Close X
Saturday, November 30, 2024
ADVT 
National

Pan Am Athletes Village Needs Months Of Work Before New Owners Move In

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 08 Sep, 2015 10:46 AM
    TORONTO — Competitors in the summer's Pan Am and Parapan Am Games left the athletes village weeks ago, but it will be months before residents of the new downtown Toronto neighbourhood can move in.
     
    Pan Am crews are still tearing down temporary structures and removing 220,000 pieces of furniture and fixtures from the complex, which will then be turned over to Infrastructure Ontario and developer Dundee Kilmer at the end of the month.
     
    A spokeswoman for the Crown corporation says the units must then be converted into the condos, affordable housing units, commercial spaces and dorm rooms that make up the mixed-use development.
     
    Mandy Downes says only basic units were prepared for the athletes, with temporary walls serving as partitions to allow more people to stay in each unit.
     
    She says some spaces — such as the future YMCA facility and the George Brown College residences — may need less work.
     
    All units must be ready for their new owners by next spring and the cost of the conversion is included in the $514 million construction contract for the village.
     
    "When you look at it from the exterior, it looks like a perfect community, move-in ready," Downes said. "But really, there is quite a lot of conversion that needs to take place to make it liveable for the legacy owners."
     
    "There's no kitchens in any of the units right now because athletes and coaches and officials don't need kitchens for Games-time use, they have the dining hall," she said. "And so all of the kitchens will need to be installed in the market condos and all of the affordable housing rental buildings."
     
    The complex, dubbed the Canary District, contains 810 condos and townhouses ranging in price from the low $200,000s to $800,000.
     
    So far, 75 per cent have been sold, said Jason Lester, president of Dundee Kilmer.
     
    Another 253 units are set aside for affordable rentals, and an eight-storey building will house up to 500 George Brown students.
     
    Seven businesses, including a coffee shop, a spa, a gym and several restaurants, have already confirmed they will move into the retail space.
     
    The conversion is expected to be complete by the end of March, with owners and tenants moving in the following month.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Wrongfully Convicted B.C. Man's Daughter Tells Of Toll Taken On Family

    VANCOUVER — The daughter of a wrongfully convicted British Columbia man says she never believed her father was guilty of the sexual assaults that sent him to prison for 27 years.

    Wrongfully Convicted B.C. Man's Daughter Tells Of Toll Taken On Family

    Ludhiana To Toronto: How Indo-Canadian Whizkid Asdhir Bhim Scripted Super Success Story In Canada

    Ludhiana To Toronto: How Indo-Canadian Whizkid Asdhir Bhim Scripted Super Success Story In Canada
    Asdhir, whose family comes from Ludhiana in Punjab, is the founder of Excel Funds which was Canada's best performing mutual fund last year.

    Ludhiana To Toronto: How Indo-Canadian Whizkid Asdhir Bhim Scripted Super Success Story In Canada

    New B.C. Curriculum Fosters Student Passion Through Projects, Flexible Learning

    New B.C. Curriculum Fosters Student Passion Through Projects, Flexible Learning
    The B.C. government says a new curriculum is being launched, and the first phase of a three-year transition begins this fall for students in kindergarten to Grade 9.

    New B.C. Curriculum Fosters Student Passion Through Projects, Flexible Learning

    RCMP Say Forensic Tests To Identify Human Remains Found Outside Yellowknife

    RCMP Say Forensic Tests To Identify Human Remains Found Outside Yellowknife
    A Japanese tourist was last seen Oct. 22 walking along a highway north of the city and hotel staff reported her missing after she failed to check out of her room.

    RCMP Say Forensic Tests To Identify Human Remains Found Outside Yellowknife

    Engineer Called To Inspect Unstable Antenna On Top Of Toronto's Trump Tower

    Engineer Called To Inspect Unstable Antenna On Top Of Toronto's Trump Tower
    Police have closed off the area around the Trump International Hotel and Tower Toronto because of an unstable antenna on top of the building.

    Engineer Called To Inspect Unstable Antenna On Top Of Toronto's Trump Tower

    StatsCan Report Shows Canada In Recession In First Half Of 2015

    StatsCan Report Shows Canada In Recession In First Half Of 2015
    Canada's gross domestic product shrank 0.5 per cent on an annualized basis, somewhat less than estimates of a 1.0 per cent decline.

    StatsCan Report Shows Canada In Recession In First Half Of 2015