BY KELLI KORDUCKI • PHOTO BY CORBIN SMITH

Today’s meeting of the Toronto and East York Community Council is going to launch a process that will determine whether the Paradise Theatre building, located near the intersection of Bloor Street West and Dovercourt, will be granted heritage designation under the Ontario Heritage Act [PDF]. That process follows a now-rescinded application by the theatre’s new, conditional owners to have the building demolished. Both heritage preservation advocates and those involved directly with the property are awaiting the decision with bated breath.

The Paradise has gone through a number of owners since its 1937 opening, but for the past fifty years it’s been owned and run by the Giacomini family. The theatre’s potential as a sustainable family business has waned over time, however; it last screened a film in 2006, a consequence of the owners’ increasing age and the mounting challenges all cinemas of its ilk face. As Carl Laudan, a filmmaker who also happens to be one of the Bosley Real Estate agents assigned to the Paradise Theatre property, explains: “There’s no business model anymore for a single-screen movie theatre that only does single-screen movie theatre things.”

Laudan says that comparable theatre setups, like the Regent and the Royal, are able to screen movies at night while operating post-production facilities during the day—alternate streams of income that he estimates are the source of 80 to 85 percent of the revenue generated by those theatres. But, because of its position over the constantly rumbling Bloor subway line, setting up sound editing suites isn’t a possibility for the Paradise.

The property is currently in the middle of a “conditional sale,” a state of real-estate limbo that depends largely on the outcomes of investigations by the buyers—and more specifically, the costs of getting a usable commercial space up to code, which would likely increase should the building receive a heritage designation.

Scott Barrett, senior preservation coordinator of Heritage Preservation Services at the City of Toronto, says the Paradise has been identified for heritage designation both architecturally and contextually. “It’s a good representative example of a World War II-era movie house with Art Deco styling,” Barrett explains, citing the building’s abstract geometrical elements and prominent marquee as examples. “And, also, it supports the historic character of that part of Bloor Street West. So certainly it’s a building that’s prominent in the street and well-recognized in the community.”

The building, Barrett points out, is also unique in that its designer, Benjamin Brown, was one of the earliest practising Jewish architects working in the city. “He did a lot of the big warehouse-style buildings in the King and Spadina area,” Barrett says. “He also designed the Standard Theatre on Spadina Avenue, which was one of the earliest Yiddish theatres in North America. So there’s really neat history on this building.”

Perhaps surprisingly, Carl Laudan says demolishing the building was never really anyone’s goal. Rather, the demolition application, issued in January and rescinded late last week, was filed by the property’s potential buyers to “provoke the machine of the City vis a vis heritage and council to decide, with certainty, what’s going to be possible as far as developing the site goes.” It seems that a heritage designation is likely—the Paradise was already listed on the City of Toronto’s Inventory of Heritage Properties in 2007—so they wanted to kick-start the process in order to be able to reach some understanding of what would be possible at the site. There’s certainly some trepidation on the part of the prospective buyers around this, but ultimately they’re just looking forward to knowing for certain what their options are.

“I think, now that everyone’s sitting down and talking constructively, that it’s going to work out well,” says Laudan. “Not just for the owners, but for the City and its heritage, and for the community too.”

Today’s vote by the Toronto and East York Community Council will determine whether to accept Heritage Preservation Services’ recommendation that the Paradise receive heritage designation; if the answer is yes, the matter will go to the next meeting of full city council, on March 5, for a final decision.

REPORTED ON February 1, 2012

Two years ago, Toronto police chief Bill Blair broke ground on the lot that will soon be home to the new 14 Division headquarters. The new building, located on the corner of Dovercourt Road and St. Anne’s Road on a 1.8-acre lot south of College Street, is a massive shell of a building that will eventually boast a landscaped courtyard and be LEED Silver-certified.

The station’s move, literally across the street from its current location, will leave a large lot vacant next door. Compared to those digs—a frankly depressing all-brick building that’s more of a fortress than a welcoming presence—the Stantec-designed plans show an idyllic centre in the middle of the community, where locals sit outside in the park, or hold meetings inside in various public boardrooms.

The new building will be “friendlier” says Inspector David Vickers at 14 Division. He adds that construction is on schedule and within its $29 million budget. Construction is slated to be complete by end of July this year, with the move to the new building done by September.

That’s when the old building on Harrison Street will be returned to the city, which will decide what to do with the building and lot.

