TORONTO – LIVING – Today, Mayor John Tory visited the Wellington Destructor site, which is now on its way to becoming a new community hub.
“The Wellington Destructor is a great example of how we are transforming underutilized land to help make our city better. We’re turning an almost 100-year-old derelict garbage incinerator and waste transfer station, closed in the 1980s, into a 21st century community hub and a public cultural space in our growing downtown”.
“This will be a cultural space and community hub for everyone to enjoy. We know we cannot do it alone. We know we need partners like TAS at the table and I want to thank them for bringing this vision to life and for working with us on this exciting and imaginative project. There’s a long road ahead and we look forward to their plan being implemented. I would also like to thank City staff for their dedication to this project including CreateTO. We have in Toronto one of the most dynamic, liveable, safe and environmentally-friendly downtowns in all of North America. The Wellington Destructor will add to that quality of life and will become, at one and the same time, an act of heritage preservation and future building,” stated Mayor John Tory.
Councillor Joe Cressy (Spadina-Fort York) commented, “After 35 years of dormancy, we now have the opportunity to bring new life to the Wellington Destructor. By working in partnership with TAS, the historic Destructor will be transformed into a new arts, culture and community hub, along with new commercial space, in one of the fastest-growing neighbourhoods in our city. The new, revitalized Wellington Destructor will be a vibrant space that local residents and visitors from across the city can enjoy for years to come.”
The Mayor was joined by local Councillor Joe Cressy (Spadina-Fort York) and Steven Trumper, CEO of CreateTO, to announce that TAS, a Toronto-based real estate development company, is the approved long-term head lessee of the 0.85 hectare City-owned Wellington Destructor site at 677 Wellington St. W. The agreement with TAS will see the site turn into a community hub that will be enjoyed by residents and visitors for years to come.
TAS’ project proposal – approved by City Council – will restore the 3,700 square metre vacant heritage building on the site, and incorporate new community and commercial uses that would provide social and economic benefits to the public. The City will contribute up to $32 million to remediate the property, and to retain and restore its heritage structure. This $32 million initial capital contribution will be repaid to the City over the term of the lease. This will be a 49-year lease term with two options for extensions of 25 years each. The City’s investment in the project represents approximately one third of the expected cost of developing the site.
Constructed in 1925, the Wellington Destructor heritage building is a purpose-built brick garbage incinerator that was in active use until the incineration of solid waste was halted in the mid-1970s. It became a waste transfer station until the 1980s. The transfer station has been decommissioned and left vacant for decades. The property was listed on the City’s Heritage Register in 2005 by City Council and is subject to policies for its conservation.
TAS is a privately-owned, Toronto-based mixed use real estate development company focused on the development and operation of residential and mixed-use buildings. TAS has completed several major developments with a combined value of over $300 million, and currently has approximately 500,000 square metres under development with a market value of $3 billion.
Residents are encouraged to access the online report, which details the terms of the agreement between the City and TAS.