As has already been stated a couple of times in this thread, Lanterra intends to open a fair bit of the park in advance of finishing the tower as most of the park has garage beneath it already which they do not need to excavate.
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- Thread starter Mike in TO
- Start date
As has already been stated a couple of times in this thread, Lanterra intends to open a fair bit of the park in advance of finishing the tower as most of the park has garage beneath it already which they do not need to excavate.
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Automation Gallery
Superstar
Right, but still wont be a Toronto Public Park till the city gets it handed over and takes care of it
taal
Senior Member
I do hope its not a cheap run of the mill green space .. and what is there now falls into that category, so I hope it is temporary ... take queses from WT, building something enticing ..
Robert Ng of NAK Design Strategies is designing the new park. There are public consultations coming up in that regard.
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henry_603
New Member
Attachments
Condo George
Active Member
Cultivating a park at 11 Wellesley
Condo project delivers longed-for green space in heart of Toronto
BEFORE: Standing where green space will be created at 11 Wellesley on the Park are green space advocates city councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, centre, and Rick Whitten-Stovall, president of the Bay Cloverhill Community Association, left, with Lanterra Developments chairman Mark Mandelbaum.
BEFORE: Standing where green space will be created at 11 Wellesley on the Park are green space advocates city councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, centre, and Rick Whitten-Stovall, president of the Bay Cloverhill Community Association, left, with Lanterra Developments chairman Mark Mandelbaum.
By: Ryan Starr Staff Reporter., Published on Fri May 09 2014
When developer Mark Mandelbaum envisages his company’s new condo project, 11 Wellesley on the Park, he sees green.
A slender and curvaceous 60-storey condominium tower planned for a three-acre site just west of the intersection at Yonge St., 11 Wellesley promises to be a big seller, given its prime downtown location and trendy design aesthetic. (Suites starting at $199,900.)
But it’s not the sales prospects that have Mandelbaum seeing green at 11 Wellesley on the Park. The development will include a 1.6-acre public park, a badly needed and long-pushed-for addition to a densely populated community that suffers from a lack of green space.
“Rarely do you have the opportunity to work on a piece of land that’s so significant, in such a significant location, with the added advantage of having it become part of the public realm,” notes Mandelbaum, chairman of Lanterra Developments.
The park will take up more than two-thirds of the 11 Wellesley site, with the condo tower situated at the northeast corner of the property, yielding as much land as possible for green space. Previous plans for 11 Wellesley — once owned by the province, whose intentions were to build a ballet and opera house there but ultimately sold the vacant land to Lanterra several years ago — contemplated a multi-tower project with up to 1,000 units and a parkette.
Lanterra’s plan now for 11 Wellesley consolidates 742 units into a single tower located at the top corner of the property, creating more room for sunlight as well as a larger urban park, which will be designed in consultation with the community. (Meantime the developer has created park renderings, to provide “an idea of what is possible with this size of land,” Mandelbaum says.)
“We’re pretty happy,” says Rick Whitten-Stovall, president of the Bay Cloverhill Community Association, who recalls taking part in a march from Queen’s Park to the empty 11 Wellesley site several years ago in an unsuccessful effort to convince the province to sell the land for use as green space. “There’s been a warm reception (in the community) to the idea that the park is finally going to really happen now.”
The curvy, dynamic design of the 11 Wellesley condo tower — inspired by the tall vases of Finnish modern architect Alvar Aalto — is an architectural response to the park, notes Vladimir Losner, with Page + Steele/IBI Group Architects. KPMB served as the project’s design architect.
“It all came from the idea of having this fantastic public park all around the building,” says Losner, “and the idea that you don’t want a standard square box next to the park. You want something a bit more fluid.”
Losner notes that the building’s podium steps back every level from the ground up to the seventh floor, where it meets the tower. “So it’s like it’s growing organically from the park.” The contouring of the tower will allow for large terraces with park views, and for the maximum amount of light to reach the park.
