Developer pays $25 mil for Hogg’s Hollow spot

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A Toronto developer has purchased the Toronto Transit Commission parking lot at Yonge Street and York Mills Road to construct a seven-storey, 480,000-square-foot office, hotel and retail complex, with an expected completion date of 2018.

The $25 million transaction, which closed on Dec. 22, was between Build Toronto, the City of Toronto’s real estate and development corporation, and the Gupta Group/Easton’s Group.

“I am looking to clean up the area and bring some new life to it with people living and working there,” said Steve Gupta, founder of the development company.

A 330,000-square-foot office building will take up most of the 3.2 acre site. The $300 million project will also include a 120,000-square-foot hotel, either a Marriott or a Hilton, with 210 rooms and a rooftop lounge, and an upscale casual dining restaurant.

The hotel and restaurant are expected to create 300 jobs; the entire complex 1,000.

“I am looking to clean up the area and bring some new life to it.”

Gupta, who will move his own offices to the site, was drawn to the project due to its location, overlooking the Don River and Don Valley Golf Course with close proximity to Highway 401, the York Mills subway station and three hospitals —Sunnybrook, North York General and the Humber River Regional Hospital.

The density was also just right: “busy but less traffic than Yonge and Sheppard,” he said. An important employment node right on transit, we were committed to not let it become another residential condo development, said Bill Bryck, president and CEO of Build Toronto.

Gupta will reserve 1.18 acres of the site for conservation and move some of the 266-spot TTC parking lot underground, making room for a three-level parking lot to accommodate 350 cars.

“A piece of property sitting dormant since forever, this project is a perfect example of Toronto’s commitment to creating value from underutilized city properties,” said Coun. Michael Thompson, Build Toronto’s board director.

672 units proposed at Yonge and Eglinton

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Little is known about a recent development application filed for 1 Eglinton Ave. E. other than the proposed height of 68 storeys and 672 units.

But Coun. Josh Matlow already has predicted it will be met with strong opposition from the surrounding community. “The height, I can tell you already, is not acceptable,” said Matlow.

Even Matlow has not managed to find out more than what’s on the application. “This was very quietly put in by the developer,” he explained. “In most situations like this, developers will typically approach the councillor’s office to have a conversation. This was not done.”

The matter is made even more complicated by the recent retiring of city planner Tim Burkholder, who previously would have been in charge of the file.

“Tim was the one who would rush up to me and tell me what was going on,” said Matlow. “The planner who will be reviewing this is literally just moving into his office.”

“We will not support anything over 58.”

That planner is Giulio Cescato, who said he was not privy to pre-planning meetings and has not yet met the developer, who submitted the application under a numbered company name. Cescato is currently working on a preliminary report for the file.

“We will aim to have the report on the agenda as soon as possible to inform the community,” said Cescato, who could not provide a specific timeline but was adamant that the proceedings will be business as usual.

“A public meeting will be scheduled within the next two months and a preliminary report will be made to the public as soon as possible,” he said.

But Matlow said the developer, whoever it may be, is in for a fight, and the height is just one of the factors affecting that.

“The tallest [building in the area] is E Condos, at 58 storeys, approved,” said Matlow. “Their site was a lot larger, it’s set back significantly, so there’s going to be a lot of public realm at the northeast corner.”

There are also issues of timing and scheduling that may make construction difficult for those in the area. “There’s construction of the E Condos across the street, other condos nearby, along with the LRT construction,” Matlow said. He said he has recently met with ratepayers in the area to ensure that they will advocate for significant public realm to be incorporated into the 1 Eglinton Ave. E. development. Although he said he is willing to have all parties come to the table and work together, he says 68 storeys is out of the question. “We will not support anything over 58.”

Group of Seven sketches find a home

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10:23 am

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Ephry Merkur has been surrounded by art his entire life. His father was an art collector, his mother was an artist, and dinners with members of the Group of Seven were commonplace for him and his parents. But his parents’ home housed more than just memories of some of Canada’s most iconic artists. Unbeknownst to him, it also contained 10 original oil sketches by acclaimed Canadian artist James Edward Hervey MacDonald.

After creating the pieces early in his career, MacDonald and his son Thoreau buried them in the backyard of their Thornhill home, for safekeeping, where they remained for more than 40 years.

