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So much for Q1. The Ace Hotel is now looking to open in April with the first guests as soon as June 15, 2022.
HERE is promotional detail from Ace with a "special insiders rate". And HERE is their website. As things near the finish line, interest will increase with articles such as these: Exclusive first look inside Ace Hotel Toronto • Hotel Designs Toronto's long-awaited boutique luxury hotel will welcome first guests this year (blogto.com)
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I was privileged to meet the new General Manager, Lyle Pauls, and Director of Sales, Ashley Arvai, a few weeks ago. Since then I have learned:
Valerie  I live across the street from the hotel and have a great view of construction from my windows. I watched in utter amazement last week when the bricklayers were executing this beautiful brickwork around the main entrance. I can now see inside the foyer so it begins to look like a real hotel.   Things have been very slow since the pandemic and, at the moment, there is no activity at all. They are still targeting a 2021 opening.
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Reference:
urbantoronto.ca/news/2018/05/51-camden-boutique-hotel-soon-rise-above-grade
urbantoronto.ca/news/2018/08/structural-expression-evident-51-camden-reaches-grade
urbantoronto.ca/news/2018/05/51-camden-boutique-hotel-soon-rise-above-grade
urbantoronto.ca/news/2018/08/structural-expression-evident-51-camden-reaches-grade
Valerie Eggertson, Secretary, GDNA
The GDNA sub-committee dealing with development at 51 Camden Street (for the Ace Hotel) met with the construction team for Alterra on August 18th. Construction will begin shortly.
The shoring phase will begin in October. Fencing (hoarding) will be erected around the perimeter, on the property line, with an opening on the diagonal at the corner of Camden and Brant to permit truck entry to the property. Flagmen will be on duty to ensure that traffic and pedestrians move through that intersection safely. Alterra has determined that large trucks will need to approach from Brant Street since the turn at Spadina and Camden is too tight. There will be a secondary opening at the north-east corner of the property but that will be used for smaller vehicles which are capable of making that tight turn onto Camden.
Excavation will follow in January, possibly February. At that time the sidewalk on the east side of Brant Street will be covered with a pedestrian walkway. On the south side of Camden Street, the existing sidewalk will be assimilated into the construction site and another covered pedestrian walkway will be extended into the street … resulting in a loss of the current traffic lane. However, parking will be prohibited on the north side of the street to allow for a normal vehicular flow.
These changes will be considered at Toronto and East York Community Council on September 7 … the notice is available here, a diagram is available here.
Once activity begins at this site, the Site Manager and two others will be on site on workdays. Work will probably start at 7am and continue until 3 or 4pm on most days. There may be the need for an occasional late day or Saturday (when work will begin after 9am per the City bylaws). A 24-hour phone number will be posted at the site but will also be found here when it is made available to us.
Understandably the sub-committee team raised concerns about mud tracking, idling trucks, waiting construction vehicles parked/stopped on Brant Street, and the potential for increased street parking caused by workers at the site. Assurances were given and these concerns will, of course, be monitored. One raised issue was resolved within the week: it was anticipated that construction hoarding would reduce visibility to traffic turning from Camden to Brant so Alterra erected a convex mirror to facilitate safe turns (per the image below).
Alterra is facing a tight schedule as it needs to finish construction by April 2018 in order for the owners to prepare the site for commercial activity (rumour has it TIFF activity) by the fall.
The shoring phase will begin in October. Fencing (hoarding) will be erected around the perimeter, on the property line, with an opening on the diagonal at the corner of Camden and Brant to permit truck entry to the property. Flagmen will be on duty to ensure that traffic and pedestrians move through that intersection safely. Alterra has determined that large trucks will need to approach from Brant Street since the turn at Spadina and Camden is too tight. There will be a secondary opening at the north-east corner of the property but that will be used for smaller vehicles which are capable of making that tight turn onto Camden.
Excavation will follow in January, possibly February. At that time the sidewalk on the east side of Brant Street will be covered with a pedestrian walkway. On the south side of Camden Street, the existing sidewalk will be assimilated into the construction site and another covered pedestrian walkway will be extended into the street … resulting in a loss of the current traffic lane. However, parking will be prohibited on the north side of the street to allow for a normal vehicular flow.