“The building (is shaped at) an angle that opens toward the park,” Losner adds. “So the park is visible, it’s accessible and it’s light.”
Suites at 11 Wellesley range from 300-square-foot studios to 878-square-foot, two-bedroom-plus-dens. The units, designed by Munge Leung, will have engineered hardwood flooring, stacked washer/dryer and kitchens with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops.
Building amenities include a fourth-floor fitness centre, yoga studio, indoor pool and hot tub, and spa with sauna and steam room. Plans for the fifth floor include a party room with kitchen and outdoor terrace with barbecues. As well, the building will have a 24-hour concierge, pet spa and bike storage lockers. Shops, cafes and restaurants with patios will be located along the base of the building facing the park. Office and commercial space is planned for the second and third floors.
The park plan for 11 Wellesley has been welcomed by the community, which has long lobbied for the site — vacant nearly 20 years while it hung in limbo — to be turned into green space.
Ward 27 councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam had campaigned for the City of Toronto to purchase the land from the province and make it a downtown park, before the site was sold to Lanterra. “So, after several years of lobbying and advocacy, trying to work with the province . . . ironically now we’re working with the private sector to make (the park) happen,” she says. Wong-Tam acknowledges that, as the representative of a ward “that is extremely park deficient, with the lowest deficiency (of parkland) per capita,” she ideally would have liked to see the entire site turned into green space that the community had originally envisioned. “But we recognize that that conversation with the province is closed.”
In setting aside space at the 11 Wellelsey site for a park, Lanterra will be combining its parkland dedication requirements for three of its condo projects in the area, including a development at 501 Yonge St. and the redevelopment of the Sutton Place Hotel at Bay and Wellesley Sts. into The Britt Residences. (The city requires condo developers to either set aside a certain amount of property for parkland, or pay cash in lieu of this parkland dedication.)
There remains, though, a piece of the park-land at the 11 Wellesley site that the City of Toronto is negotiating to buy. It will be part of the park the developer has planned. Wong-Tam notes the deal is pending a final agreement with Lanterra on price and city council’s approval of the deal.
“The city has always struggled with, ‘How do we ensure we have the social infrastructure to keep up with the pace of intensification that the provincial growth plan has stipulated?’ ” she says.
“That’s why I think this will be a significant win for the community, the city and for Lanterra, whose real estate holdings will now be in close proximity to or abutting a world-class urban park.”
11 Wellesley on the Park
Location: 11 Wellesley St. W.
Developer: Lanterra Developments
Architects: Page + Steele/IBI Group Architects, KPMB Architects
Condo project delivers longed-for green space in heart of Toronto
BEFORE: Standing where green space will be created at 11 Wellesley on the Park are green space advocates city councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, centre, and Rick Whitten-Stovall, president of the Bay Cloverhill Community Association, left, with Lanterra Developments chairman Mark Mandelbaum.
BEFORE: Standing where green space will be created at 11 Wellesley on the Park are green space advocates city councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, centre, and Rick Whitten-Stovall, president of the Bay Cloverhill Community Association, left, with Lanterra Developments chairman Mark Mandelbaum.
By: Ryan Starr Staff Reporter., Published on Fri May 09 2014
When developer Mark Mandelbaum envisages his company’s new condo project, 11 Wellesley on the Park, he sees green.
A slender and curvaceous 60-storey condominium tower planned for a three-acre site just west of the intersection at Yonge St., 11 Wellesley promises to be a big seller, given its prime downtown location and trendy design aesthetic. (Suites starting at $199,900.)
But it’s not the sales prospects that have Mandelbaum seeing green at 11 Wellesley on the Park. The development will include a 1.6-acre public park, a badly needed and long-pushed-for addition to a densely populated community that suffers from a lack of green space.
“Rarely do you have the opportunity to work on a piece of land that’s so significant, in such a significant location, with the added advantage of having it become part of the public realm,” notes Mandelbaum, chairman of Lanterra Developments.
