In addition to accommodation, the site will feature a YMCA, coffee shop, general store, banking, a dining tent and an 18 acre park. When the Games close in mid-August, the Athletes’ Village will be turned back over to the developers of the Canary District, and will become a mixed-use community with 800 market condominiums, 253 units of affordable housing and the first-ever residence for students of George Brown College. The project also includes the Cooper Koo Family YMCA, a new streetcar line connected to King Street, an Aboriginal community health centre and a 40,00 square foot promenade along Front Street.
Nearly 200 people came out to the official handover ceremony earlier this morning, which was attended by notables such as Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and Toronto Mayor John Tory.
“The Athletes’ Village will serve as a welcoming home for athletes at the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games, and, thanks to thoughtful planning, it will also leave a legacy that will benefit Ontarians well into the future,” said Wynne, addressing the crowd.
The Games have created 26,000 jobs and will attract 250,000 visitors to the region — generating nearly $3.7 billion for the Ontario economy in 2015.
