The community centre and pool at the foot of one of Toronto鈥檚 tallest and most luxurious new skyscrapers聽鈥 Pinnacle One Yonge聽鈥 were opened with fanfare in 2023, a shining example of the benefits that can be secured when the city works closely with developers to provide amenities for local residents.
Less than two years later, the city and developer Pinnacle International are at odds over a leak that has kept the pool closed since December 2024, leaving residents of the new east waterfront neighbourhood feeling short-changed.聽
The developer agreed to build the community centre and pool in exchange for getting zoning concessions from the city. Now the residential tower is up, but the pool that was a major part of the deal is inoperable.聽
The city has hired an engineering firm to investigate. No reopening date has been set.
“We are working closely with the city to get the pool up and running for the community to enjoy,” said Anson Kwok, vice-president, sales and marketing for Pinnacle International, in response to questions from the Star.
The six-lane, 25-metre pool was the main feature at the recreation centre.
鈥淲hen I moved here, I was like, 鈥榦h wow, this brand-new community centre. How lucky am I,鈥 鈥 said Pam Nash, 45, a mother of two, ages seven and two.
Nash can see the community centre from the window of a neighbouring new tower where she lives.
When she moved in, she was hoping to get her seven-year-old son caught up on swimming lessons after the long pause generated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pool first opened to the public in October 2023,聽and has been closed twice, according to 海角社区官网city staff.
It has now been closed nearly six months in an area under intense development, north of Queens Quay East and east of Yonge Street, which has few green spaces or play areas for children.
鈥淭he thing about this area is in the summertime it is so hot, and getting relief from the sun is very hard to find,” said Nash. “I鈥檓 lucky I have access to a car. I don鈥檛 stay in this area. I am a regular user of Cherry Beach, Ashbridges Bay, Corktown Commons, Riverdale Farm.”
Resident Neeraja Nair, 36, said her son, who’s six, was also enrolled in swimming lessons at the community centre that were cancelled.
聽鈥淭hey just said there was some issue with the pool. We still don鈥檛 know if they will open anytime soon.鈥
Local Coun. Ausma Malik (Ward 10 Spadina鈥擣ort York) said: “In our dense downtown communities, our public spaces and recreation centres are in high demand, and any closure, let alone one of this extended length, is deeply felt.”
According to Malik, city staff 聽identified an issue with the pool last October that resulted in it being closed it for several weeks.
鈥淭he repairs led to the discovery in December of leaking that has kept the pool closed since then,” Malik said. “Unfortunately, the cause of leaks is disputed between the developer and the city.”
It will be at least several more weeks before the cause of the leak and whether and how it can be fixed will be determined, according to the parties.
A spokesperson for PPL Group, the firm that built the pool, said the company has been in business for 55 years, specializing in the construction, service and maintenance of commercial pools, and provides pool service work to several municipalities throughout Ontario, including the GTA.
聽鈥淭he issues surrounding the pool at One Yonge involve complex construction and engineering considerations,鈥 said Steve Onoprijenko, vice-president, PPL Aquatic, Fitness & Spa Group Inc.聽
鈥淧roviding a thorough and accurate account requires a detailed review of project documentation and consultation with聽key PPL construction managers who were directly involved.鈥
A spokesperson for Perkins&Will, the firm that designed the pool, said they are aware of the pool closure but are not directly involved in the issue.
“We are designers of swimming pools聽and聽have a long successful history in that work,” said Phil French, managing principal, Perkins&Will.
“This issue is construction related,聽and, to our knowledge, it is being resolved between the builder, the pool subcontractor聽and聽the city.”
The community centre was part of an Ontario Land Tribunal-approved settlement between the city and Pinnacle, allowing the developer to build a mixed-use residential and commercial development to include supertall buildings of 65 storeys, 80 storeys and 95 storeys, in exchange for developing a 聽community centre in the first tower to be built, among other contributions. Other concessions by the developer included adding 10 per cent affordable housing units in the first and third mixed-use buildings, and a financial contribution to a new park and to the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal.
鈥淲e are not waiting for this dispute to be settled,” Malik said. “City staff have proactively hired the experts needed to assess the pool and implement a plan. I鈥檒l keep pushing staff to confirm timelines and get these repairs done as soon as possible, and ensure programming and drop-in swimming is available at other facilities in our downtown.”
City spokesperson Alexandra Dinsmore said staff have developed a relocation strategy for winter, spring and summer 2025 aquatic programming. The plan includes relocating instructional programs to St. Lawrence, Mary McCormick, Trinity and Parkdale pools. Drop-in swims have been absorbed at St. Lawrence Community Centre.
“An engineering investigation of the pool is underway in order to explore and address the technical issues that are preventing the pool from returning to fully operational status,” according to Dinsmore, who confirmed that the city and Pinnacle are engaged in discussions.聽
Residents say they’re disappointed.聽
鈥淭his area is going to be something special, I think, in the future, especially what they鈥檙e doing with the Port Lands,” said Nash.
“I just wish they would have more supports for those who are coming now. Because we鈥檙e the building blocks of this new area, this new development.鈥
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