Through a stroke of fate, Thoreau’s house eventually caught the eye of commercial high-rise developer Max Merkur, in the ’70s. The topic of conversation changed from real estate to art as the two discussed the buried paintings, and Max decided to purchase them.

“The thing that Thoreau liked was that my dad didn’t resell any of the paintings; he just put them away. Thoreau wanted them preserved,” said Max’s son Ephry, 72.

“They just loved working with these people, and they were nice people.”

After his parents’ passing, Ephry contacted art curator Janet McNaught of Arctic Experience McNaught Gallery in Hamilton.

“They didn’t know the significance of them,” said McNaught. “I was very excited when I saw them but also a bit apprehensive about what the right thing to do was.”

That right thing ended up being a donation to the collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery.

“We are thrilled to have received these extraordinary paintings that are accompanied by such an incredible story,” said director Kathleen S. Bartel.

For Ephry Merkur, it’s the relationship between his parents and the artists that gives the collection sentimental value.

“They just loved working with these people, and they were nice people. They were all human beings — very, very wonderful human beings,” he said. “I’m just so delighted that people can enjoy the great art.”

Brown Group has consolidated property for a potential nine-storey development in Leaside

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9:52 am

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A company known as the Brown Group has consolidated property on the west side of Bayview Avenue, between Soudan Avenue and Hillsdale Avenue, and is planning to propose a nine-storey, mixed-use development for the site, to be submitted in January or February 2015.

The Davisville Village and Leaside communities heard from the developer about plans for the nine-storey building at a public pre-application meeting at Leaside Library in early December. The proposed building, designed by architect Harry Kohn, set to have a combination of at-grade retail, rental replacement suites and condos, will exceed the prescribed height limit and require changes to the official plan and residential nature of the area.

According to councillor Josh Matlow, neighbours at the meeting shared his view that the height was inappropriate for the location, and many were concerned about the precedent the proposal would set. “In particular, the guidelines try to limit the height of the building to the width of the road. For instance, Eglinton Avenue is 27 metres in most sections, which translates to a preferred height of nine storeys in portions not part of the [City of Toronto] Urban Growth Area near Yonge Street. Bayview Avenue is only 20.7 metres wide.” said Matlow.

“With a retail component at grade, the guidelines would prescribe about six total storeys on the proposed site.”

“There were some people who thought it was great, [and] some who thought it was too high,” said Brown Group owner Adam Brown. “[But] people were happy we came before an application was submitted.”

“There is an openness there to try and work with people,” said Greg Russell, board member of South Eglinton Ratepayers’ & Residents’ Association (SERRA), of the developer. But he expressed four main concerns the community has for the development — height, density, traffic and streetscape — and also spoke to the precedent mentioned by Matlow, stating that residents were primarily concerned about development height creep down Bayview as well as the traffic the retail component (approximately 13,000 square feet) would cause.

Post Interview: All the young punks

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Bruce McCulloch is a beloved honorary Torontonian thanks to his membership in legendary sketch comedy troupe Kids in the Hall. Originally from Edmonton, Alberta, McCulloch had some anger issues as an adolescent, which comedy eventually tempered. But, the memories and likely a few scars are still there, and McCulloch put them to good use with his one-man show Young Drunk Punk. It proved so successful that it has evolved into a new sitcom premiering this month on Citytv. Young Drunk Punk stars Tim Carlson and Atticus Mitchell, who “have recently graduated from high school and don’t quite feel that they belong.” The two rebellious teens engage in a quest of self-discovery. McCulloch is credited as the series creator, writer and executive producer. Young Drunk Punk premieres on Jan. 21.

You’ve been gone from Toronto for over a decade. What have you missed?
I was there for a month, last summer, doing an exploratory trip. I had a house that didn’t have any TV, and I just listened to CBC radio and realized we [Canadians] are different.… Toronto is really the city I fell in love with as a young punk, even before I did comedy.

So were you a happy young drunk or an angry young drunk?
I was an angry drunk child. I was a punk for a while before I found comedy, [and the show] sort of touches on that. Like a lot of people, I found comedy, and I kind of lost the anger and had some fun. We had a skit in Kids in the Hall called “Too Many Drunk Dads” because most of us had dads who liked the bottle.

