REPRESENTATIVE PROJECTS

MASSIVE NEW INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT
For CP Rail and Sears Canada, prepared and processed a master site plan for a large five-parcel industrial development on surplus railway lands adjacent to the Vaughan Intermodal Terminal. Regional and municipal official plan amendments and rezoning were required. The project consists of an approximately one million square foot warehouse/distribution facility for Sears Canada, a large “cross-dock” facility for another major company and two additional parcels of land. The approvals were obtained within the tight timeframe required by Sears’ construction schedule.

DOWNTOWN TORONTO SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX
For Centre Court Stadium Inc., prepared an assessment of economic benefits for the proposed Toronto Raptor’s Basketball Stadium in downtown Toronto. This included a quantified analysis identifying all projected economic impacts on the Toronto area over the first ten years of operation, including tax assessment, job creation, public benefits and infrastructure improvements.

PLANNING FOR REDEVELOPMENT
On behalf of Alcan Aluminum Limited, was involved in a planning study of a 430-acre parcel in central Kingston that has accommodated Alcan’s (now Novelis Inc.) operations since the early 1900s. While Alcan has made substantial investments in their manufacturing and research facilities on part of the site, other parcels are surplus to their needs and are being considered for other uses. This study resulted in amendments to the City’s Official Plan for the area. These amendments outline the appropriate future land use and structure of development and guide the preparation of subsequent subdivision plans, indicating the manner in which large-scale land division applications will be dealt with by the City in the future.

UNIQUE CONVENTION CENTRE EXPANSION
For Marathon Realty, provided economic development and planning advice for the expansion of the Toronto Convention Centre. This project expanded the downtown convention centre under the main rail corridor and accommodates a new city park on the at-grade “roof” of the new building. The project is complete and in operation.

MAJOR NEW DEVELOPMENT IN TORONTO PORTLANDS
SBPC was recently by Toronto Film Studios to provide a planning opinion concerning a large new film studio development straddling Commissioners Street in the Portlands area of the City of Toronto. This new development would include 13 sound stages, varying in size, totaling some 265,000 square feet. It would be capable of supporting the production of large budget films and be similar to Universal Studios and MGM in Los Angeles. The project would be a major private sector ‘catalyst’ to the revitalization of the Portlands.

NEW RETAIL WAREHOUSE
For Price Club (now Costco), prepared a fiscal impact study that assessed the financial implications, costs and benefits for the former City of Etobicoke of a proposed Price Club retail warehouse. This analysis was accepted by the Etobicoke Planning and Finance Department staff. The warehouse, which has been built, is located along the QEW Highway in the southern part of the City.

INDONESIAN URBAN INDUSTRIAL PARK
For the Pulogadung Industrial Estate (JIEP) in Jakarta, Indonesia, was retained in 1996 to prepare an industrial revitalization program. This 570-hectare government-operated industrial estate is the oldest in Jakarta founded in 1973 and was about 80 per cent developed. However, it was competing with Jakarta’s new business parks on the urban fringe and there was pressure to release this area for residential development. The management of JIEP had picked Toronto as a comparable case and Scott Burns was asked to visit Jakarta to prepare an industrial revitalization program. This program was used by the Indonesian government to plan the future course for the estate.

INDUSTRIAL LAND MARKET STUDY
For the Ontario Land Corporation, was retained to prepare a full market study for the 2,500 acres of their land surrounding the Cambridge Toyota plant site. This included prestige industrial uses, auto-related uses, residential uses and business park support uses.

URBAN INDUSTIRAL BUILDING REUSE POTENTIAL
For Alcan, was retained to assess the office, industrial and residential market for an industrial site in the west end of Toronto. This information was used to analyze the feasibility of renovating and reusing an existing multi-storey building.

SMALL BUSINESS CENTRE
For Massey Ferguson Properties and the City of Toronto, directed the preparation of a Business Plan for the Toronto Small Business Centre Project and the conceptual planning for an associated technology transfer program with the University of Toronto and Ryerson Polytechnical Institute.The project has been in operation for a number of years.

MODEL FOR URBAN INDUSTRIAL AREA REVITALIZATION
For the Province of Ontario, directed a comprehensive study of industrial revitalization opportunities in six separate municipalities and the preparation of a model industrial area development plan and implementation program.

WINDSOR AREA MARKET ASSESSMENT
For an industrial development company, prepared a market assessment, development strategy and land valuation analysis of a proposed 400-acre industrial-commercial business park in the Windsor area.

CITY-WIDE INDUSTRIAL POLICY
Scott Burns was previously employed by the City of Toronto Planning & Development Department. With the City, he undertook projects involving City-wide industrial policy, economic development, area development strategies and neighbourhood plans. He was responsible for preparing the City’s economic development strategy which led to the formation of the Economic Development Division.

PLACES OF WORKSHIP IN INDUSTRIAL AREAS
For a large manufacturing company SBPC was retained to provide a planning opinion concerning new Official Plan Policies adopted by the City of Toronto. The company has been located in an employment area in the city for over thirty-five years. As part of the new Official Plan for the City of Toronto certain permissions were introduced for regional places of worship and other non-industrial uses. Mr. Burns was retained to conduct discussions with the City of Toronto to seek to amend these policies so as to reduce the new permissions and thereby reduce the likelihood of incompatibly situations with the truck traffic associated with the operations of the company and other heavy industries in the area.