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Yes, the WDL is very busy. The work at Cherry/Lakeshore is: West Don Lands Stormwater Infrastructure

From their Newsletter: "Waterfront Toronto is developing an innovative stormwater treatment infrastructure system to service the West Don Lands community and future development in the North Keating portion of the Lower Don Lands.

The system includes a series of pipes and tunnels, a main shaft and a treatment facility on the western side of the 480 Lake Shore Boulevard property.

The management and treatment of stormwater, the water created by runoff from rain and melting snow, is a critical part of urban development. Stormwater needs to be collected and treated separately from sewage so that severe weather and heightened run off do not cause system overflows or backups, and to ensure that water is clean before it enters rivers and lakes.

Due to its age and previous industrial usage the West Don Lands lacks appropriate stormwater infrastructure, plus the area’s new flood protection landform has resulted in a new route for stormwater flows.

The new system will convey stormwater from the West Don Lands through a series of underground pipes and tunnels to the main treatment facility. The stormwater will undergo several stages of treatment where pollutants in the runoff will be removed and then ultraviolet radiation technology will be used to remove any bacteria present in the runoff. Clean stormwater will then flow through a tunnel to the Keating Channel where it will be discharged into Lake Ontario.

The tunnel system is currently under construction and is scheduled to be completed in spring 2012.

The treatment facility is designed to be an iconic stone structure which celebrates water and symbolizes traditional stone water wells. Designed by GH3, the building will feature a stainless steel structural support system and will be clad in limestone. Construction of the facility is expected to begin in late 2011 and be completed in early 2013."

They poured the concrete for the first section of Mill Street east of Cherry Street a few months ago and today were laying the first layer of asphalt. (I think the final layer only goes on when building is finished.) Eventually this links to Bayview, River and Front Streets.

Hydro etc are installing underground conduit on the west side of Cherry Street from the bridge to Front (or King?) and all the wires will then apparently be put underground. All services are being moved to west side of Cherry so the new streetcar line can go on east side and not be disturbed by them. (or vice versa)

The TCHC site was pumped dry a few days ago so I assume it is starting again soon and River City is busy installing piles - as it has no underground (on the berm) it will presumably start going up quite soon. WT announced that the Woonerfs in that area are under construction too and I saw new fire hydrants the other day so some of the work is due to that.

As RRR says, the River Street extension, south of King) is being worked on and one of the guys told me they will be pouring the concrete for it later in July. (Presumably it will link to the new Mill Street etc.) They have created a new parking area for their work trailers at Eastern and St Lawrence Streets. I assume that in due course they will re-do Eastern Avenue and Front Streets east of Cherry and Cherry Street itself is supposed to see more major work any day now.

The eastern part of Underpass Park (east of St Lawrence Street) is moving ahead with lots of concrete poured. Hard to tell what it will be like yet but the renderings looked good. The western part is on hold due to $$ (or lack of $$)
 
I wonder if everyone is aware of the conditions on the West Don Lands 56 years ago.

WestDonLandsc1955.jpg

A little bit silly to suggest that this land is somehow untouchable because of its past use. At some point you have to allow for the possibility that soil remediation engineers actually know how to remediate soil. The first 3 years of this project have been all about removing the old nasty stuff, capping the old spot, and building up the berm and neighborhood with new material.

The WDL is too important geographically to write it off forever.
 
I pass this site everyday (along with Backstage; Market Warf and the Gooderham, but the West Don Lands still hold my interest). Taken this week:

 
Here's a shot looking north on Cherry from the tracks on Saturday. Hard to believe that was Cherry Street not so long ago ... not much sign of it! A bit blurry from the moving train.

cherrystreet20120728.jpg
 
In the initial planning for the West Don Lands there was supposed to be a District Energy Centre (south of Mill Street and just east of Cherry) and WT spent quite a bit of money designing it and actually laying most of the piping.

When the Pan Am Games came along it was apparently too complex to have district energy centre so it was all scrapped.

