Diversity : Development News

On July 9, the Ontario government announced the launch of its Community Capital Fund to support infrastructure projects for non-profit organizations across the province.

Aimed at various cultural communities that deliver public services, the grants, from $20,000 to $500,000, will be aimed at covering capital costs, which are often overlooked by other funding organizations.

The $50-million fund will be administered by the Trillium Foundation. Applications are going out in September, with a deadline of Dec. 31.

"Not-for-profit organizations deliver important public services to cultural communities and contribute greatly to the social and economic development of this province," says Minister of Tourism and Culture Michael Chan. "This new fund strengthens our diversity, supports local economic development, and creates more jobs for Ontario families."

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Michael Chan

Do you know of a new building going up, a business expanding or being renovated, a park in the works or even a cool new house being built in the neighbourhood? Please send your development news tips to [email protected].

Earlier this month, the city honoured Home Ownership Alternatives, a little known but increasingly influential funding body, as one of the city's several Affordable Housing Champions.

They were recognized for the work they did financing Options for Homes' 643-unit housing project at Keele and Dundas, Village by the Park.

"We're actively looking to get some new partners, both on the financial side and the developer side," says Joe Deschenes-Smith, HOA's vice president of partnerships, "so recognition like that is always great to help open some doors and find new projects and organizations.

HOA, which was founded in 1998 as the funding agency for Options for Homes St Lawrence Co-Operative, funds affordable housing by providing project financing, offering second mortgages to home buyers, and lobbying government for more affordable housing legislation and funding.

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Joe Deschenes-Smith

Do you know of a new building going up, a business expanding or renovating, even a cool new house in the neighbourhood? Please send your development news tips to [email protected].

The Aga Khan and Prime Minister Harper were in town last week to break ground on the $300-million Aga Khan Museum and Ismaili Centre in the city's north end.

"His original hope was to locate this project in London, England," says an effervescently enthusiastic Councillor John Parker, in whose ward the buildings and adjacent park are being built, "but things didn't work out there. Plan B was Wynford Drive, Ward 26." Parker calls the development his ward's largest "by a long shot."

The site, on which construction began last week, was formerly home to a Shell Oil office building and, more notably, the former headquarters of Bata Shoes, a building by John B. Parkin that the Toronto Star's Chris Hume wrote was "reminiscent of an ancient Greek temple. Unadorned yet poetic, the architecture pays homage to the past while extolling the virtues of the future," and the Globe's Lisa Rochon described as "imperfect," "clumsy" and derivative.

According to Parker, the original plan was to build in two phases, but various delays in approvals convinced the developer, a local corporation put together by the Aga Khan, to build it all at once and much more quickly, starting several years later than planned, but finishing up by the original completion date, in 2013.

"Your average developer would move ahead on as many fronts as they could establish, and once they had a critical mass of construction approvals, would get to work building," Parker says. "This developer didn't want to make their first move until they had all their plans fully approved."

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Councillor John Parker

Do you know of a new building going up, a business expanding or renovating, even a cool new house in the neighbourhood? Please send your development news tips to [email protected].

Options for Homes, the city's developer of low-cost housing that offers buyers a second mortgage they can use toward their down payment to increase their likelihood of being accepted for a mortgage, has reached the halfway point in their Junction project.

On Keele just north of Dundas, the 643-unit, two-tower building, somewhat misleadingly called The Village by High Park, broke ground in August of 2008 and will probably be ready for residents beginning this summer, with final completion and occupancy early next year if the trades, many of which are currently renegotiating their contracts, don't strike. Construction costs are estimated at $170 per square foot. With a total of about 560,000 square feet, the project's construction budget is estimated to be about $95 million.

"We tend to go for land that is in up and coming neighbourhoods, neighbourhoods on the cusp, because it's less expensive, so we can keep our prices lower," says marketing co-ordinator Jessica Speziale. Options for Homes, which also has projects planned for Bathurst and Lawrence and in Barrie, were early develops in the Distillery District area, building their light brick towers in the late 90s, before the district was renovated and rebranded.

The Junction condos range in size from 455 square feet for a bachelor to 1190 square feet for a three bedroom, and in price from $143,000 to $324,000.

Though no commercial tenants have yet been signed, there will also be retail on the ground level along Keele.

Writer: Bert Archer
Source: Jessica Speziale

Do you know of a new building going up, a business expanding or renovating, even a cool new house in the neighbourhood? Please send your development news tips to [email protected].

Sang Kim, one of the forces behind Blowfish and the consultant behind Ki's aggressive training of its staff in the fine art of explaining sake to a still mostly innocent clientele, is bringing a Korean tapas restaurant to Yorkville.

KOKO! Share Bar, on the site of the old walk-down Sushi Bada at 81 Yorkville (below Dolce), will have a staff of 12 in two shifts and feature bossam, which is Korean for wrap. Dishes will feature loose leaf lettuce with steamed rice, and things like roasted pork belly and Korean barbequed meats served, on one side of the restaurant, at two long communal tables (the other side is reserved for the more reserved, with more usual two-seater table options). Following the long tradition of Korean and Japanese culinary hook-ups, KOKO! will also serve tamaki, which is the Japanese version of bossam, with seasoned seaweed instead of lettuce, sushi rice, raw fish and tempura.

A fan of Korean cuisine, but not of Toronto's two "Little Koreas" (on Bloor west of Bathurst and on Yonge north of Sheppard). "They beat up on each other by slashing prices," says Kim, who estimates his lunches for two will be under $40, and dinners about $100,  "and they do Japanese food very poorly. I like not having to compete with pork bone soup pricing."

Demolition started on Jan. 9, with a goal of an early February soft opening and a launch on Feb. 14, in honour of Valentine's Day, as well as Chinese and Korean New Year.

Writer: Bert Archer