After years in the works, two major developments in North York's city centre are about to get the city's blessing.
"They're both, certainly, the most significant developments that have come to the North York city centre in the last 10 years," Willowdale Councillor John Filion said.North York councillors approved the projects on March 9, with final approval from city council expected at the March 31 to April 1 meeting. The first project, known as the Hullmark Centre, will see three linked office, residential and retail buildings, including a Whole Foods market, built at the southeast corner of Yonge Street and Sheppard Avenue.Construction on the 45-, 35- and five-storey buildings is expected to begin this summer, Filion said."It is pretty significant, it is very high end," he said."It is a very prime corner, at the junction of two subways stations. The only other place you have that is Yonge and Bloor. It is the premiere development being built this year in Toronto."Development consultant George Belza called the project "Canada's premiere office-condo complex.""This is a triple A development by anyone's standards," he said.Rather than leased, the office space will be owned, which Belza called unusual.The second project will see developer Menkes build two 42-storey condo towers containing 832 units and a five-storey building containing 11 townhouse units at the northwest corner of Yonge Street and Park Home Avenue.In return, Menkes is giving the city 3,941 square metres (42,420 square feet) of land for park purposes.That includes 1,354 square metres (14,574 square feet) at the southeast corner of the site where the Rose Garden beside the historic Gibson House Museum is located, and 1,586 square metres (27,835 square feet) at the west end of the site fronting on Beecroft Road."People had thought for years that it was park land because it looked like park land, but it was owned by developers and owned by Imperial Oil and sold to Menkes," Filion said."Even though it has looked like our park land, it hasn't been park land. The big new good news is we've managed to retain about 70 per cent of that Rose Garden."Debate over the site dates back at least 20 years, including a public campaign to save the Rose Garden, Filion said. A developer and the city agreed to move the garden to the west part of the site under a 99-year lease, which included a parking garage underneath.The project now being approved improves on that deal, Filion said."The big new good news, that most of my constituents would be aware of but perhaps the general public wouldn't, is we have in effect saved the Rose Garden," he said."This is a terrific deal for the residents. We get a new Rose Garden which was obtained 20 years ago and we get to keep most of the old Rose Garden, which had vanished from city ownership. We're getting that back, that 70 per cent that has been preserved."At one time, the site was owned by Imperial Oil, which planned to build its corporate headquarters there before selling it to Menkes.The city wanted to keep the site for office space but Menkes appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board and won the right to build residential condos.That fight appears long over, however.Filion praised Menkes for being "extremely cooperative" and holding numerous public consultation meetings. "It is very significant that we have saved that space," he added."Square foot for square foot, it is the most valuable and most recognized park land in North York."Belza, acting as a consultant for the developer, said consultations on the project have taken place over the last four years.He also noted more than 50 per cent of the developed site will be park land.