If you didn’t read the feature article on David Mirvish’s condo proposal in Saturday’s Globe & Mail, then please do so.
Mr. Mirvish’s condo proposal has to represent the height of insanity when it comes to the redevelopment and condominiumization of the downtown core, and it’s time that city council and eventually the OMB, finally stand up to a developer and say, “Not today, thanks.”
I’ve covered this topic before several times, but I don’t think I’ve taken out all my angst quite yet.
I’m not sure what it is about this project that bothers me the most, so let me explain all of my concerns, and try to make sense of it all…
Alex Bozikovic wrote a fantastic column in Saturday’s Globe & Mail called “A Tall Order” in which he outlined the ideas behind David Mirvish and Frank Gehry’s massive plan for redevelopment of the King Street strip between John Street & Duncan Street.
Have a read of the article HERE.
Back in October, I posted my initial thoughts on the Mirvish plan for King West in THIS blog post.
Two months later, I feel even stronger about the proposed development, and I’m even more angry at the mere notion that this is being considered.
If you haven’t heard, David Mirvish is proposing to tear down several heritage buildings on King Street, including the Princess of Wales theatre, so he can spearhead a development including three condominium towers in excess of 80-stories, each.
This month, Toronto City Council will be looking at this development, and ultimately they will decide whether or not to:
a) allow Mr. Mirvish to proceed, as planned
b) allow a revised plan of the development to proceed, after some negotiation
c) to fight this proposal all the way
It is the latter option that I favour, as you might expect from the headline of this post, as well as my non-secretive thoughts on the subject.
Perhaps you find it ironic that a licensed Realtor is speaking out against the rampant development of the downtown core, and the sheer number of condominiums that are being built in Toronto, but in my opinion, this Mirvish-proposal represents the very problem with development in Toronto: that developers are effectively running the city, and that they usually get what they ask for…
If you’ve driven through the downtown core recently, you’ll note that there aren’t any 80+ storey condominium towers to be seen. Sure, there are some being constructed, and some being planned, but for the most part, the idea of an 80-storey tower is not reality. But the idea of THREE 80-storey towers can only be described as “fantasy,” which I believe the Mirvish-proposal is.
I don’t doubt David Mirvish’s contribution to Toronto, nor do I doubt Frank Gehry’s legend as an architect. But I don’t think that either of these men’s resumes qualify for an end-around of Toronto’s laws and regulations, nor do I think their inflated egos should cast a permanent mold on King Street West.
My problems with this proposed development are more than a few.
First, I believe that this is just an extension of Mr. Mirvish’s ego, and nothing more. Only an ego-maniac would seek to build a THREE towers, double-the-size of anything in the area, but also including a private gallery for his collection of paintings. The name “Mirvish” is pretty well-known in Toronto, but with these three monstrosities, it would have to be much more well-known, which is exactly the point to this exercise.
Second, Mr. Mirvish and Mr. Gehry are cleverly disguising this entrepreneurial and capitalistic venture as some sort of BS way of giving back to Toronto. Despite the facilities for OCAD included in the development, the possibility of public housing units, the aforementioned public gallery of art, and anything else that whet’s the appetite of the wanting, this development is nothing more than a $300-$400 Million profit waiting to be had, along with the “legend” that comes with changing the face of Toronto as we know it.
Third, I believe that the development would grid-lock the downtown core for a half-decade, or more. We all know what happens when a condominium development begins construction: a lane or two of the adjacent road is blocked off, so that ready-mix trucks can come and go as they please for 3-5 years, and drivers and pedestrians alike suffer the consequences. I honestly think that to build THREE condos of 80+ stories would completely shut down the city centre for as long as this development is under construction, and the city just is NOT equipped to deal with the fallout. The ripple-effects will be felt as far as Islington…
Fourth, Mr. Mirvish is seeking to alter Toronto’s heritage designations. Both the Ontario Heritage Act of 1975 and the Toronto Municipal Code, Chapter 103 (Heritage) seek to preserve buildings that have received the “heritage” designation, and most of the buildings that Mr. Mirvish seeks to completely tear down are designated as “heritage.” I’m a capitalist by nature, but at the same time, I understand that any city with history needs to try and preserve some of the works from its humble beginnings. If these buildings weren’t meant, or intended to be demolished, then they wouldn’t have received this designation. If somebody purchases a building with a heritage designation, they shouldn’t complain later on that they want to alter the intended usage of that building…
Lastly, and most importantly, I fear what will transpire after Mr. Mirvish & Mr. Gehry get their collective way, as developer after developer will seek to bypass Toronto’s bylaws and regulations.
In Alex Bozikovic’s column, he notes:
“When Toronto city council looks at it this month, they will be deciding whether to approve the proposal – which, in its current state, would break the city’s guidelines for the positioning of tall buildings, rules for heritage preservation, expectations of public space, and requirements for private amenity space. Not to mention its size, which would smash the zoning precedents for the area.”
So basically what we’re saying here is that there are SEVERAL rules and regulations standing in the way of this monstrous proposal, yet Toronto city council is expected to hear an argument as to WHY the development should be allowed to proceed.
So where does this leave us?