And what was the big city, to you, growing up?
When I was growing up, I’d get a New Yorker magazine and I’d look at it like it was porn. And then there was a place called Toronto where the Viletones and the Demics were from and where the Damned played, and you could drink beer at 11 in the morning.

What are you hoping people take away from this project?
My work and all these things I’m working on right now — and probably everything I’ve ever done in terms of the Kids in the Hall or anything — is all about weird outsiders. Being a lost 18-year-old in 1980 or being a lost 18-year-old now is exactly the same thing. I still think the ungainly search for ourselves never changes.

How does that come out in your art?
I’ll relate that to the other characters in my show or in my book or whatever. Everyone I’m ever been interested in as a character is searching. They’re not a successful lawyer who takes no prisoners; they’re a person trying to figure it out.

Do you prefer it just being you out there trying to win over the audience?
No, but I mean there is a certain connection you have only in that arena, in that form, communicating with an audience. It is one of my first loves. I had a show running at the Tarragon all the time while Kids in the Hall was running and a little after, and I really like that: to communicate with an audience in a different way.

So what does it all mean, in the end?
Your life’s work is to understand yourself. Isn’t that what we all do all the time?

Restaurant Review: The Food Dudes’ Rasa

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lindsaylow

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3:45 pm

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toronto restaurant closings rasa — The Food Dudes' Rasa is temporarily closed

I would follow chef Matt Blondin pretty much anywhere. When he was at Acadia (RIP), his cooking was sublime beyond words. I was sad when he decamped for Momofuko Daishō but I knew it wouldn’t last because an artiste like him doesn’t do corporate. At least not for long. And he didn’t. Chef landed at the Food Dudes, which seems more his style. They have a large catering arm, a food truck and Food Dudes Pantry shop on Carlaw.

And now they have Rasa, a charming room (ex Momo) with much dark wood and clever dark scarred wooden tables. Chef’s relationship with the Dudes is interesting. Of the soon-to-open Junk resto on Dundas West, Blondin says: “That’s all me. I’ll be there every day.” On their site, the Dudes claim Junk. Of Rasa, which the Dudes opened in the summer, Blondin says: “I gave some help at the beginning for two months.” He says he now has nothing to do with Rasa.

Too bad. Because Rasa went from supernal at its inception to just kinda pleasant now. The menu is global and some of the food is still superb: On arrival they bring adorable warm pumpkin mini-muffins with a sizable dollop of salted caramel butter.

Image: CJ Baek

This sets the tone for dinner. It’s a high-fat experience. Which is fun — in the manner of very good bar food — but one feels somewhat … clogged. As in the po’ boy bites, which are a big fat deep-fried battered shrimp atop a buttery eggy squid ink brioche with artsy squiggles of yuzu aïoli and sweet ponzu sauce. And cheese steak — yes a Philly remake: This is a focaccia sandwich with thin-sliced beef tongue, provolone cheese, iceberg lettuce and a lot of garlicky aïoli. If it were one’s only meal of the day.…

I am a butterfat addict and a lifelong carnivore. If they had a 12-step program for foie gras I’d need it. But my feeling about fat is you better justify it with great taste. Which is not quite happening here. The sous-vide octopus, which is grilled to order, has mealy texture and its accompanying glazed pork belly is mostly fat. Goes good with the house-made potato chips. Apple and kale salad helps cut the grease, sort of.

When they’re on, it works like a charm. Truffle gnudi — potato-less gnocchi strewn with Portobello “soil” are utterly charming. The soil is tiny dots of intense Portobello. The gnudi are feathery. The mushrooms are beefy. And rich pesto knits it all together. This is cooking a la Matt Blondin.

Maybe they’re channeling his time with Momofuku with the cereal dessert. It’s like their milk bar. Crunchy chocolate, cookie-infused ice cream, macadamia “milk.” Not enough taste. Like the place: Good bones, needs focus.

Rasa, 196 Robert St., 647-350-8221
$85 dinner for two

Clarification: Adrian Niman is the executive chef at Rasa and Tyson Porcellato is their head chef. Chef Matt Blondin worked in the kitchen at Rasa for several weeks, soon after it opened last summer.