These changes will be considered at Toronto and East York Community Council on September 7 … the notice is available here, a diagram is available here.
Once activity begins at this site, the Site Manager and two others will be on site on workdays. Work will probably start at 7am and continue until 3 or 4pm on most days. There may be the need for an occasional late day or Saturday (when work will begin after 9am per the City bylaws). A 24-hour phone number will be posted at the site but will also be found here when it is made available to us.
Understandably the sub-committee team raised concerns about mud tracking, idling trucks, waiting construction vehicles parked/stopped on Brant Street, and the potential for increased street parking caused by workers at the site. Assurances were given and these concerns will, of course, be monitored. One raised issue was resolved within the week: it was anticipated that construction hoarding would reduce visibility to traffic turning from Camden to Brant so Alterra erected a convex mirror to facilitate safe turns (per the image below).
Alterra is facing a tight schedule as it needs to finish construction by April 2018 in order for the owners to prepare the site for commercial activity (rumour has it TIFF activity) by the fall.
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Below is a link to the report that will be considered at the Toronto and East York Community Council meeting on June 14, 2016. Be sure to request an opportunity to speak at the meeting or to submit your written comments by referencing these instructions.
Summary
The applicant proposes to amend the Zoning By-law to permit the construction of a 13-storey (49.8 metres, including mechanical penthouse) hotel development at 49 to 51 Camden Street. The proposal includes 130 hotel suites, a lower-level restaurant, a hotel lobby, a gymnasium, hotel-related meeting rooms, and a penthouse lounge. The total gross floor area proposed is 7,918 square metres. No vehicular parking spaces and 39 bicycle parking spaces are proposed.
City Planning Staff have reviewed the application against applicable policies and guidelines and do not believe that in its current form the application conforms to the Official Plan policies. City Planning Staff require modifications to the proposed built form, and the applicant is in agreement with these modifications.
The report reviews and recommends approval of the Zoning By-Law Amendment application with revisions to the proposed built form as outlined in this report and reflected in the attached draft zoning by-laws. This approval is also subject to a number of conditions as detailed in the recommendations.
Detail
http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2016/te/bgrd/backgroundfile-93661.pdf
Summary
The applicant proposes to amend the Zoning By-law to permit the construction of a 13-storey (49.8 metres, including mechanical penthouse) hotel development at 49 to 51 Camden Street. The proposal includes 130 hotel suites, a lower-level restaurant, a hotel lobby, a gymnasium, hotel-related meeting rooms, and a penthouse lounge. The total gross floor area proposed is 7,918 square metres. No vehicular parking spaces and 39 bicycle parking spaces are proposed.
City Planning Staff have reviewed the application against applicable policies and guidelines and do not believe that in its current form the application conforms to the Official Plan policies. City Planning Staff require modifications to the proposed built form, and the applicant is in agreement with these modifications.
The report reviews and recommends approval of the Zoning By-Law Amendment application with revisions to the proposed built form as outlined in this report and reflected in the attached draft zoning by-laws. This approval is also subject to a number of conditions as detailed in the recommendations.
Detail
http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2016/te/bgrd/backgroundfile-93661.pdf
A public meeting concerning the re-zoning application for the "Ace Hotel" development at 51 Camden Street.
Date: Tuesday June 14, 2016
Time: 10am or as soon as possible thereafter
Place: Committee Room 1, 2nd floor, City Hall, 100 Queen Street West
Options for involvement are:
City Clerk contact details can be accessed HERE.
Date: Tuesday June 14, 2016
Time: 10am or as soon as possible thereafter
Place: Committee Room 1, 2nd floor, City Hall, 100 Queen Street West
Options for involvement are:
- attendance at the meeting
- written comments to the City Clerk by post or email
- verbal comments at the meeting ... inform the City Clerk by noon on June 13th to be placed on the speaker's list
City Clerk contact details can be accessed HERE.
