Urban Planning

CEMENTING OUR FUTURE Ensuring industry and jobs have a home on 's waterfront. By Michøel Krøljevic a I anv Tolontonians are often Pinewood Toronto Studios, and Essroc Street and Unwin Avenue that would permit l\ /¡ surorised to learn that the Cernent Corp, Located minutes from the concrete companies like Essroc, Lafar$e, consolidate their IYI Toront-o remaln a downtown core and nearby transit and Metrix, and St. Mary's to longer- functioning potl atea and will continüe to highway access, the Port Lands make for' operations. This strateSy enables house industrial tenants. Situated on the an ideal location for industrial, commercial, term leases to be established with all similar northwest shore of , the Port and residential mixed-use development cement users in one clearly defined area. prime Lands are an extensive industrial area of opportunities. Relocating heavy industry opens up allowing 988 acres (400 hectares) of reclaimed land The majorìty ofPort Lands are considered property of contaminated sites, located south of blownfielcls, which TPLC leco$nizes as a TPLC to clean up and develoP these and the Keating Channel/. Its parcel of underutilized land that is, or could lands. These projects help to stimulate largest landowner is the Toronto Port be, contaminated by industrial activities. economic development opportunities and Lands Lands Company (TPLC), Toronto's urban TPLC has partnered with the Ministry of increased employment in the Port in turn development corporation. Environment (MOE) and the City of Toronto for the construction industry, which This area-ridn in development to address the contaminated propelties and provides economic benefits to the City of opportunity-is bounded by the Tolonto make them safe for future use. Although Toronto. and Inner Harbour to the west, Ashbridges Bay TPLC is the environmental steward in the In its continuing effort to relocate jobs to the east, and Lake Ontalio to the south. Port Lands, all l:rownfield redevelopment move businesses as a meâlLs of retaining TPLC Since 1917, these lands, reclaimed from Lake is regulated by the MOE. Consequently, and creating economic efficiencies, move Ontario, were used for a number of heavy environmental stewardship is a key prioliry has recently completed a signif,rcant cement industrial activities, such as bulk aSSre$ate, for TPLC as it continues to redevelop the area of long-time tenant Essroc's main storâge, oi1 refining and blending, lumber', through its numerous reclamation activities. terminal to the Eastern Port Lands. "TPLC in and other manufacturing uses. The Port ln facT, the corporation has restored more continues to Êeîetate much neededjobs Lands are designated as a Re$eneration than 130 acres ofblownfield lands back to the City Toronto and the Essroc relocation Area and are part of Toronto's long-term productive use since 2009. One key example is a prime example of how our CitY growth," vision for lhe area to become a broad mix is East Port's industrial area, aptly dubbed corporations geîeraIe economic of commercial, residential, light industrial, the "Concrete Campus." noted Denzil Minnan-Won$, deputy mayor parks, and institutional uses. of the City of Toronto. Concrete Campua in Currently, TPLC manages more than 100 Construction on this projecT started years, long-term leases in a prime area. Matquee In 2004, Toronto city council approved 2073, and for more than three TPLC tenants include CORUS Entertainment, a rezoring application at Commissioners worked closely with Essroc to assist with the

renewcanad'a,net 34 ReNew Çanada March/April 2015 Urban Planningl I I

relocation of its tet'minal from its original site at Chelry Street to its new location just nol'th of the ship channel in tl-re Easter.n Por.t TPLC Faets Lands at 575 Commissionels Street. TPLC also wor.ked closely with Quiek the Toronto Port Authority and.Waterfront Toronto to complete this Number of Employêesi 20 significant multi-rnillion dollal pr.oject. This collaboration helped to r put into opelation one of Essroc's telrninals in the fall of 2074. Manages more than 80 tenants "Essroc's continued conlmitment to the City of Toronto and the . Manages more than 100 long- Property and short-term leases GTA is now fully realtzed with the opeuingl of oul new cemellt Management terminal," said Blian Costenì:adel, VP of logistics at Essr.oc. ,,The r Operates rail and manages dock wall berthing Toronto Port Lands Company is a key partner iu helping f,r.ow our business." r Holds close to S0.5 billion The decision to keep Essroc Canada in the port area, where it is ¡ Largest land owner; owns and manages close to high-rise projects using conclete fol construction, achieves Land Asssts close to 988 acres in the Port Lands a numbel of city initiatives, such as minimizing commercial truck r 0wns 23 propertles in leasable buildings traffic on roads, which reduces tlaffic congestion and road wear. and tear. The result is better overall selvice for the Greater Toronto ô Supports more than 4,000 jobs Area's construction industry. Envitonmentally, a key benefrt is the Economlc through its tenants reduction of greenhouse gases as truck tlaffic is decreased for more lmpact ¡ Provided 557.7 million in distributions to efficient use. c¡ty programs and agencies since 2009 The Essroc move is just one of many projects 1ed by TPLC in the urban-development strategy intended to genetate economic growth bl¡t.¡rttllshed. in I tì3$, the Toronto Port Lands Company (TPLC) through a mix of industry, commercial, and residential expansions is who11y owned by and wolks closeþ with the City of Toronto to alongi the Toronto Port Lands. + accelerate econornic growth and job creation in association with a number of public and private sector partnets. Through its leasing, deveiopment, brown-field reclamation, and land management activities, Michael Ktaljevic is the president and TPLC flnances its own operations while funding other operations and CEO of Toronto Pott Lands Cotnpany. is able to deliver a financial dir.idend back to the city, II2jI2,-IPLC provided the City of Toronto with a $4O-trillion special dividend. *

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Visit \,vww.cbot.ca/Wh yC I a ríngton ancl clisco\/cìr wlly Clarington is your perfect Jìt. Clarington ;:i'åïJì''ÉHlinT.,n.ou L1c , N3 Board ofTrade and Offrce of Economìc Development 9O5-623-3t06 . [email protected] . www.cbt.ca reilewcail,ada net March/Aprìl 2015 ReNew Canada 35