Exactly three years after the great concrete pour at Alma College, preparatory is underway for what will prove to be another record-breaking event.
On June 27, 2020, close to 3,000 cubic metres of concrete was poured for the footings for Phase 1 of the three-tower residential complex at 96 Moore Street known as Alma College Square.
Adam Morris of Sierra Contracting confirmed it was a record-setting pour by quite a margin, involving just under 300 truckloads of concrete in a single day.
The eight-storey building with 156 units has been well received and so the concrete pour for the nine-storey second tower adjacent to the ravine is expected to require close to 4,000 cubic metres of concrete when undertaken this fall.
We talked at length this week with Michael Loewith of Patriot Properties, the project developer, about moving on to what will be the tallest tower on the 11-acre site of the former Alma College.
We opened the conversation by acknowledging the success of the first stage of the development, located on the footprint of the former music building at Alma.
“The greatest thing about the building is the people who are in it. There is just a wonderful community within the building.
“There are so many activities, card tournaments, pot-lucks and happy hours. The people have really come together and made the building a real community.
“Our goal was to start this second building exactly right now, so we’re right on schedule. And this schedule is five years old. We wanted to have the first building up and going for a year before we started the second building and, thank goodness, everything worked out as far as the level of occupancy.
“And the plan would be the same for the third building.”
The second building is scheduled for 167 units while the third tower – the smallest at seven stories – is expected to house 108 units.
There will be some differences in the nine-storey building, explains Loewith.
“We’ve got a bit of a different unit configuration. We have some larger units and we also have some smaller units.
“The most popular unit that we had in our Phase 1 building, we have a lot of those. They were super, super popular. We’ve replicated those and introduced an even larger unit.”
The initial tower has amenities like a gym, a car wash and a workshop and they will all be included in the next building.
However, it will include a feature geared to the working world of today.
“We’re also putting in a co-working space. Those who work at home and want more of a professional-type room to work from. There will be a private boardroom people can use and lots of different desks all wired with the internet.”
Alma College amphitheatre, 1931. Photo courtesy Elgin County Archives.
We directed the conversation over to the heritage features that will be part of the Alma College Square community.
“The amphitheatre is scheduled for the end of Phase 2,” confirmed Loewith. “So that is actually part of the Phase 2 development.
“And then the heritage forecourt and the commemorative spire that will be partially built on top of the (underground) parking garage for the Phase 3 building.”
The tentative occupancy date for the second Phase is the fall of 2025.
“We’ve had a lot of people approach us who have friends in the first building and they’ve said we’re not ready to downsize just yet, but we’re excited about the second building in two, three or four years.
“We haven’t opened up our registration lists just yet, but I expect we will probably do that this fall.”
And, talk about attention to detail, Loewith takes it right down to ground level.
“I have been walking around the lot for the second building, trying to figure out exactly where each unit is going to be and what the views are going to be like out of each window.
“Over the last month, I have been pegging that out. It’s going to be a pretty special place.”
“You see it all on a piece of paper, but at the end of the day, the people who live in those spaces have to love those spaces. But, it’s years before you actually find out if they will or not.”
Given the scope of the entire project which is expected to take a decade to complete, we asked Loewith, now that work is underway on Phase 2, how it feels to take what was once a dream on paper and is now a living community.
“With the first building, they were unique floor plans. We created those floor plans ourselves. It was never I saw this floor plan in another building and I liked it.
“So that was the most incredible feeling, walking into a unit that I had looked at for years and years before but just on paper. To actually walk through the units and look out the windows, it’s really a phenomenal feeling.
“We’re going to do that using a QR code so anybody walking around the property can scan the code and then hear an actual recording of an Alma College alumnae.”
“It’s all on paper and you think it’s going to be good. Even more so when people move into those units and they say how liveable they are. That’s really what brings it all together.
“You see it all on a piece of paper, but at the end of the day, the people who live in those spaces have to love those spaces. But, it’s years before you actually find out if they will or not.”
To enhance the property and pay homage to Alma College, Loewith plans to erect information panels throughout the property.
And a truly ambitious undertaking would involve recording the personal stories of Alma alumnae.
“We’re going to do that using a QR code so anybody walking around the property can scan the code and then hear an actual recording of an Alma College alumnae.”
Talk about living history.
In 1877, the Ontario Government granted a charter for the establishment of the St. Thomas Ladies College. The school was later renamed to honour the late Alma Munroe, wife of Sheriff Colin Munroe, and their daughter Alma.
Originally designed for 100 students, the school expanded to accommodate an influx of students attracted by its foremost reputation. In 1925, the school became formally associated with the University of Western Ontario. Recognized internationally, students hailed from the Caribbean, Europe, Bermuda, South America, Japan, and across North America.
