Ontario Construction News staff writer
The City of Toronto and Kinectrics have purchased land in Etobicoke from Ontario Power Generation Inc. (OPG).
Located at 800 Kipling Ave., the 76-acre site includes about 750,000 sq. ft. of buildings. As part of the sale, the site has been severed to accommodate uses for both purchasers.
“The Kipling Avenue site has served our employees and company well. We are pleased it will be home to businesses focused on transportation electrification and nuclear technology, as both will be critical to growing a clean economy,” OPG president and CEO Ken Hartwick said in a statement.
The site sold for $200 million.
Kinectrics, a growing electricity life-cycle management solutions company, will continue to operate and grow its business at the site. The City of Toronto will utilize the southern parcel for the Toronto Transit Commission’s (TTC’s) future electric bus facility. The city will also take ownership of lands to the north of Kinectrics parcel for future services.
OPG is consolidating all non-station-based staff at a corporate headquarters in Durham Region and will lease back a portion of the space to accommodate employees until a new consolidated campus is built. Other existing leases at Kipling will transfer to the new owners of the properties.
OPG subsidiary PowerON Energy Solutions and the TTC are working together to decarbonize Toronto’s bus fleet.
The TTC’s 2021-2035 Capital Investment Plan and Real Estate Investment Plan identified a tenth garage and maintenance facility as being required within the next 10 to 15 years. That facility will be home to TTC’s expanding battery electric bus fleet. In the shorter term, this property will allow the TTC to accommodate its industrial warehousing space needs and reduced operating costs as existing leases expire.
“The acquisition of the 800 Kipling Avenue site will serve as the City’s ongoing commitment to its wider climate action goals,” said Mayor John Tory. “The future TTC electric bus facility aligns with the City’s TransformTO Net Zero Strategy and is an investment in the future of our city.”
Officials say the 800 Kipling site will be essential for the TTC’s maintenance and storage needs and support the expanded electric bus fleet.
The City of Toronto, meanwhile, will utilize the southern parcel for the Toronto Transit Commission’s (TTC’s) future electric bus facility. The city will also take ownership of lands to the north of the Kinectrics parcel for future city services.
“The acquisition of the 800 Kipling Avenue site will serve as the City’s ongoing commitment to its wider climate action goals,” said Mayor John Tory. “The future TTC electric bus facility aligns with the City’s TransformTO Net Zero Strategy and is an investment in the future of our city.”
The TTC’s 2021-2035 Capital Investment Plan and Real Estate Investment Plan identified a tenth garage and maintenance facility as being required within the next 10 to 15 years. That facility will be home to TTC’s expanding battery electric bus fleet. In the shorter term, the property will allow the TTC to accommodate its industrial warehousing space needs and reduced operating costs as existing leases expire.