Now, because the need for gas is going to be much higher than expected, Enbridge are laying a new main gas line along Front Street from Berkeley to the West Don Lands. As the City had repaired and resurfaced Front Street east of Parliament last year this is yet more money "thrown away".
 
THAT'S why the fresh pavement on Front was ripped up. I was angry when I first saw it and now that I know why, it's even more irritating.
 
Coming to Community Development Committee next week:

The 519 Church Street Community Centre (The 519), with the support of a major philanthropic donor, is proposing to build the first ever LGBTQ-focused sports and recreation centre in Toronto. This landmark recreation facility will establish an international best practice for LGBTQ engagement in recreation and offer a range of spaces for community activities and athletic programming. The proposed facility will also meet a service requirement for the West Don Lands community. The facility will be developed and governed by The 519 Community Centre, in keeping with their dual mandate of responding to the needs of the local community and communities of common bond. As with other AOCC (Association of Community Centres) facilities, as part of The 519, this facility will be managed in accordance with the City of Toronto's Relationship Framework for AOCCs.

It is proposed that the centre will be built on the Wheel and Foundry complex site located at Eastern Avenue and St. Lawrence Street, adjacent to Corktown Commons. The site is currently owned by Infrastructure Ontario. The area is under construction as it will host the Athletes Village for the 2015 Pan American / Parapan American Games.

From: http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2013.CD25.12
 
Coming to Community Development Committee next week:

The 519 Church Street Community Centre (The 519), with the support of a major philanthropic donor, is proposing to build the first ever LGBTQ-focused sports and recreation centre in Toronto. This landmark recreation facility will establish an international best practice for LGBTQ engagement in recreation and offer a range of spaces for community activities and athletic programming. The proposed facility will also meet a service requirement for the West Don Lands community. The facility will be developed and governed by The 519 Community Centre, in keeping with their dual mandate of responding to the needs of the local community and communities of common bond. As with other AOCC (Association of Community Centres) facilities, as part of The 519, this facility will be managed in accordance with the City of Toronto's Relationship Framework for AOCCs.

It is proposed that the centre will be built on the Wheel and Foundry complex site located at Eastern Avenue and St. Lawrence Street, adjacent to Corktown Commons. The site is currently owned by Infrastructure Ontario. The area is under construction as it will host the Athletes Village for the 2015 Pan American / Parapan American Games.

From: http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2013.CD25.12

Nothing against 519, and rec centres are always good, but isn't this across the street from a big new outdoor sports space (Underpass) and kitty corner to a huge new sports centre (YMCA)? Couldn't they have found a more sports facilities starved site?
 
Hi im not sure if this goes in West Don Lands or Corktown but does anyone know what is going in at the retail space of the new TCHC building at the southeast corner of King Street East and St Lawrence st?
 
Refused Starbucks?!? Well that's just plain stupid. So it's going to be the developers sales centre for the next 5 years while we wait for a "perfect, independent" tenant to occupy the space. A coffee shop would have been nice and now, but we get a big fat NO to Starbucks. Lovely.

The TCHC building is not designed with proper loading docks, etc. for a grocery store. Would have been nice. They claim to ensure that they don't get a car dealership here. Maybe they will take Starbucks.
 
Refused Starbucks?!? Well that's just plain stupid. So it's going to be the developers sales centre for the next 5 years while we wait for a "perfect, independent" tenant to occupy the space. A coffee shop would have been nice and now, but we get a big fat NO to Starbucks. Lovely.

The TCHC building is not designed with proper loading docks, etc. for a grocery store. Would have been nice. They claim to ensure that they don't get a car dealership here. Maybe they will take Starbucks.

I read here a while ago Starbucks was going in on the north side of King St, beside the Gluten place.
 
I read here a while ago Starbucks was going in on the north side of King St, beside the Gluten place.

The 3 starbuckses that are closest to that area are almost equidistant one from the other. (Queen & Logan, Parliament & Carlton, Front & Frederick). I don't have any doubt that a Starbucks would clean up there, especially given a) river city, and b) the fact that it's the front door to corktown commons.
 

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