on virtually all large sites. I think that's a much more likely and timely path to extracting public benefits, in this case.

 

[ushahid]

i agree with all that are saying less condo space and more park space but we need to understand that it wont be feasible without more condos.

 

[karledice]

i agree with all that are saying less condo space and more park space but we need to understand that it wont be feasible without more condos.

The problem with the number of condos in this Project is the entrance and exit of this ENTIRE complex dumps onto Front Street West.
Unlike other developments you don't have an option here to feed into more than one street
The density is insane and it is a nightmare for traffic for not only residents but also the people who come to the park and now you have the GO station people too! It's crazy

 

[allengeorge]

Maybe it is worth it to have a streetcar on Front.

 

[Automation Gallery]

Gee if developers are willing to pay and build Rail Deck Park sections from Union Station to Bathurst Street, why not then concentrate spending the money wiser on covering up the Rail Corridor tracks from Bathurst Street to Dufferin Street and beyond?

 

[UtakataNoAnnex]

Pulling back the camera back a bit...

Damned if they don't: "We want a rail deck, but have no real funding for it..."

Damned if they do: "We'll fund your rail deck (in part?) if you let us build on it."

...my money is on the latter, whether the City is legally coerced into it or out of shear desperation or both.

Of course, this doesn't discount that this will all fall through either way and we're left starring at a nothing burger for the ages.

 

[karledice]

Gee if developers are willing to pay and build Rail Deck Park sections from Union Station to Bathurst Street, why not then concentrate spending the money wiser on covering up the Rail Corridor tracks from Bathurst Street to Dufferin Street and beyond?

That is a great idea that I haven't thought about
That way it can reduce the density pressure and create a lifetime park for downtown Toronto