Is the city about to junk the Waterfront Toronto process in exchange for a huge Ferris wheel?
The Iron Rule of Toronto politics seems to be that no grand plan survives the city’s incredible ability to choke somewhere down the line. The Iron Rule was reinforced last Friday afternoon when news broke that city staff will be recommending that Toronto pull a large parcel of land out of the Waterfront Toronto process. The 1,000 acres in question are in the old Port Lands; apparently the mayor and his brother are getting fed up with the expense and slow pace of the Waterfront process.
According to the Toronto Star:
The city’s major concern, as expressed by city manager Joe Pennachetti, is with the flood protection plan council endorsed in 2010.
Development on the land cannot proceed without a flood protection strategy.
The current plan is estimated at $634 million, but no funding has yet been committed to it, Pennachetti notes. He also argues the plan would “have the effect of limiting development potential” by separating the land into three parcels.
Pennachetti’s proposal suggests that the city “explore private sector and other options” for flood protection.
Meanwhile, the Globe (which, unlike the Star, can actually get calls returned from Rob and Doug Ford) says that Doug Ford has big plans for the Port Lands, including malls, hotels “and possibly the world’s largest Ferris wheel.” At first blush, this sounds an awful lot like Ontario Place: an attraction that’s going to be unused for six months of the year. We’re particularly confused by Doug Ford’s assertion that “we’ve got to get this city booming.” Has he somehow missed out on the headlines about Toronto’s real estate market or the city’s placement on all sorts of international lists?
We can get over the Fords’ apparent disinterest in the city they’re leading, but there are also more substantial (read: financial) concerns about this move. If it’s not managed properly it has the real potential to be a big hit to city coffers, with property dumped on the market at fire-sale prices—exactly the problem that Waterfront Toronto was set up to prevent.
• Toronto Port Lands Company – Revitalization Opportunities for the Port Lands [Toronto.ca]
• City wants to seize port lands project [Toronto Star]
• Ford office aiming to take over Port Lands development [Globe and Mail]
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/city/fords-waterfront-toronto/&title=Is the city about to junk the Waterfront Toronto process in exchange for a huge Ferris wheel?&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/cne-ferris-624x345.jpg&description=[caption id="attachment_86579" align="aligncenter" width="627" caption="The temporary, not-world’s-largest Ferris wheel at the CNE (Image: Jae Yang in the Torontolife.com Flickr pool)"][/caption]
The Iron Rule of Toronto politics seems to be that no grand plan survives the city’s incredible ability to choke somewhere down the line. The Iron Rule was reinforced last Friday afternoon when news broke that city staff will be recommending that Toronto pull a large parcel of land out of the Waterfront Toronto process. The 1,000 acres in question are in the old Port Lands; apparently the mayor and his brother are getting fed up with the expense and slow pace of the Waterfront process.
According to the Toronto Star:
The city’s major concern, as expressed by city manager Joe Pennachetti, is with the flood protection plan council endorsed in 2010.
Development on the land cannot proceed without a flood protection strategy.
The current plan is estimated at $634 million, but no funding has yet been committed to it, Pennachetti notes. He also argues the plan would “have the effect of limiting development potential” by separating the land into three parcels.
Pennachetti’s proposal suggests that the city “explore private sector and other options” for flood protection.
Meanwhile, the Globe (which, unlike the Star, can actually get calls returned from Rob and Doug Ford) says that Doug Ford has big plans for the Port Lands, including malls, hotels “and possibly the world’s largest Ferris wheel.” At first blush, this sounds an awful lot like Ontario Place: an attraction that’s going to be unused for six months of the year. We’re particularly confused by Doug Ford’s assertion that “we’ve got to get this city booming.” Has he somehow missed out on the headlines about Toronto’s real estate market or the city’s placement on all sorts of international lists?
We can get over the Fords’ apparent disinterest in the city they’re leading, but there are also more substantial (read: financial) concerns about this move. If it’s not managed properly it has the real potential to be a big hit to city coffers, with property dumped on the market at fire-sale prices—exactly the problem that Waterfront Toronto was set up to prevent.
• Toronto Port Lands Company – Revitalization Opportunities for the Port Lands [Toronto.ca]
• City wants to seize port lands project [Toronto Star]
• Ford office aiming to take over Port Lands development [Globe and Mail]){kind=link}
More insanity from Ford and co. He knows he won’t be here for a second term so he’ll destroy as much as possible while he can. Let’s hope council stands up to him and does the right thing this time.
I’m almost tempted to move away so I don’t have to witness the Fords destroying all of this great city’s potential…
I think moving away might be a good idea for you, John Doe. The greatest waste to this city’s “potential” is that nothing EVER gets done. There is always another roadblock being put up by some city department or special interest group that we’re paying for instead of getting the job done. Someone needs to put our tax dollars towards things that would actually let this city realize its potential. That bonehead that preceeded Ford accomplished nothing worthwhile in 7 years – let’s give someone else a chance to succeed (or fail) instead of whining and moaning like your lot have been obsessed with since the day Torontonians chose Ford.
Yeah Zach – like Ford and his allies CANCELLING just as construction was about to begin the bridge with pedestrian footpath and bike lane from King West across the rail lands to Fort York, wasting millions of dollars and pretty much killing the entire project (which requires a bunch of approvals from metrolink, etc., which say next year will be too late as the raillink to the airport will be under construction). And before you say it’s just a bridge, remember that it was meant to link a busy neigbhourhood with the waterfront as well as celebrate our heritage and be a beautiful piece of architecture. I’ve had enough of this buffoon mayor already.
I recall someone else proposing construction of a large Ferris wheel in the city–I believe it was my 6-year old nephew.
Sarah, if he hadn’t cancelled that bridge you’d whine about something else. That’s what ‘you people’ do. I would have liked to have seen that bridge too. Unfortunately by massively increasing spending (so much so that he had to go get taxing powers) instead of acting responsibly, David Miller and his tax & spend crew gave the new mayor very little choice but to cancel it. Had Miller done a better job, Ford would be drafting a bridge opening speech. It sucks that cancellation cost us money but that is the price we pay for the previous regime’s misplaced priorities and bad judgment. Not unprecedented either. Remember what it cost us when Miller cancelled the island airport bridge?
Not sure if Toronto needs yet another mall…Perhaps we should stop selling off the city. I think that we need to build places where the community can get together, such as the equivalents of Italian piazzas – large pedestrian and streetcar only squares with cafes, fountains, gardens, art and shopping and hotels too. I am OK with the Ferris wheel, it’s kinda neat -however that area experiences very strong lakeside winds from time to time, so…
My daughter at 14 stated she was moving to New York. Because nothing ever gets done in Toronto she answered when I asked why. For instance all my life I’ve been hearing about the waterfront she continued. All of her life!
My daughter is now 21 and here we go again. Toronto is all about taxpayer fuelled discussions , plans , press releases , discussions , plans , press releases.
Decade after decade.