Ford Moves Toronto Waterfront into Top Gear

The new municipal initiative to retake control of the Lower Don lands in the Port area by the City-owned corporation, Toronto Port Lands Company ("TPLC") from Waterfront Toronto, has been the focus of intense attention and comment over the past week.   What has been lost in all of the discussions (and attacks) is that close to $800M has been spent on the redevelopment of the City-owned portions of waterfront over the last 10 years, as well as 9 years to complete an environmental assessment, with virtually no new building construction having been commenced by Waterfront Toronto.   The City seems to have lost faith in Waterfront Toronto to move development in the Port along in a cost-effective and timely manner and is looking at alternatives.  TPLC, which manages all of the revenue-producing properties owned by the City or TPLC in the Port and previously managed the lands which were transferred to Waterfront Toronto control, is being viewed as a reasonable alternative.   It has been over 40 years since the waterfront was turned over to the Toronto Harbour Commissioners and over 10 since Waterfront Toronto was created as an entity governed by 3 levels of government to spur development.  The City feels it is time to move on beyond Waterfront Toronto's Sugar Beach Park, Sherbourne Common, the Wave Deck and construction of a new campus from George Brown.   Having a corporation which is directly responsible to the City and is prepared to be proactive in moving development in the Port Area ahead, after reasonable public consultation and input, is not necessarily such a bad idea.   The new proposed preliminary concept plans, prepared by London based architect, Erik Kuhne, were revealed at the Executive Committee yesterday by TPLC.  Using these plans as a springboard, the Mayor indicated that development could be accelerated from a 25 year Waterfront Toronto plan, to somewhere between 10 and 15 years as proposed by TPLC.  (See Globe & Mail article of Elizabeth Church http://bit.ly/pUDp17)   Notwithstanding the political and press (in particular, the Toronto Star) backlash to date, the new plan represents fresh initiatives by a municipal corporation that has demonstrated its ability to get projects completed in the recent past such as the Corus Entertainment building, and the Toronto Filmport project on the remediated Imperial Oil lands.  TPLC has functioned efficiently and profitably for the City since 1988 in managing the Port Lands and other business ventures for the City.  The new proposals should, therefore, be given serious and unbiased consideration by Council later this month.