During the Second World War, students and teachers of St. Hilda’s Anglican College in Whitby, Yorkshire, England relocated to the school for safety from German bombardment. Notable graduates include Sarah A. Wintemute, Canadian Missionary; Eva Brook Donly, a Canadian painter; and Carolyn Curtis, artist.
DOWNTOWN ALLEY PROPOSAL HITS ROADBLOCK
A plan to close a downtown lane to create a cultural space appears to have hit a dead end.
If you remember at the May 8 meeting of city council, C.J. Allen, on behalf of Good Vibes Community Association (GVCA), sought council’s permission to close the laneway that connects the city hall parking lot to St. Catharine Street.
The closure would be in effect from May 19 through to Sept. 9 and allow for pedestrian access to the Talbot Street businesses with rear entrances.
It would also allow for the creation of a cultural space during the summer months that could include an outdoor patio or bistro with live music; permit space for a food truck on Fridays and Saturdays; make a space available for artisan vendors to sell their products Saturday afternoons; live mural painting at the same time; and other cultural activities and programming to be determined.
Council requested a report from city staff and at Monday’s (June 5) meeting, the recommendation is for members to deny the request.
“Staff appreciate the GVCA idea of creating an arts and culture space, but due to the impacts listed above, staff recommend not authorizing the lane closure.”
The report from Matthew Vriens, Manager of Roads and Transportation, advises “There are nine properties along this lane, some properties access from the lane for deliveries and some have access from the lane to private parking. Limiting access to parking would force businesses to look for parking elsewhere.”
Furthermore, the city’s fire service “suggested it is best to have 24-7 uninterrupted access to the lane for hoses and firefighters to access the rear of all the Talbot buildings.”
And the city’s waste contractor, Green for Life, needs access Tuesday morning and Friday afternoon for garbage pickup.
Vriens concludes, “Staff appreciate the GVCA idea of creating an arts and culture space, but due to the impacts listed above, staff recommend not authorizing the lane closure. As an alternative, GVCA could engage with city tourism to explore other ideas around the city.”
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BACKYARD HEN PILOT PROJECT IN JEOPARDY
It would appear the potential threat posed by avian flu is about to put a backyard hen pilot project on the back burner.
Back in April, city council directed staff to prepare a report dealing with the keeping of backyard hens and it is before members at Monday’s (June 5) meeting.
Jim McCoomb, manager of planning services is recommending the pilot project be deferred for a year “pending more information on the emerging concern of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and the potential for considerable costs and resource impacts required to safely administer a city-wide program.
In part, the recommendation is based on Toronto city council pausing its pilot project, in place since 2018 for the above reasons.
McCoomb notes, “the current (animal) shelter and the proposed new facility at the Doug Tarry Complex are not set up to handle chickens in the event that birds need to be confiscated or impounded due to abuse or sickness. Shelter staff are also not equipped to handle hens that may be infected with HPAI.”
He also cites the lack of trained vets in the area who focus on poultry medicine.
McCoomb advises there are “only 2 practicing vets locally, in London and Tillsonburg, that specialize in food animals including small flock chickens.
“Due to this limited availability of veterinarians accredited to care for hens in the city, the lack of access to a veterinarian to advise persons who have backyard hens on control for HPAI and other health risks is of concern.”
Ultimately it will be council’s decision on Monday, however, it would appear the pilot project will be grounded for at least a year.
It will be up to the proponents of raising backyard chickens to present their case again at that time with a focus on what McCoomb has presented in this report.
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BRITTANY MAKES GOOD ON HER PROMISE
After winning the Premier Hockey Federation’s Isobel Cup with the Toronto Six at the end of March, myFM asked St. Thomas native Brittany Howard when she planned to bring the trophy to the city.
Howard enthusiastically responded, “It’s gotta come home. It’s gotta come to St. Thomas and it definitely has to go to the Joe Thornton Community Centre.”
Toronto is the first Canadian women’s professional hockey team to win the PHF championship and area residents will get a chance to see the cup beginning tomorrow (Sunday, June 4).
Howard will be at the Joe Thornton Community Centre from 2 until 3 p.m. and fans are invited to drop by for photos and to speak with her.
Brittany Howard and the Isobel Cup will also be at the following venues:
Sunday, June 4 from 4 – 5 p.m. at the East Elgin Community Centre, Aylmer.
Monday, June 5 from 9:30 until noon at Parkside Collegiate Institute, in the afternoon at Arthur Voaden Secondary School and then at 5 p.m. at city hall for the council meeting.
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