“There’s all kinds of speculation as to what may occur, but it doesn’t include policing,” says Vickers. “We’ve been hearing rumours about possibly being sold…there might be an opportunity for someone to put condos here. I’ve heard the building could be used for city purposes, I’ve heard levelled to a parking lot. But that has not been decided.”

According to Councilor Ana Bailão (Ward 18, Davenport), the process to determine what happens with the land is as follows: First, the city circulates the location to departments and organizations within the city government, to see if the space can be used internally. If no one steps up, the space is sold off to private companies or other interested parties.

“If none of the departments or agencies show an interest, it’s considered surplus,” says Bailão. “If that’s the case it goes to Build [Toronto], and they get the most value for the space.”

Right now, Bailão says she has only heard interest in the property from one group: the Toronto Parking Authority.

“They’ve already expressed interest in the site because they have a parking lot behind it, and they’d like to expand it,” says Bailão.

Parking is a big issue in the neighbourhood surrounding the new division, and the new headquarters include a massive underground parking complex that residents can access.

“There are 160 underground parking spots, a big advantage for us and for the community, because right now parking is really at a premium on the streets around here,” says Vickers.

14 Division is located directly along the boundary between Bailão’s Ward 18 and Mike Layton’s Ward 19. Because of this, the two will work together in terms of hearing suggestions from neighbourhood residents. Bailao says those conversations won’t take place until the move is fully-complete this fall.

Abacus Lofts, at Dundas St. W. and Ossington Ave., was designed by Richard Witt of RAW Design.RAW DESIGN

Ryan Starr Special to the Star

Architect Richard Witt knew he’d designed a great condo when a community meeting for the project ended with him receiving a round of applause.

“That’s never happened to me before,” Witt says, still sounding taken aback. “Usually it’s like I’m being sent out as a sacrificial lamb for everyone to tell me there’s not enough parking or that the height is too big.”

In the case of Abacus Lofts, it was the opposite: the community was jazzed about what Witt proposed for the site, formerly an auto service centre at 1245 Dundas St. W. just east of Dovercourt Avenue.

His design previously had been selected as winner of a limited competition organized by developer Tony Azevedo, principal of Daz Developments; he’d told Witt to “give me something interesting,” the architect recalls.

Witt obliged. His design for Abacus Lofts, a seven-storey midrise, features an inverted stepped facade that cantilevers out toward the street and then back in again toward the top of the building.

This will not only look super cool when it’s built, it also will reduce shadowing and allow for more pedestrian activity at the base of the condo, in accordance with the city’s midrise development guidelines. The street-level space will likely house a café or a bookshop with an outdoor patio that’s tied into the street life.

The design went over well at the community meeting, Witt says.

“People got up and made impassioned speeches about how this is the kind of design they want to see on Dundas because it’s bold and creative and it’s really going to make that strip of Dundas better,” says Witt of RAW Design.

Abacus Lofts will comprise 40 suites that range from 469 square feet to 1,284 square feet. Prices start in the mid-$200,000s and go to more than $700,000. Occupancy is slated for 2014.

The lofts will have nine-foot ceilings in principal rooms, floor to ceiling windows and exposed concrete ceilings, depending on the plan.

Homes on the Dundas-facing front of the building will have balconies; lofts at the rear of the building will have terraces. All will have a gas barbecue connections and hose bibs.

Kitchens come with Scavolini cabinetry and island, a choice of stone or quartz surface countertop and mosaic tile backsplash. A stainless steel appliance package a gas cook top and electric built-in oven

Bathrooms will have a soaker tub and shower with frameless glass enclosure, depending on the plan.

Paul Johnston, who is handling sales for Abacus Lofts, notes that midrises are the way of the future for residential development along the city’s main streets and avenues.

“So much of what we’ve experienced in terms of development in Toronto has been placing highrises into otherwise vacant lands and trying to create community around them,” says Johnston, principal of Unique Urban Homes. “Midrise is the opportunity to carefully insert buildings into existing neighbourhoods, to re-enliven these areas.”

The Dundas West community, aka Little Portugal, is already well serviced by existing shops and amenities, he says. It’s just around the corner from Ossington Ave.’s “gastronomic strip,” and a few blocks from Trinity Bellwoods Park. “It’s got all the stuff that makes a pedestrian Sunday a pleasant way to spend the day,” Johnston says. “This neighbourhood is authentic and vibrant.”