The park will take up more than two-thirds of the 11 Wellesley site, with the condo tower situated at the northeast corner of the property, yielding as much land as possible for green space. Previous plans for 11 Wellesley — once owned by the province, whose intentions were to build a ballet and opera house there but ultimately sold the vacant land to Lanterra several years ago — contemplated a multi-tower project with up to 1,000 units and a parkette.
Lanterra’s plan now for 11 Wellesley consolidates 742 units into a single tower located at the top corner of the property, creating more room for sunlight as well as a larger urban park, which will be designed in consultation with the community. (Meantime the developer has created park renderings, to provide “an idea of what is possible with this size of land,” Mandelbaum says.)
“We’re pretty happy,” says Rick Whitten-Stovall, president of the Bay Cloverhill Community Association, who recalls taking part in a march from Queen’s Park to the empty 11 Wellesley site several years ago in an unsuccessful effort to convince the province to sell the land for use as green space. “There’s been a warm reception (in the community) to the idea that the park is finally going to really happen now.”
The curvy, dynamic design of the 11 Wellesley condo tower — inspired by the tall vases of Finnish modern architect Alvar Aalto — is an architectural response to the park, notes Vladimir Losner, with Page + Steele/IBI Group Architects. KPMB served as the project’s design architect.
“It all came from the idea of having this fantastic public park all around the building,” says Losner, “and the idea that you don’t want a standard square box next to the park. You want something a bit more fluid.”
Losner notes that the building’s podium steps back every level from the ground up to the seventh floor, where it meets the tower. “So it’s like it’s growing organically from the park.” The contouring of the tower will allow for large terraces with park views, and for the maximum amount of light to reach the park.
“The building (is shaped at) an angle that opens toward the park,” Losner adds. “So the park is visible, it’s accessible and it’s light.”
Suites at 11 Wellesley range from 300-square-foot studios to 878-square-foot, two-bedroom-plus-dens. The units, designed by Munge Leung, will have engineered hardwood flooring, stacked washer/dryer and kitchens with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops.
Building amenities include a fourth-floor fitness centre, yoga studio, indoor pool and hot tub, and spa with sauna and steam room. Plans for the fifth floor include a party room with kitchen and outdoor terrace with barbecues. As well, the building will have a 24-hour concierge, pet spa and bike storage lockers. Shops, cafes and restaurants with patios will be located along the base of the building facing the park. Office and commercial space is planned for the second and third floors.
The park plan for 11 Wellesley has been welcomed by the community, which has long lobbied for the site — vacant nearly 20 years while it hung in limbo — to be turned into green space.
Ward 27 councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam had campaigned for the City of Toronto to purchase the land from the province and make it a downtown park, before the site was sold to Lanterra. “So, after several years of lobbying and advocacy, trying to work with the province . . . ironically now we’re working with the private sector to make (the park) happen,” she says. Wong-Tam acknowledges that, as the representative of a ward “that is extremely park deficient, with the lowest deficiency (of parkland) per capita,” she ideally would have liked to see the entire site turned into green space that the community had originally envisioned. “But we recognize that that conversation with the province is closed.”
In setting aside space at the 11 Wellelsey site for a park, Lanterra will be combining its parkland dedication requirements for three of its condo projects in the area, including a development at 501 Yonge St. and the redevelopment of the Sutton Place Hotel at Bay and Wellesley Sts. into The Britt Residences. (The city requires condo developers to either set aside a certain amount of property for parkland, or pay cash in lieu of this parkland dedication.)
There remains, though, a piece of the park-land at the 11 Wellesley site that the City of Toronto is negotiating to buy. It will be part of the park the developer has planned. Wong-Tam notes the deal is pending a final agreement with Lanterra on price and city council’s approval of the deal.
“The city has always struggled with, ‘How do we ensure we have the social infrastructure to keep up with the pace of intensification that the provincial growth plan has stipulated?’ ” she says.
“That’s why I think this will be a significant win for the community, the city and for Lanterra, whose real estate holdings will now be in close proximity to or abutting a world-class urban park.”
