Pan Am legacy
Venues will be communities,
Starting next week, the GTA will play host to the 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games.
It’s fair to say that almost everyone in south-central Ontario knows that.
But here’s something not many people will think about or realize: many of the venues where athletic records will be broken and medals won were built as legacy facilities to be enjoyed long after the Games are over.
One such venue is the state-of-theart cycling facility in Milton, which was completed earlier this year. The site for cycling events during the Games, the velodrome is one of just two internationally-sanctioned velodromes in Canada. After the Games, the Mattamy National Cycling Centre will be used as a training facility for cyclists, as well as a recreational facility for the community.
What you may not know is that a considerable portion of funding for the $56-million velodrome came from development charges, which were paid by new-home buyers in the town of Milton as part of the price of their new homes. In addition, BILD member Mattamy Homes provided $2 million in a naming rights sponsorship, while the company founder and avid cyclist Peter Gilgan donated $7 million to the project through his foundation.
One of the most important sites during the Games will be the athletes’ village, which will be a home away from home for 10,000 athletes, coaches and officials. Located near the waterfront in the evolving east side of downtown Toronto, it features numerous buildings and amenities. During the Games, it will be provide a complete community for athletes to live, train and have fun when not competing. After the Games, the village will be part of the new Canary District, a community where people will live, work, shop and play. Developed by BILD member Dundee Kilmer, the Canary District was last year awarded our Places to Grow High-Rise Community of the Year accolade: part of BILD’s annual industry awards program recognizing community developments that best exemplify Ontario’s smartgrowth policy objectives.
In addition to serving as the athletes’ village during the Games, the Canary District development is transforming a brownfield site into a highly walkable, sustainable, welldesigned community that will fea- ture a range of housing and services for people at all stages of life and income levels.
Most of the buildings that will house athletes during the Games were designed and built as the first phase of the Canary District. They will be complemented by a second phase of condominium residences in the near future.
The residential component of the development features a mix of smaller, more-efficient condominium suites to preserve density. The suites are configured around courtyards, which results in shallower, wider homes to maximize residents’ access to daylight, fresh air, views and to the outdoors.
During the Games, the village will feature special dining facilities to feed hungry athletes. After the Games, the Canary District community will feature lively street-level retail and dining options for everyone to enjoy.
The Places to Grow Community of the Year is just one of many awards our association presents to recognize excellence in design, construction, sustainability and marketing. Check out this year’s winners by visiting bildawards.com. Bryan Tuckey is president and CEO of the Building Industry and Land Development Association and a land-use planner who has worked for municipal, regional and provincial governments. Follow him at @bildgta, facebook.com/ bildgta, and bildblogs.ca.