Junk is scheduled to open in late 2015 with Blondin as executive chef. It is co-owned by Blondin, Niman, and Food Dudes partner, Brent McClenahan.

Theatre: Personal experience inspires bold new play

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11:37 am

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Diane Flacks is a critically acclaimed Canadian writer and performer whose work spans the realms of theatre, TV, radio and fiction. Although Canadian audiences may recognize her work for its lightness, wit and comic frankness especially in her solo shows such as Bear With Me, Flacks is broaching a more difficult subject with her new two-act drama, Waiting Room, opening at the Tarragon Theatre on Jan 14.

The play, inspired by Flacks and her wife’s own experience dealing with their youngest son’s serious illness, is about life in the waiting room of a major children’s hospital, centering on the microcosm of six characters in critical situations who oscillate between hope and despair.

“Waiting Room began percolating as an idea almost seven years ago as I sat in a coccyx-crushing rocking chair in a neonatal intensive care unit with my baby son,” says Flacks.

“During our nine-month sojourn there and in the years to come, I could not have imagined the suffering I would witness or the deep humanity I’d encounter both from the medical staff and other parents. It speaks to tricky, often insoluble questions of humanity that both patients and doctors confront when they find themselves on the precipice of life and death and contemplate whether they should risk or refrain.”

Flacks was prompted to write the play because of the universality of the health care experience. It’s something everyone experiences at some point.

“Really, there is no one who gets out of this life without having a very intimate, difficult interaction with the medical system, and so I really wanted to speak to that,” she says.

In Waiting Room, Flacks weaves two storylines together: she introduces a couple dealing with their baby daughter’s brain tumour diagnosis and the roller coaster they ride through and two doctors’ who are involved in the treatment — Dr. Malloy, a “brilliant, gorgeous but arrogant neuro-oncologist who has terrible bedside manner” and Dr. Ayan, who, on the other hand, is “a compassionate carer.” The audience is left to contemplate their different views.

Flacks is known for her solo theatre shows and she has written and starred in several Canadian TV series and was nominated for a writing Emmy with The Kids in the Hall.

With Waiting Room, Flacks hopes that parents who are dealing with children in crises don’t beat themselves up, no matter how difficult the situation might be.

“You go over and over and over again how you’re reacting. Am I doing enough?” she explains. “And I wanted just to say it is so hard. Be easy on yourself, hang in there.’”

Facing life’s trials and tribulations with a helping of humour is Diane Flacks’s prescription: “because you can’t help it.” Having lived through her own trials, she still believes humour helps to deal with all the pain, stress and anguish.

Waiting Room, Jan. 14 to Feb. 5, www.tarragontheatre.com.

Comic Stripped: The Martin-izing of Canadian comedy

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Andrew Mannsbach

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Although it seems like every comedian has a new book out, the two that caught my eye, and have a serious Toronto connection, are Martin Short’s I Must Say and Andrea Martin’s Lady Parts.

I read the two books together because the authors’ lives and careers are as intertwined as the double helix of a DNA molecule, with the core their brilliant work on SCTV.

At one point the two friends were actually related. Short married actress Nancy Dolman, and Martin was married to Dolman’s brother Bob, a comedy writer. But their connection all began with the monumental Toronto production of Godspell.

Reading these two books, it’s impossible to underestimate the influence of the 1972 hippie musical on Toronto and later Canadian comedy.

Not only were the two cast in it but so was Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner and Dave Thomas. A few years later, they were all part of the early Second City troupe in Toronto, and the rest is history.

Both Short and Martin draw a similar portrait of Toronto in the early ’70s — that it was akin to Paris in the ’20s for a new breed of comedian that included John Candy and Dan Aykroyd. There was a comedy revolution in the city that would be felt for over 40 years.

I loved the way both books described a Toronto of basement apartments and cheap schnitzel dinners, of shaggy hair and threadbare bell-bottoms. Everyone was having too much fun struggling to notice the hard work.

Reading Martin Short’s book, you realize he is a truly happy fellow. He confounds all psychological theories about how comedy is rooted in pain and anger. Even though he loses his father, mother and an older brother while still in his teens, he sees the world in optimistic and radiant terms. While others complain miserably about showbiz, he revels in it.