11 Wellesley on the Park
Location: 11 Wellesley St. W.
Developer: Lanterra Developments
Architects: Page + Steele/IBI Group Architects, KPMB Architects
taal
Senior Member
huh, what is the city trying to buy and why ?
First it's worth identifying that there is a mistake in the article above. Lanterra only bought the land from the province on March 1 of 2013.
Part of the deal with Lanterra will be that the City must buy part of the parkland. The reason is that the amount of land being dedicated to parkland here is larger than what Lanterra is required to give based on the size of their three local development projects. Lanterra paid a huge pile of moulah for the land, so to be able to afford to only build 742 units here, they have to recoup some cash through the sale of some of the parkland. The City does get either parkland or cash-in-lieu for every major building project, so there is a fund of cash available for the City to purchase some of the land from. Once they settle on the price, KWT will have to convince other councillors to spend that amount from the fund for this park. If she can't, well, the deal will far through, and the proposal will change. Not sure which Council meeting that will happen at yet.
I hope that answers your question clearly!
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Part of the deal with Lanterra will be that the City must buy part of the parkland. The reason is that the amount of land being dedicated to parkland here is larger than what Lanterra is required to give based on the size of their three local development projects. Lanterra paid a huge pile of moulah for the land, so to be able to afford to only build 742 units here, they have to recoup some cash through the sale of some of the parkland. The City does get either parkland or cash-in-lieu for every major building project, so there is a fund of cash available for the City to purchase some of the land from. Once they settle on the price, KWT will have to convince other councillors to spend that amount from the fund for this park. If she can't, well, the deal will far through, and the proposal will change. Not sure which Council meeting that will happen at yet.
I hope that answers your question clearly!
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dt_toronto_geek
Superstar
If Lanterra paid $65M for this land and their building takes up a 1/3rd of the property, how in the world can the City possibly afford to buy and develop the park area?
ponyboy
Active Member
Couple of questions/observations --
The proximity of this tower to the existing laneway suggests that no towers will be possible along that block of Yonge st because the needed distance between highrises. Perhaps midrises could be built along there?
Also, I do hope that this new park has a strong connection to Wellesley Street. Parks that have a strong relation to the street/sidewalk tend to do better, while patches of green away from the heavily traveled sidewalks along busy streets tend to suffer from lack of use. People want a place to be and be seen, and especially watch the hustle/bustle.
Can something be done in the design of tower to mitigate the wind-tunnel effect of air rolling down the sides of towers into the surrounding public space. I've always hated the Bay/Wellesley intersection for this reason.
The proximity of this tower to the existing laneway suggests that no towers will be possible along that block of Yonge st because the needed distance between highrises. Perhaps midrises could be built along there?
Also, I do hope that this new park has a strong connection to Wellesley Street. Parks that have a strong relation to the street/sidewalk tend to do better, while patches of green away from the heavily traveled sidewalks along busy streets tend to suffer from lack of use. People want a place to be and be seen, and especially watch the hustle/bustle.
Can something be done in the design of tower to mitigate the wind-tunnel effect of air rolling down the sides of towers into the surrounding public space. I've always hated the Bay/Wellesley intersection for this reason.
dt_toronto_geek
Superstar
Podiums help with reducing the wind tunnel effect.
Why develop that part of Yonge Street with midrise condos and lose more heritage buildings? Most of whats there has worked just fine for about a hundred years.
The City is not paying 2/3 of the price for the 2/3 of the land. As I stated earlier, Lanterra is already required to provide some park space to the City covering a good portion of that property as it represents the space from three of their developments (I'm not certain what amount of space that is exactly). Moreover, the bulk of the value of the land is in the developable space, not the remaining non-developable space. Just what that value is has yet to agreed upon as far as I know, and I am certain we will not hear even a ballpark figure in advance of the deal being finalized.
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Condo George
Active Member
metropolis
Active Member
Did sale center open?
