City approves redevelopment of coach bus terminal in downtown Toronto
THE GREEN LINE
DOCUMENTERS NOTES
City approves redevelopment of coach bus terminal in downtown Toronto
CreateTO, the city’s real estate manager, approved a plan to redevelop the former coach bus station on 610 Bay St. and 130 Elizabeth St. into a mixed-use site with affordable housing, a Paramedics MultiHub, and community-focused services.
Former coach bus terminal on 130 Elizabeth St. will be developed into a mixed-use building.
: Holden Karau/Flickr.
Karen Chan
A Chinatown-based artist, graduate of University of British Columbia and a bunny mom. She is interested in storytelling to build community.
Oct. 30, 2024
These city meeting notes are part of Documenters Canada. Learn more about our program here.
Have you been dying to know what is going to happen to the old coach bus terminal site at 610 Bay St. and 130 Elizabeth St.?
The CreateTO Committee proposed a plan to redevelop the site during its meeting on Oct. 29.
CreateTO is the City of Toronto's real estate manager. They look after City-owned land and buildings to make sure they’re used in ways that benefit the community and for the public good.
Gabriella Sicheri, vice president of development at CreateTO, gave a presentation on the proposed redevelopment and showed the plan to turn the site into a “mixed-income, mixed-use development that includes affordable housing, a Paramedics MultiHub and employment opportunities with a preference for innovative uses that take advantage of the property’s unique location within Toronto’s Discovery District.”
Further details to discuss the redevelopment of this property and the negotiation details carried out by the Board of Directors of CreateTO were moved to a closed session. The motion was ultimately approved.
What does our Documenter have to say?
Following this discussion, our documenter Karen raised the question: what exactly is a paramedic hub? This was not discussed in detail during the meeting, but in other locations, such as Ontario Simcoe County, it’s a central location that can serve as a “hub” for operations to check vehicles and equipment or restock supplies.
The auditor general’s report on the Toronto Paramedic Services found that on 1,200 occasions last year, no ambulances were available. This leaves Karen questioning whether the proposed new site will improve medical transport from Chinatown, Alexandra Park and Kensington Market to hospitals like Sick Kids, St. Michael’s Hospital and Toronto Western Hospital?
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