Plus, Abacus offers more intimacy and interaction than the average condo tower. The building has only 40 units, not 400, and Johnston says it’s not irrational to expect you might end up knowing a neighbour or two. “You’re walking through your lobby and you might be like, ‘Hey, Peter, how are you?’ . . . How novel.”

Councillor Ana Bailão thinks Abacus Lofts will be a good fit for the area. “It’s the kind of development we want to see on our main streets in downtown,” she says.

The unique design of the building was a big reason it won the support of the community, the councillor notes. “Because it’s one of the few midrises we’re getting in the area, I think it helped set the standard.

“I hope this is a strong message to future developers that want to do work in our area that that’s the kind of standard we’re looking for. We want good architecture and good design.”

MIDRISE CHALLENGES

While midrise buildings like Abacus may be the ideal solution for in-fill sites downtown, it’s a type of development that faces serious challenges.

The greatest is financial: midrises are not nearly as cost-effective for developers to build. The approvals process for an eight-storey building can take as long as for a 40-storey highrise tower. And there aren’t as many units to sell to cover the cost of development; economies of scale are far more difficult to achieve.

Municipal servicing requirements for midrise buildings also don’t allow for much flexibility on tighter infill sites.

What’s more, existing communities can be touchy about new construction. “Neighbourhoods are generally very sensitive to their main streets, to their main shopping boulevards,” Johnston says.

“So they’re often resistant to the types of change that the midrise guidelines are intended to create: to increase density, livelihood and retail presence, and to create new residential opportunities.”

Owing to these challenges, midrise developers tend to be people who are seeking more than just profit. “They’re the ones who are really looking to achieve something at a much more modest scale,” but with added emphasis on achieving unique design, Johnston explains, citing Abacus as a good example.

For Azevedo, a lawyer whose background is in industrial and commercial development, the project was a labour of love for his community, says Johnston.

“Both his business and home are nearby, and this is his opportunity to give back, to take a piece of land that was largely unused, develop it, and bring people back to the neighbourhood.”

Abacus by the numbers

Developer: Daz Developments

Architect: RAW Design, www.rawdesign.ca

Size: 7 storeys

Units: 40 units, from 469 sq. ft. to 1,284 sq. ft.

Occupancy: 2014

Sales centre: 1245 Dundas St. W.

Information: www.abacuslofts.com, 647-931-7223, abacus@pauljohnston.com

 

Original Article Available HERE

Winners will receive a Green Toronto Award and $5,000 to further their work on the environment or donate to an environmental charity of their choice, courtesy of award sponsors. Winners will be announced at the 2012 Green Toronto Awards ceremony at the Green Living Show in April.

Award categories open for nomination are: Local Food, Community Projects, Energy Conservation, Green Business, Environmental Awareness, Green Design, Leadership, Youth Leadership and Water Efficiency. Nominations close February 6, 2012.

Photo: Josh O’Kane

Reported by David Haines

One year ago, these six councillors walked into City Hall as the most influential first-time councillors in recent memory. They held the balance of power in what was expected to be a fiercely partisan council session polarized by Mayor Rob Ford’s conservative faction and an obstinate left. Dubbed the “Mighty Middle,” they were independent, thoughtful and a little naive. After council’s year of discontent, The Globe and Mail caught up with the crew to find out what they hated, loved and learned during their first year working with the Ford administration.

Ana Bailão, Davenport

This even-keeled rookie blew her top this summer when she discovered work crews were about to cut into a section of Dundas Street that was recently restored to work on gas lines.

Hardest lesson

“Don’t take it personally. Everything is political.”

A former staffer to past councillor Mario Silva a decade ago, Ms. Bailao was shocked when she returned to city hall by how divisive council had become, starting with what she calls the “pinko episode” with Don Cherry at the mayor’s inauguration. Over the year, she has seen that divisiveness play out in issues in her ward, such as a council vote on a traffic light and the proposed sale of a city building to a seniors’ group. As a moderate, she gets pressure from all sides and in the worst cases has been shunned by those unhappy with her vote.

Best Day

Feb. 8: The day parking returned to Dundas Street West. It was an issue that incensed local businesses and was a major campaign pledge. The day council agreed to return the parking spots was a major accomplishment, this rookie says. “People tell you, ‘You promised and you did it.’ It shows people there are politicians that speak the truth. That felt good.”

