“People are the idea on a whiteboard, the imagination in a work of art, the viewer in a gallery, and the score in a movie. They are the friendly exchange at a shop and the genius behind the ingredient that ‘made’ the dish. They are reason we think differently today than we did yesterday.” – Derek Goring, VP Development, First Gulf

If you blink, you’ll miss it. But tucked away just east of the Don River, north of Lake Shore Boulevard and south of Eastern Avenue lies the site where the largest commercial project currently planned in Canada has been pitched. Private developer firm First Gulf bought the 28.5 acre site in 2012, and is master planning a 60-acre site, with the intention of developing 12 million square feet of office, institutional and retail space. On Wednesday, June 24^th 2015, 40 Young ULI members got a chance to learn how this grand proposal (21 Don Roadway) came to fruition.

The event sold out in a matter of a few days, speaking to the popularity of the topic: office space regeneration. As one of the lucky attendees, I have noted below what resonated most with me.

1. The location of 21 Don Roadway presents an opportunity to employ people from across the GTHA, and First Gulf’s proposal capitalizes on this. They are working with Metrolinx and the TTC to secure a transit hub providing employees with easy access to their places of work. They are also connecting the site with the existing surrounding bike paths, as well as creating a north-south connection by extending Broadview Avenue to Lake Shore Boulevard.
2. A tour is the best way to understand the site context. Vice President of Development at First Gulf Derek Goring, gave a tour of the site from the rooftop at 21 Don Roadway. The view of Toronto was incredible. It was from this vantage point that one could understand the massive space and how First Gulf’s development is situated to become a key employment and commercial district in Toronto’s east end.
3. First Gulf is a trailblazer in creative thinking. In order to optimize work efficiently in the area, Derek Goring is asking young professionals to tell him what amenities they would like to see in their office spaces.
4. The area around a place of work is just as (or maybe more) important than the area itself. During the event, I tweeted a request for responses to the following question: “What is important in your place of work?” and almost all the responses related to travel to and from the site as well as opportunities to enjoy spaces in the vicinity of the site. Ideas such as Wi-Fi throughout the site, extended bike routes, affordable eating spaces and after work activities were tweeted and retweeted at length. Check out the thread at @ULIToronto.
5. I grew up in downtown Toronto but I often forget that Toronto’s east end is far more labyrinthine and broken up than central and west-end Toronto. 21 Don Roadway presents a great opportunity to tie Toronto’s east end with the rest of the city creating a 24-hour ignited community.
6. We need more employment lands. First Gulf is committed to stitching this area seamlessly into the surrounding mixed-use neighbourhoods and providing employment and amenities to the surrounding residential communities.

What made this event so great is that young members got to see some of the big ideas happening in Toronto. First Gulf’s development makes me hopeful that gone are the days when Toronto would only ‘play it safe’ #gamechanger!

Want to be a part of the conversation? Tweet what is important to you in your place of work to @ULIToronto and #ASKFirstgulf or email [email protected]