His greatest thrills are meeting his idols, often those he imitated, such as Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. Short is an Old Hollywood kind of guy: a comedian but also a song and dance man who throws the best Christmas parties where stars sit around the piano and belt out old hits. He had a wife he adores, until their romance was snuffed out by her untimely death from cancer.

Andrea Martin approaches life more cautiously, and her book is more personal and more neurotic. There’s a strange absence of showbiz detail — her role in My Big Fat Greek Wedding is barely mentioned, and she doesn’t dish about the SCTV years until page 280. There’s a lot of material about her bulimia, her love life, or sometimes lack of it, and her complex relationship with her Armenian parents who owned a chain of restaurants in Maine.

It’s a courageous book by a performer who isn’t afraid to let you into a world that isn’t as blithe and effortless as you might think.

As their books draw to their respective ends, they each gravitate to their first love: the theatre. Both write and perform critically acclaimed solo shows for Broadway. Both win Tony Awards for their acting in big productions.

Short and Martin remind us that a theatre career isn’t dependent on how young you are or how hot your career might be. It’s based on talent because you can’t fake it. And they’ve both got a heap of it.

Post City Magazines’ humour columnist, Mark Breslin, is the founder of Yuk Yuk’s comedy clubs and the author of several books, including Control Freaked.

Bayview bridge reborn

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3:42 pm

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For almost 46 years, Ron Sidon has grown accustomed to the sight of the Bayview Pedestrian Bridge, having travelled under it more times than he can count. So when Sidon heard that the bridge would have to be redone and that donors were needed, he didn’t hesitate to contact his tennis friends at the Bayview Country Club. Soon enough, Joe Salek also stepped up, and the two made a generous donation to the project.

In 2011 the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) recognized the urgent need to revitalize the almost 60-year-old, dilapidated pedestrian bridge, which made it possible for blind or partially sighted CNIB clients and community members to safely cross a bustling Bayview Avenue.

It was 2013 when the issue came to Sidon’s attention, and it was Sidon and Salek’s donation, alongside funding from the federal government, that ultimately made the project possible.

“The obvious advantage to the local community is that it helps connect the east and west sides of Bayview,” said Sidon, “especially since the residential density in that area has increased considerably with the new condominiums on both sides. And of course the other major advantage is that it helps the visually impaired cross Bayview safely.”

But the main reason as to why he chose to get involved? “To inspire other members of the community to give back in whatever way they see fit” said Sidon — to rally the troops, so to speak. “Especially this time of year, if people can just think a little more about others, if they are able to contribute in some way, hopefully they will do that.”

A little over a year later, they have seen their good intentions come to fruition. “With the help of the federal government and myself and Ron Sidon, it’s mission accomplished,” said Salek. “And we are so glad.”

The new state-of-the-art bridge now has an elevator on the west side with Brailled buttons and audio accompaniment and other features throughout that will help ease the commute of many. Underneath the bridge is a sign with both of the donors’ names, meant to honour their generosity and contribution to the community for years to come.

Strength in community

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3:20 pm

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Community, suggests Ruth Cohen, is good medicine — maybe the best. And keeping people engaged, especially those most at risk of being cast aside from that community, is what keeps the whole intact and healthy.

In essence, that’s what earned her an enthusiastic nomination for the Bhayana Family Foundation Award from United Way. It might go without saying that it’s also what earned her the win.

Raised in Montreal, Cohen has been a tireless advocate for the elderly, something that’s garnered her a great deal of recognition through her work at the Bernard Betel Centre on Steeles Avenue West.

“Being in the service industry,” she said, laughing a bit at her own use of the words “service industry” to describe a life of service to others, “whether you’re serving seniors or teens or families, you’re not in it for the money.”

“You’re in it because it’s a vocation,” she continued, “a career. You’re in it because it’s what you want to do.”

What she wants to do, and seems to have done pretty well so far, is ensure that the elderly — often left on society’s fringes — get not just the care they deserve, but a sense of worth and active engagement in the world. Her philosophy of care through engagement is stunning in its simplicity, too. For example: “I’ve started a French conversation club,” she said. Cohen described cross-cultural gatherings — Iranian, Russian, Ukrainian — all together for one purpose: to speak French in each other’s company. The benefit of simply coming together and being engaged in a common community purpose like sharing a language, she said, makes a remarkable difference in lives.

