Taking a look at Toronto’s changing waterfront

by Jennifer Wilson | December 15, 2015 11:16 am

[1]

By Jennifer Wilson
Toronto’s Lake Ontario coastline is one of the city’s most striking features, but over the years, parts have become derelict and run-down. In November 1999, the Waterfront Renewal Project was launched, with the Government of Canada, Province of Ontario, and City of Toronto each dedicating $500 million to renew the area over 30 years. The project area, extending from Coxwell to Dowling Avenues, is divided into three precincts—West Don Lands, East Bayfront, and the Port Lands. The area covers 800 hectares (2000 acres), making it the largest urban redevelopment project currently underway in North America.

Since 2004 alone, Waterfront Toronto, the public advocate and steward of waterfront revitalization, has opened 17 new or improved parks and public spaces, and 2876 m (9435 ft) of bike lanes. Four major projects are currently under construction, seven are planned, and countless more are under development. By its completion, the waterfront project’s costs will total an estimated $34 billion in public and private funds.

Most of the land under development is owned by one of the governing bodies, and was given to Waterfront Toronto to develop. The remaining land was purchased by public or private partners who work in conjunction with Waterfront Toronto to develop the sites. The funding model leverages the public capital by working with private development partners who buy the land for development, and the money earned is used to further fund public infrastructure.

Masterplan
The funding for a project of this size is understandably complex, as is the entire endeavour’s planning. The masterplan for the waterfront is a large undertaking as it includes many components such as:

• improving transit;
• creating parks and public spaces;
• constructing storm and flood protection;
• developing affordable housing;
• creating business and retail spaces; and
• building cultural institutions.

These developments rely on community, public, and private sector input to maintain an open and transparent dialogue with the members of the city. By the end of the revitalization, 40,000 rental units, 1 million m² (10.7 million sf) of employment space, and 300 ha (741 acres) of parks and public space is expected to be built. Of the housing created, 25 per cent will be affordable housing and 20 per cent will be dedicated to affordable renting.

It was also important the buildings be sustainable and able to be repurposed. For instance, a multi-family building could one day be converted into a different type of multi-use facility.

These projects have attracted the best designers and landscapers from around the country to work on the individual projects that create Toronto’s waterfront. So far, the projects under the waterfront masterplan have garnered more than 60 design awards.

Completed projects
One of the more recently completed projects by the Waterfront Toronto initiative is the building of George Brown College’s Centre for Health Sciences on Dockside Drive in East Bayfront. The building is just west of the Sherbourne Common park, overlooks Lake Ontario, and brings four previously separate schools—nursing, dental health, health and wellness, and health services management—into one space. Its eight storeys accommodate 3500 full-time students and 450 continuous learning students.

The Centre for Health Sciences is on track for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification and was built to the sustainability best practices outlined in Waterfront Toronto’s mandatory green building requirements. The design itself includes a three-storey glass podium and student space, a rooftop terrace, flexible student spaces, labs, classrooms, and offices. The building opened to students and faculty in September 2012.

[2]

New projects
The newest project in the waterfront series is a $25 million endeavour to create trails, connections, and cultural spaces under the rapidly aging Gardiner Expressway from just west of Strachan Avenue to Spadina Avenue. The funding for the project was garnered through a philanthropic partnership with Wil and Judy Matthews, the City of Toronto, and Waterfront Toronto. The new trail will connect pedestrians and cyclists with many of Toronto’s biggest attractions, including:

• BMO Field;
• revitalized Queens Quay;
• Harbourfront Centre;
• the CN Tower, Roger’s Centre, and Ripley’s Aquarium;
• the Air Canada Centre; and
• the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal

Waterfront Toronto will be leading a public engagement and consultation for the project, inviting Toronto residents to participate in the design process and development of the programming vision. Construction is set to begin the summer of 2016, with the initial phase of the project aiming to be completed the following year.

This project, along with many of the previous work cited in this article, will include a public art program. This  ensures public art is incorporated on city streets and in parks to beautify the spaces. The art is integrated early in the planning processes, rather than as an afterthought, to ensure the art is a fluid part of the space. Each piece chosen reflects the site’s industrial past as well as its vibrant, sustainable future.

Review Panel
In 2005, Waterfront Toronto introduced a design review panel to provide objective, professional advice to designers, developers, and governments. This review panel meets monthly to discuss all the projects at their various stages and votes to determine whether the project has support before it can move onto the next stage. However, if a project has conditional support or non-support, the design team must amend its proposal and return back to the panel at a later date.

The panel is not designed to take away Toronto’s regulatory approval process, but rather to ensure the projects have raised design standards to create beautiful, functioning spaces for the public.

A list of the panel’s members can be found on the Waterfront Toronto website[3].

While the waterfront has already made strides in becoming a more public friendly place, there are still many projects yet to be completed. Waterfront Toronto still has many years to go before all the projects are completed.

[4]

Funding
When initial costs were estimated in 2001, it was believed the revitalization project would total $17 billion, where $4.3 billion was funded from the public sector and $12.7 billion was funded from the private sector. However, due to construction inflation, the total estimated costs were raised to $34 billion. Additional funding is expected to be obtained by public-private partnerships (P3s).

As of March, the corporation and its tri-government had invested $1.5 billion in projects. In the 2015/2016 year, it plans to invest another $73.2 million. It is estimated 91 per cent of the $1.5 billion of the governments funding will be fully invested in waterfront revitalization. The additional revenue is expected to be obtained through land sales and P3s.

The breakdown of funds for the total support of the project include:

• $1.5 billion in government seed funding;
• $79 million in additional government supported investments; and
• $321 million in Waterfront Toronto generated revenue.

These equal a total capital investment of $1.9 billion, and do not include projects or initiatives without formal commitment and support from the tri-government. To date, Waterfront Toronto and the tri-governments have invested $769.5 million in projects, unlocking $10 billion of potential private sector investments and creating new public spaces, municipal infrastructure, and tourism amenities. These investments include:

• $219.6 million in municipal infrastructure utilities and flood prevention;
• $113.6 million in land acquisition;
• $161 million to make or improve parks;
• $230.1 million for development approvals, master planning, and environmental approvals;
• $45.2 million in corporate overhead;
• $130 million in GO transit;
• $25 million for the Union Pearson Express—a passenger train directly connecting Union Station and Pearson International Airport; and
• $9.3 million for staff salaries.

Using these investments and their returns, Waterfront Toronto has completed public and private sector development deals valued at $1.475 billion—far exceeding the $965 million of public funding spent.

During 2014/2015, 80 per cent of funding was derived from government funding, while 20 per cent was revenue generated by Waterfront Toronto itself. In 2015/2016 it is estimated government funding will lessen to 54 percent while Waterfront Toronto revenue will increase to 46 per cent. This increase in reliance on Waterfront Toronto funding will require an increased dependence on business development and revenue opportunities.

Another new initiative in 2015/2016 is the introduction of a philanthropic plan to begin targeted fundraising and partnerships aligned with public realm projects. Once the corporation has a finalized plan, it can better understand the corporate business efforts and resources required to support these fundraising efforts.

Source URL: https://www.constructioncanada.net/torontos-waterfront-is-changing/

---