Not Someplace Tourists And Working Poor Would Clamor To Visit In Mid-February

Waterfront renaissance

December 05, 2009

Toronto's neglected waterfront has long been lamented as a place where much is planned and nothing ever gets done. But the situation appears to be changing for the good.

The latest evidence is the proposed $200 million condo, office and retail complex planned for a sterile plot of land just south of the Gardiner Expressway and east of Lower Sherbourne St. The building has been designed by Moshe Safdie, the legendary architect behind Expo 67's Habitat complex, the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, and Terminal One at Pearson International Airport. With its high terraced gardens and spectacular views of Lake Ontario, the 36-storey residential tower promises to be both eye-catching and environmentally sound. That's appropriate for revitalizing a section of the city that is supposed to showcase Toronto as a leader in green urban design.

Waterfront Toronto, the tripartite agency responsible for redevelopment of the lakeshore, has also broken ground on a host of other projects, including George Brown College's new waterfront campus, in this same East Bayfront neighbourhood, stretching between Jarvis and Parliament Sts. Sherbourne Park, with its majestic woods, water and green spaces, is set to open next summer, along with Sugar Beach, next to the Redpath sugar refinery. And employees are scheduled to move into the Corus Entertainment building in the spring.

Worth noting is that the Gardiner Expressway – supposedly a barrier to waterfront revitalization – hasn't blocked any of these projects.

After an achingly slow start, Waterfront Toronto finally seems to be hitting its stride. There are still issues of concern, to be sure. According to the waterfront corporation's website, the East Bayfront neighbourhood is supposed to include 1,400 units of affordable rental housing. But the complex designed by Safdie contains none.

On the whole, however, it appears that following decades of bureaucratic inertia and infighting, Toronto is finally on the way to developing the spectacular waterfront the city deserves.