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What Is Project Symphony?

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A few weeks ago Christopher Hume wrote a piece in the Star about “Project Symphony,” a development planned for the foot of Jarvis Street:

A showdown is looming on the waterfront. At stake is nothing less than the look, feel and form of future development along Lake Ontario. No one can say how it will end, but already there are deep concerns about whether waterfront regeneration will live up to expectations.

The story starts — as it so often does in this part of town — with TEDCO (the Toronto Economic Development Corp.). The municipal agency has never bought into the vision of the Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corp. and has devoted enormous resources to fighting the TWRC, at one point hiring local architect Jack Diamond to prepare a parallel precinct plan for the area known as the East Bayfront.

Now it has turned once again to Diamond’s firm, Diamond and Schmitt Architects, to design a building on land TEDCO controls at the foot of Jarvis St.

Though no one will say who the tenant is, it will bring much-wanted knowledge workers to the waterfront. The bad news is the building in which they will work. Given that it will be one of the first buildings constructed in the name of waterfront revitalization, it has to set a high standard. The general consensus, however, is that it doesn’t.

Tomorrow night in the Rotunda of Metro Hall , TEDCO and Councillor Pam McConnell are hosting a Community Meeting about the proposed development. “The public is invited to this meeting to review and provide feedback on the design concept proposed for the building, as well as the vision for how the building and surrounding open space interact with the public. “

Here’s hoping that the design and purpose of this building take into account the incredible importance of this new waterfront development. I recently wrote about the importance of establishing strong destinations on the waterfront, and this represents a glorious opportunity to work towards that goal.

Implementing Waterfront Plans
Proposed Commercial Development in East Bayfront

Tuesday, March 27, 2007
7:00-9:30 p.m.
Metro Hall Rotunda
55 John Street, Toronto

Image by West 8.

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6 comments

  1. IBM has a “Project Symphony”

    Might these “knowledge workers” be IBM ?

    D.

  3. wouldn’t it be great if someone was providing info on *why* the project doesn’t meet a high standard of design? how about plans, elevations, renderings? i googled the project, which led only to a few confused blog posts. i checked out the diamond & schmitt architects website (www.dsai.ca) and found no mention of it at all. nothing on the tedco site either. documents from towaterfront.ca suggest that this project has been presented at a pair of design review meetings in the past 6 weeks, so why is the information not out there?

    http://www.towaterfront.ca/dbdocs//45cb7d2d77237.pdf
    http://www.towaterfront.ca/dbdocs//4600404291ff8.pdf

  4. I’m not trying to defend TEDCO, but they haven’t unveiled the plans yet which is why there is no info out there.

  5. ok, fair enough. when do the plans get unveiled? after the meeting tonight? it just seems ridiculous for media outlets to be reporting on this story when they have nothing more to offer than the opinions of various in-the-know movers & shakers with absolutely no facts that allow us to make up our minds for ourselves.

  6. jeeff

    The public’s input is not required in this City.

    See: budget 2007 (one day, depending on when they get around to it)
    See: the street furniture review (http://www.eyeweekly.com/daily/?p=115) – ““Public feedback to renderings will not be used in the evaluation of proposals.”