If, two years from now, a developer wants to pave a road with the skulls of cute baby puppies, then can’t the developer just cite the Mirvish “victory” and ask city council to move forward?
What kind of precedent would we be setting here?
The OMB, which works on this archaic, ridiculous notion of “precedent,” usually looks at the existing developments in the area, their density, and height, before making a ruling on a proposal. So if a developer is asking for 50-stories, and there are other 50-storey developments within a certain radius, that proposed development will likely be approved.
All this has meant, in the last ten years, is that every 18-storey development allows for an eventual 20-storey development, which allows for a 23-storey development after that, and so on, and so on.
But what precedent are the Mirvish Towers going on?
They’re asking for THREE 80+ storey towers, when the largest condominium development in the area is Festival Tower, which is a mere 47-storeys.
Do you think Mr. Mirvish & Mr Gehry would settle for 49-storeys? THREE buildings, each of 49-storeys? Or would they continue to push, and push, and push – and spend money on lawyers, and lobbyists, and Lord knows what else, to try and get their egomaniacal development approved?
Alex Bozikovic’s column goes on to describe the idea of “starchitecture,” which represents everything I hate about society.
I don’t believe in the concept of “celebrity,” and that some asshole on a reality show is worth his weight in gold. I have no desire to meet a “Hollywood celeb,” nor do I put any more value on someone, or some thing, that is “well known.”
I don’t believe that Toronto would be better off with a Frank Gehry-designed condominium, and 99.9% of Torontonians would have no clue who this person is, nor would they care.
If a small collection of elitists in New York, or London, or some other rich city looked more favourably on Toronto because we had a condominium development by the “legendary” Frank Gehry, well, to be perfectly honest – who the hell cares?
Is it worth bastardizing the King Street strip, congesting the city for a decade, and setting a development precedent than can never be undone?
Personally, I don’t think so.
But I’m dying to know what city council thinks.
It’s soooooo hard to turn down the massive development fees and additional property tax base from all these condominiums being built in Toronto, but eventually, city council has to stop thinking about today, and start thinking about tomorrow…
Paully
at 7:52 am
It would be an even bigger problem if the condo market finally turned and killed the project mid-build. Then we would end up with three gigantic holes in the ground, with some hideously ugly half-poured foundations sticking out for the next twenty years, similar to the Bay Adelaide centre after the last real estate melt!
ScottyP
at 4:43 pm
Good point.
BillyO
at 7:49 am
It’s actually not a good point at all. They don’t build condos (save a few exceptions like Daniels has done one the past) without being around 75% sold. There wouldn’t be demolition of anything until then. What happened with BA Centre was something different
mooj
at 12:27 pm
NO! NO! NO!
I agree, this thing will shut down the entire city with its construction. The area has been torn up enough over the past five to ten years and this would basically block King between Spadina and University.
jeff316
at 7:07 am
Yeah, this area just doesn’t strike me as needing the redevelopment moreso than other areas of the city – in particular with the heritage buildings there – regardless of the stature of the developer or the architect.
Rob Fjord
at 3:41 pm
take the mirvish money….. who cares about core traffic and a couple of crappy heritage buildings, squeeze your butt on to the ttc, and build replicas of those heritage buildings in scarborough.
Qaf
at 3:55 pm
I think you wrote a post about how in Toronto, developers have to sell a certain amount of units before they can start building (was it 80% or am I having a brain fart?). If so that’s a lot of units to sell before any work gets started – if approved by the city.
Joe Q.
at 7:09 pm
But there is so much demand! Everyone wants to live downtown, right on King Street. There are investors all over the world who want to buy Toronto condos. New construction is a safe bet. Think of all the billionaires in China with cash to burn. Etc., etc.
Darren
at 11:02 pm
The 80% is for financing. If the builder has the money they can build without selling a single unit if they want to.
BillyO
at 8:05 am
And in this case Mirvish doesn’t not have enough money so he will be teaming up with another builder to execute this project. He will require financing as well.
For all you naysayers just know that councillor Adam Vaughan is in favour of this project. It will get approved (a few changes will be made). The bigger question is given current market conditions, will it sell, and at what price? There are about 2700 units to move. I can’t imagine they’d price it at anything less than $700 PSF.
We’ve seen other projects struggle at price points of $650 PSF, like nearby King Blue condos (which has since chopped up loads of two bedroom units for ‘investor friendly’ studios and small one bedrooms – these units have been selling well). Now, M-G would be a project more grand and a lot of notoriety attached to it but I just don’t know if they can sell 2000 units to get this thing under construction at the prices which I think they would go for.
Zac
at 10:11 am
The fact is King/John doesn’t need that kind of intensification and redevelopment. If Mirvish and Gehry intend to build such a project on Queen East between JChurch and Sherbourne for example, I will whole-heartedly support it.
Kyle
at 3:05 pm
This is just a fantasy, but I say they should approve this project on the condition that they allow the a subway station to be built underneath it and they let the TTC put Yorkie and Torkie in the hole to begin tunneling the DRL. Infact they should encourage other developers to do the same all along the DRL route. Sure traffic will suck for a few years, but ultimately it could lead to a win -win for everyone.