What if the North Market was demolished and replaced by a rental building without parking?

This seems like a rather odd use of a space which is very important in Toronto's history. Firstly, it would separate St Lawrence Hall and the St Lawrence (South) Market. It should also not be forgotten that the North Market is the site of Toronto's original farmers' market. In fact, I hope the new North Market will create a proper link between these two historic sites (even if an underground connection under Front Street is not possible.)

The small parking lot south of the south market - and north of Market Wharf - will, once all this is done, be turned into a park and continue David Crombie Park east of Jarvis Street. The $$ to do this have already been secured thanks to a Section 37 agreement from London on the Esplanade.
 
dsc, concerning the new park, that is absolutely terrific news. i have faith that the new building will respect the heritage of this neighbourhood while also providing aesthetic relief. the current building is pretty disgusting.
 
Novae Res Urbis

MODs... should the thread be updated? :)

St Lawrence Market North Building (4s)
**************

North St. Lawrence Market
SITE REDEVELOPMENT STARTING


August 21, 2009
By Amy Lazar


090821NRT.jpg

Conceptual sketch of the potential for the new St. Lawrence Market north building

As the planning process for the relocation of the north St. Lawrence Market gets underway, facilities and real estate staff are preparing an international design competition for the replacement building, slated to launch in October.

“The site as it is right now is underutilized. It’s one storey, there’s no parking and there’s not a lot of rental opportunities,†Anne Milchberg, the city’s development and portfolio planning manager in the facilities and real estate division, told NRU.

“It doesn’t meet the vision and dreams of the neighbourhood and the community. It could be so much more and what we’re doing is optimizing the asset.â€

By 2014, city staff and the St. Lawrence community are hoping it will be.

If all goes according to plan, an international design competition will launch in October, for which $875,000 has been included in the 2009 capital budget.

As well, on September 15, a public meeting is scheduled to discuss the relocation of the north market to 125 The Esplanade for up to three years. Currently, the site is zoned to permit a public park and is occupied by a Toronto Parking Authority lot.

The vision for the new four-storey building includes underground parking and a ground floor market hall and mezzanine. The estimated total cost of the project is $75 million and the goal date for occupancy is 2014.

Staff will have to get council’s approval during the 2010 budget deliberations for the remaining funds, but included in the business case for the redevelopment is a partnership with the Toronto Parking Authority to fund the capital and operating costs of the 250-space below-grade garage and ramp with court services pitching in for the three upper floors of the building it will be inhabiting.

The existing St. Lawrence Market north building was constructed in 1968 and besides being an underutilized building with the market only buzzing on the weekend, it needs a facelift, is not energy efficient and lacks amenities like parking.

In 2003, the city established development parameters for the new market building and a working committee was struck that consisted of community stakeholders. There is also an active St. Lawrence Market Neighbourhood Association that has been working with the city to keep the neighbourhood informed and participating in activities like the green design charrette that was held in late 2007. (See NRU-Toronto edition December 7, 2007.)

“It’s solid as an idea and we haven’t built something like this for ourselves in a while,†Milchberg said.

“It ill be a great community asset.â€
 
real estate staff are preparing an international design competition for the replacement building, slated to launch in October.

Very good news....
 
Daily Commercial News

FARMERS' MARKET RECONSTRUCTION
Proj: 9018360-22
Toronto, Metro Toronto Reg ON
CONTEMPLATED
St Lawrence Market North Building, 92 Front St, M5E 1C4
$15,000,000 est


Note: Consultant is preparing a building program to be used for input in the Competition brief that will be prepared and administered by the Professional Advisor for the design of the North market building. The Professional Advisor will manage a two-stage design competition to secure an Architect or Design Consortia for the new St. Lawrence Market North building to be administered Fall, 2009. A preferred option was chosen which recommended the scope of the project and the main tenant in 2006. Schedules for design, tender and construction will be determined pending the award of a design Consortia. Further update late October, 2009.
The Ventin Group is the Professional Advisor for this project. HOK Canada Inc is the Building Programming Consultant for the project.

Project: proposed redevelopment of the North building in the St Lawrence Market, the Farmer's market. The project proposes construction of a new building and/or renovation of the existing heritage buildings to provide 62,000 sq ft for the City of Toronto Court Services, including seven court rooms and administrative office space. The heritage market, which has existed at Jarvis and Front Streets since 1803 will be redeveloped with community space on the mezzanine, and space for markets, parties and special events and more ground floor space and building amenities at grade level. The building will be developed to be an energy efficient green building. Alterations to the South building can be followed under report number 9075862.

Scope: 4 storeys; 3 storeys below grade

Development: New

Category: Government offices; Retail, wholesale services

First report Fri Sep 23, 2005. Last report Fri Jun 05, 2009.
This report Tue Aug 25, 2009.


http://dcnonl.com/cgi-bin/top10.pl?rm=show_top10_project&id=61470151c7c5bbdaad28eddffca2b935dae46082&projectid=9018360&region=ontario
 
I hope the proposals out there have some foresight where part of the three underground levels could be converted/connected or turned into a stop on the Downtown Relief Line. This could be an ideal east downtown stop.
 
"real estate staff are preparing an international design competition for the replacement building, slated to launch in October."

does that really make sense for such a small development? All that extra cost and time for a 4 storey building? just sayin.... I'd be more than happy with the conceptual sketch included with the article. Perfect, done, lets move ahead.
 
Any word on if this North Market rebuild, which I've been hearing about for years, is still going ahead? And if so, when? I'd love to see this happen in my lifetime.
 
Great! Thanks for that, I will keep my eyes open.

I heard confirmation that the competition to design the new North Market will start in December 2009 or January 2010. The temporary North Market (on the small parking lot just south of the south Market) will be constructed in late 2010 and the present North Market will then close and be demolished in 2011. The new North Market will be opened in 2014.
 
I briefly overheard on CFRB 1010 yesterday that the design competition for the north market has been launched. Can anyone confirm this? The sooner we're rid of that awful one storey bunker the better.
 
http://spacing.ca/wire/2009/11/10/design-competition-to-replace-st-lawrence-markets-north-building/

November 10th, 2009
Design competition to replace St. Lawrence Market’s North Building
Posted by Nicole Bruun-Meyer

The City of Toronto is launching a design competition to replace the North Building of historic St. Lawrence Market and they’re calling all architects to join them.

The redevelopment of the St. Lawrence Complex will replace the existing single-storey North Market with a four-storey multi-purpose building that is more energy efficient, environmentally sustainable, and sensitive to the history and heritage of the building and its surrounding area. The site of the original City Hall, the St. Lawrence Complex is made up of St. Lawrence Hall, the South and North Market buildings and the Market Hall Gallery.

Toronto’s tradition of the Saturday Farmers’ Market began on this site in 1803 when the building was no more than a wooden structure, later enclosed on three sides in 1820. In 1831, it was replaced with a quadrangular brick structure, designed by James Cooper, which was later destroyed in the Great Fire of 1849, along with most of the City. Rebuilt and renamed in honour of Canada’s Patron Saint and for the the ward in which it is located, the market now included St. Lawrence Hall, a social hub for public meetings, concerts and lectures. The North Market building has been demolished and rebuilt twice since, in 1904 and 1968.

Mayor David Miller, along with City Councillor Pam McConnell and the St. Lawrence community will be holding an official launch of the competition on Thursday, November 12 at 11am in the North Market building, at 92 Front St. East, with the local merchants providing complimentary refreshments.
 

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