Given that construction has only just started, completing this subway line in less than 5 years is a very aggressive construction plan. There is little to no flexibility for delays, either controllable or uncontrollable. Based on Sheppard Subway construction, which was on-time and on-budget, it won't be open before 2016. The stations haven't even got site plan approval from the city yet.
 
Based on where I believe the stadium for Athletics will be built (on the land just north of the hydro corridor, on the west side of Keele), the Finch West station would be more convenient for it.

The stadium is on the north side of the campus, next to Steeles West Station.
 
The stadium is on the north side of the campus, next to Steeles West Station.

That's where the existing Toronto Track and Field Centre is located. Immediately west of that is the existing York football stadium.

I believe at one point the plan was to build the new stadium where the football stadium is located (and the existing track would be refurbished to serve as the warmup track). However York didn't want to give up their stadium and so the plan going forward is to use that land on the south east corner of campus.

(The track and field centre is actually city of Toronto property, not York U's. I'm not sure who would have ultimate ownership of the new stadium. If it was the city, then I could see why York wouldn't want to hand over their football stadium land.)
 
TTC renames new subway stop Pioneer Village station

http://www.torontosun.com/2013/07/24/ttc-renames-new-subway-stop-pioneer-village-station

TORONTO - One of the Spadina subway extension stations has a new name — for the third time in less than a year.

Commissioners voted Wednesday to name the Steeles Ave. W. stop Pioneer Village station.

The vote came after another lengthy debate over the name and against TTC staff advice to go back to the original station name, Steeles West.

Commissioners voted in September 2012 to give the station the lengthy name Black Creek Pioneer Village station rather than Steeles West station — a name featured prominently in the original station design.

Councillor John Parker argued against the Pioneer Village name Wednesday because the station is actually about a kilometre away from the attraction.

“The station isn’t at the front door of Pioneer Village,” Parker told the commission. “I would suggest it would be misleading to call it Pioneer Village station.”

Parker pointed out the station’s design includes whatever name the TTC selects in big, bold letters.

“This is a honking big sign,” he said, adding people could think it is actually the entrance to Black Creek Pioneer Village rather than to the subway system.

“If we’re careless with our naming we are going to give the appearance that it is something that it isn’t.”

Councillor Maria Augimeri heralded the Pioneer Village name as the best solution.

“We agreed to a compromise that we go from the longer name to Pioneer Village which is 14 letters and four of them are I’s and L’s,” Augimeri said. TTC CEO Andy Byford stuck by the staff recommendation to stick to the TTC’s standard naming policy and call the station Steeles West.

The TTC still doesn’t know what the full cost of changing the name will be. Staff warned any name change would cost around $25,000 for design fees plus costs around materials and contract changes.

TTC chair Karen Stintz supported going back to Steeles West.

“When we voted for (the name change in September) we didn’t realize it was going to be a significant cost to doing the architecture work on the station,” Stintz said.

She doubted the name change will delay the subway construction.

“There might be delays but they won’t be as a result of this name,” Stintz said.
 
Byford and Stintz at least have some sense. Please have another vote and bring it back to Steeles West.
 
Byford and Stintz at least have some sense. Please have another vote and bring it back to Steeles West.

Shouldn't Stintz have had some of this sense when she voted against the TTC recommendation last fall. Looks like another flip-flop on her part - or was it part of some political maneuvering on her part to lock up the pioneer or Mennonite vote in the next Mayoralty election.
 
Ugh. Steeles West makes so much more sense. I seriously don't understand what the commissioners are thinking.
 
First thing was the cost as it was being pull out of the air during the debate. Where was staff cost to show the different between the 2 names as an budget item?

As for construction of the sign, staff was out to lunch as there is very little weight being added to the sign if it out of material, not cor10. Even if it was out of cor10, the weight will be less than double of the Steeles West name. As for connecting the sign to the roof, next to no extra cost.

I have an issue with both names, but not the point of debate.

You are only added 2 letters to the sign now that not even in production or design stage. If the sign manufacturer comes back with a large change order cost, someone better do some investigation as it will be a rip off it that cost is approve as well the person approving it.

The bottom line, the ward councilors wanted the name since it represent the ward in the first place and time stop doing the old way.

Vaughan was not in support of the longer name, but will accept the new name.
 
The people running this city are all backwards! WTF? Steeles West makes far more sense!
 
Black Creek Pioneer Village was awful. Extremely happy for the name change, because I was hoping it'd change to anything else! Honestly, they should have shortened it to Black Creek station, or reverted back to Steeles West for that matter.
 
The good news is that, even once the contracts are signed and the design approved, there's no reason we can't bring this back for another vote if Stintz, the mayor and the local councillor think it will play better with a different name in the 2014 election. Am I right? Am I right?
 
LOL! Well, I am sure we will have to consult our provincial and federal partners to see if they approve.

On another note, perhaps they can call it something completely different, like Pan Am Station (given the proximity to the York U Pan Am Athletics venue). It's not that uncommon a practice elsewhere in the world and the sky didn't fall because it has little overt geographical reference.

AoD
 
LOL! Well, I am sure we will have to consult our provincial and federal partners to see if they approve.

On another note, perhaps they can call it something completely different, like Pan Am Station (given the proximity to the York U Pan Am Athletics venue). It's not that uncommon a practice elsewhere in the world and the sky didn't fall because it has little overt geographical reference.

AoD


It could be worse. AT&T Station anyone?
 

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