Worst Day

Nov. 7: That was the day cyclist Jenna Morrison , a 38-year-old mother expecting her second child, was killed when she was run over by a truck in an intersection in Ms. Bailao’s west-end ward. “That was really disturbing,” she says. “We were already doing work [on that street]. We were planning. You can’t help but think if something had been done earlier … It was tough.”

Big issue

Affordable housing: Ms. Bailao has several issues in her ward, including transit, but says breaking the cycle of poverty citywide for residents in social housing is a priority. She praises groups such as Hammer Heads, which helps teach trades skills, as the kind of creative solution the city needs. The vote to approve Toronto Community Housing Corp.’s sale of 22 homes – which she supported – was one of the most difficult this year, she says.

Michelle Berardinetti, Scarborough Southwest

The “elephant lady” made a splash when council approved her motion to send Toronto’s three aged elephants to a sanctuary in California rather than another zoo. The move pleased animal activists while enraging some members of the Toronto zoo board.

Hardest Lesson

She worked as a political staffer in Ottawa and Queen’s Park, “but city hall is a much different beast,” she said. “You learn very quickly about petty human behaviour, unfortunately. To try to rise above that is a tough lesson. There are a lot of councillors trying to stay above the fray. That’s where the ‘mighty middle’ councillors really want to make a difference.”

Best Day

Feb. 10: “I know it’s a local issue that didn’t get much attention, but when we secured public funding for our new Warden Hilltop Community Centre, it was exciting. It was slated to be contracted privately. I felt it should be publicly funded. I went to the mayor and said, ‘This is my number one issue and I want your support on it.’ And he did support me. It meant a million in funding every year.”

Worst Day

July 11: When Mayor Ford’s massive review of core city services began rolling out, it became clear that councillors would face some tough choices about what to cut and what to keep. “No person, no human, no councillor wants to make those decisions,” Ms. Berardinetti said. “It’s likeSophie’s Choice. We did end up removing quite a few cuts on budget committee and executive compared to what was originally presented. When we had to make the final decisions, that was tough, especially things like the Hardship Fund.”

Big issue

When it comes to larger city issues, Ms. Berardinetti is all about bio-energy. “I really think looking at waste-energy models would be phenomenal for the city to do,” she said. “The left doesn’t support it. They’re just against it. I’m hoping under this administration we can change the approach.”

Josh Colle, Eglinton-Lawrence

The more subdued of the rookie Joshes speaks softly but may carry the most sway of any middle councillor. On the mayor’s biggest initiatives, his votes have fallen 50/50 between the left and right.

Hardest Lesson

As the dean of the middle, Mr. Colle is subject to relentless appeals from either side of the political spectrum. “I didn’t expect the intensity of the lobbying,” he said. “That has been the most surprising thing. I was anticipating some, but not to the extent you feel on the floor and in the halls of city hall. Maybe that was my mistake by positioning myself as an independent.”

Best Day

Dec. 7, 2010: “My first day in the chamber was pretty cool. That was the first time it really sinks in that you’ve actually done it. And then Grapes [Don Cherry] provided an auspicious start to things.”

Worst Day

The first few months: Being the son of seasoned MPP Mike Colle didn’t quite prepare him for the grind. “Some days really wear you down,” he said. “There are those days, especially early on, when you really overwhelm yourself and your staff. You realize you should probably say no to those requests. Some of those could be leaving the house at quarter to seven and getting home around 1 a.m. Those bad days, you just try to forget about them.”

Big issue

“The issue I want something tangible done on is transit on Eglinton, which is at the south end of my ward. It’s one of those projects people in my area feel once-bitten, twice-shy on because we lost it before. I think much of my term will be spent trying to push that ahead, making sure we get the stations we were promised.”

Josh Matlow, St. Paul’s

This rookie likes to talk over the issues, even hosting his own radio call-in show to hash out city matters. Some accuse him of fence-sitting. He calls himself an “independent thinker.”

Hardest Lesson

“How politicized advice from staff has become since the stronger mayor system was implemented a few years back.” Mr. Matlow says he started seeking advice from outside experts and former mayor David Crombie after the Port Lands experience, when the city manager recommended the city take back control of development from Waterfront Toronto. “It’s harder for me to know if the information that I have received is spun to support a political endeavour or [if] it is objective, factual information,” he says.