Now a respected community leader and the head of recreation, education and special events at the Betel Centre, Cohen has been at the centre of it all, she said, working to create a dynamic, enriching atmosphere for the organization’s seniors.

“We do health activities and we do recreational activities and educational activities,” she said. To aid her work, she’s even learning her fifth language.

“The whole thing is about empowering seniors,” she added. “Because we’re all going to be there one day, right?”

Wilson-Avenue condo calls residents to action

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2:59 pm

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The Old Orchard Grove Residents Association (OOGRA) has been revitalized after a 17-storey condominium development at 228 Wilson Ave. spurred some concerns about possible intensification south of Wilson.

The 2013 rezoning of Wilson Avenue, which allows for more development between Avenue Road and Bathurst Street, came to residents’ attention during discussions concerning the new condominium. And for residents, an increase in development means an increase in traffic and congestion — something that is already an existing problem in the area.

“It is actually quite disheartening to see,” said Deborah Ylanko, a member of OOGRA’s board of directors.

The proposed building, which also includes four two-storey townhouses fronting Wilson, was recently approved by Toronto City Council under the condition that a working group would be established to ensure it would not cause any adverse effects to the low-density, residential neighbourhood nearby.

After being inactive for approximately seven years, the OOGRA, which covers the area from Avenue to Bathurst between Wilson and Lawrence Avenue West, was called into action. The group had a turnout of about 50 to 60 people at a Nov. 26 meeting and established a new board of directors.

“It is actually quite disheartening to see.”

Former councillor of Ward 16 Karen Stintz does not feel that the development is precedent setting for the south side because of its location and large lot size. However, according to Deborah Ylanko, Stintz did put forth a motion for a working group to be assembled before her term ended. New councillor Christin Greb is set to take it over.

“With respect to the project at 228 Wilson Ave., I will be forming a working group comprised of members from the local community. We will meet directly with the developer and with city planning experts,” said Christin Greb.“The working group will allow the community to provide their input on the site plan and on how they want the city to invest the Section 37 funds [payments to the community in exchange for increases in development height and density] that have been secured from the developer.”

The councillor will be seeking input from both the OOGRA and the South Armour Heights Residents’ Association.

According to John Anbreevski, City of Toronto senior planner for North York district, the working group will commence in early 2015.

Possibility of York Mills Walmart raises concerns

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2:45 pm

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For months, a development site at the corner of Lesmill Road and York Mills Road has sat untouched. In 2014, a building was razed and the site is currently being cleared of debris and prepared for construction of some sort. The big question is what sort.

If SmartCentres leasing material is any indication, a 90,000-square-foot Walmart will soon be proposed for the intersection — even beyond that, occupying much of the stretch between Lesmill Road and the rail line to the west.

Although the final concrete details won’t be made available until spring, SmartCentres, the group behind the idea, has a few key features already specified in published documentation. In one case, unique “upper level retail and service opportunities” are pointed out for the site, and other commercial functions, including that sprawling Walmart, remain key parts of the proposal.

If the development goes through as proposed, it would bring a massive influx of interest to the York Mills area, much of it in the form of traffic.

“I think the traffic will be a huge concern.”

To some area business proprietors, that’s a problem. “The density and the traffic, I think, are prime concerns,” said Ingrid Laderach Steven, owner of the nearby Swiss Master Chocolatier at Bayview Avenue and York Mills. “We already have huge traffic problems, and I think if you’re going to be putting in a development like that, it’s going to cause even more problems.” Further, this is doubly a problem in an area already saturated with development, she says.

Closer to the proposed site, businesses at the York Mills Gardens plaza, located at 808 York Mills Rd., might feel the effects even more. “This will definitely bring a huge traffic problem,” says Vince Piligra, store manager of the Longo’s directly adjacent to the development. “It’s already pretty congested as it is right now in this area. I think the traffic will be a huge concern.”

Final details on the proposed development are expected to be released this spring. SmartCentres declined to comment for this story.