Concord Park Place

Development site and Bessarion stop, looking south
looking southwest
Construction site as of April 2008
Construction site in 2009.

Concord Park Place is a 45-acre (18 ha) multi-tower condominium complex under construction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, between Sheppard Avenue, Leslie Street, Highway 401, and Bessarion Road. The development creates a south extension of the Bayview Village neighbourhood of North York.

History

Until the 1960s, the site was used as farmland. At that time Canadian Tire built a large distribution facility and retail store on the site. The buildings were surrounded by single family homes built in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1999 Canadian Tire began the process of moving the Distribution Centre to Brampton, Ontario), and the retail store was relocated to nearby Provost and Sheppard Avenue East. Canadian Tire then sold the site to the development company Concord Adex. Demolition of the old buildings began in 2007.[1]

In 2015 the first phase of the development has been completed, consisting of four buildings: Discovery (Buildings A, B) and Discovery II (Buildings D, E) and located to the north of the Ikea store.[2][3] An eight acre part was in the design stages.[4]

Upon completion, Concord Park Place will include 5,000 condominium units in 20 buildings, high-rise, and mid-rise. The remaining 16 buildings will be located on the former footprint of the old Canadian Tire warehouse and store to the west of Provost Drive.

Transportation

Concord Park Place is near the Leslie and Bessarion subway stations on the Toronto Transit Commission's Sheppard subway line. [3] Ikea operates a shuttle service from the store to Leslie station.

Highway 401, Highway 404/Don Valley Parkway and Sheppard Avenue are the major routes near the site.

GO Transit's Oriole station is located under Highway 401 with an access road on Leslie Street. The station is a stop on the Richmond Hill line.

Within the development are a number of new or expanded local roads. Esther Shiner Boulevard connects Old Leslie Street and Provost Drive to Leslie Street; the portion from Provost to railway underpass used to be the main driveway to the Ikea store. Provost Drive has been extended under railway line to meet with Esther Shiner Boulevard and extends to the rear of the Ikea store.

The neighbourhood

Near the development is the Bayview Village Shopping Centre, a large Ikea store, North York General Hospital, aCanadian Tire store, Toronto Fire Services Station # 116, and a Toronto Transportation and Public Works yard.

Public art

The developers have incorporated publicly-visible art into their buildings. For example, one of the towers displays a large installation by artist James Lahey, "Toronto Tree Blossoms", in the corner glass.[5][6]

Criticism

Toronto journalists have expressed concern that the isolated location of the development, cut off by a railway corridor and an expressway, may lead to economic depression of the community.[2]

References

  1. "Still a subway to nowhere?". Toronto Star, IVOR TOSSELL, Nov. 24, 2007
  2. 1 2 "Concord Adex is raising a good point (tower)". Toronto Star, Ryan Starr, June 22, 2012
  3. 1 2 "Sheppard subway gets moving". National Post, November 9, 2012 Adam McDowell
  4. "Toronto’s green spaces a breath of fresh air". Toronto Star, Alex Newman, May 16, 2015
  5. " A building in full bloom – public art springs from new tower". The Globe and Mail, Monday, Apr. 20, 2015
  6. "Developers help build art appreciation". Toronto Star, Bryan Tuckey, June 6, 2014

External links

Coordinates: 43°46′01″N 79°22′19″W / 43.767°N 79.372°W / 43.767; -79.372

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