Best Day

April 12: When council unanimously supported his motion to create a strategic plan for seniors. “All this baloney about having to pick a team is fundamentally wrong for so many reasons,” he says. Getting approval for the strategy proved, he says, that “one doesn’t need to be partisan to see [one’s] ideas to fruition.” Asked if supporting an issue with such broad appeal was a no-brainer for council, Mr. Matlow counters that he has seen even simple matters become blocked by one side or the other. “There are some petty, really awful things that happen here,” he says, adding he still thinks councillors can work together. “If you want my vote, come and convince me.”

Worst Day

June 27: The mayor is a no-show when the pride flag is raised at city hall. “I was really disappointed when the mayor didn’t acknowledge the LGBT community during Pride Week. That was one of the saddest moments for me as a councillor. I came into office hoping the mayor would be the best he could be. I still have that hope, but that was a moment where I just couldn’t stop thinking what effect it has on the members of the community who felt neglected or misunderstood or slighted by their families and colleagues – and then to see the leadership of their city do the same thing.”

Big issue

There are about 20. “I won’t pick,’ says Mr. Matlow. “That is not even intellectually honest. We are going to have to make some choices. It’s not honest to say that one is more important than another … Transit is a priority. Childcare, as well. Gridlock. But there are other ideas – heritage, arts and culture, environment, fiscal responsibility.”

Mary-Margaret McMahon, Beaches-East York

Known for her muffin-making talents at council, this strong environmentalist also arranged tours of the Port Lands when the issue of development there simmered over this summer.

Hardest lesson

“You can’t please everyone all of the time.” After unseating a long-time incumbent, Ms. McMahon discovered some supporters expect her to do their bidding and turn to e-mail to vent when she doesn’t. “Do you lie to your kids with that mouth?” one constituent wrote. Her solution? House calls. Those with a beef may find this rookie on their doorstep at breakfast. She also contacts her critics by phone. “It does a lot to defuse tension,” she says.

Best day

July 23: A bike tune-up workshop and community garden planting at Main Square. Organized by the councillor, non-profit group Bicycle Common and local residents, it turned an empty, litter-strewn courtyard at a high-rise complex that is home to 4,500 into “a community hub,” says Ms. McMahon, who hopes to repeat it. “Even the seniors who had been sitting there guffawing, they were telling us how to grow the plants by the end.”

Worst Day

Pride Weekend: “I got accused on social media of not being at the Pride Parade and I was burying my mother,” says the councillor, who attended the launch party before going to her hometown of Collingwood, Ont. A passionate advocate for local food, Ms. McMahon lent her “vegetable costumes” – a pea, carrot and apple – to folks in the parade. “People have to remember that you are human and you have a life and family,” she says.

Big issue

Transit. “We are crippling ourselves with congestion, we are asphyxiating ourselves with poor air quality. The number one thing we can do is get this city moving. We need to be looking at revenue generation – road tolls, congestion levies, parking fees, anything to fund it.”

Jaye Robinson, Don Valley West

A member of Mayor Ford’s executive committee and former senior manager in the city’s economic development department, Ms. Robinson distinguished herself in the last year when she spoke out against Councillor Doug Ford’s monorail vision for Toronto’s waterfront.

Hardest Lesson

“When it comes to voting, you learn quickly that there’s intense pressure from both sides,” said Ms. Robinson, who, along with other rookie councillors, was surprised at the level of partisan animosity during council debates. “I learned that when it comes to pushing that green or red button for votes, you have to listen to your constituents.”

Best Day

Sept. 15: Ms. Robinson came out against the Ford brothers’ new vision for the Toronto Port Lands, earning instant accolades from across the city. “I had one negative e-mail and hundreds of beautiful, supportive e-mails. It was a difficult thing to do, but it was the right thing. I respect the years of planning that went into the Waterfront plan.”

Worst Day

Sept. 19: During Mayor Ford’s all-night executive committee meeting, Ms. Robinson found herself questioning the nature of public engagement. “By far that was the worst day and night. I ran on civic engagement, but making people stay up all night, that’s excluding the seniors and families that can’t depute at 3 a.m. Also, I’m not a big caffeine person, so I found it hard to stay awake, even though some of the speakers were highly entertaining.”

Big issue

“I’ll be keeping my eye on the waterfront and the library,” she said. “But my focus will be on museums for a bit. Four museums were on the chopping block, set to be closed Jan. 1, 2012, and I helped stop that. Now I’m working on a strategy to enhance heritage in Toronto.”

Full article available HERE