Breathing Life Back Into Yonge St

JARVIS AND CHARLES SHERWAY GARDENS Move in ONLY 5% DOWN ONLY 5% DOWN UP TO $10,000 OFF* UP TO $20,000 CASH BACK** x2condos.com onesherway.com this year. Man cave makeover A pool table and ‘wine bar’? *$10,000 discount on select suites. **$20,000 cash back on select suites. Limited time oﬀer. Subject to change or withdrawal without notice. See sales agent for details. Exclusive listing, Baker Real Estate Incorporated, Brokerage. Brokers protected. All illustrations are artists’ concept. Prices, sizes and speciﬁcations subject to change without notice. E.&O.E. Yes, says Glen Peloso, H11 IN HOMES CONDOS NEW

SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 2014 SECTION H EA ON2 Breathing life back into Yonge St.

RYAN STARR SPECIAL TO THE STAR Canada’s tallest condo among projects revitalizing Toronto’s main, historic street Aura is changing the way we view our city. The 78-storey megatower, nearing completion on the northwest corner of Yonge and Gerrard Sts., has fast become one of Toronto most recognizable landmarks. “You notice it from the 401and Dufferin, or coming down the DVP,” notes Barry Graziani, the architect whose firm Grazia- ni & Corraza designed Aura, Canada’s tallest residential building. “It reorients you — there’s the financial district and then there’s Aura farther north. It’s expanding our sense of the city and the downtown core.” Visible from across the GTA, the building also proudly signals that the once-gloomy stretch of Yonge between Gerrard and College Sts. has suddenly become a big deal. Indeed, Aura, developed by Canderel Residential, has helped spur a transforma- tion of the area, a historic part of the city that had fallen into disrepair over the years. Before the arrival of Canderel in the early 2000s — and its construction of the two- tower Residences of College Park development on Bay St., followed several years later by Aura — the block bound by Yonge, College, Gerrard and Bay Sts. mostly con- sisted of a bland office complex backing onto forlorn Barbara Ann Scott skating rink park, itself stranded between two sur- face parking lots. “It was pretty dreary,” recalls Riz Dhanji, vice-president of sales and marketing for Canderel. “There wasn’t much retail and BERNARD WEIL/TORONTO STAR there wasn’t much happening. I remem- “It reorients you,” says Barry Graziani, architect of Canada’s largest condo Aura, left. Graziani and Julie Robinson, senior project manager for Canderel ber in 2001walking down Yonge thinking, Residential, have helped the builder revive a stretch of stagnant Yonge St. with mixed-use projects Aura, YC Condos and Residences of College Park. ‘Why am I selling this project? Even I wouldn’t want to walk down here.’ ” “You notice it “(Aura) has been a great catalyst project,” Barbara Ann Scott Park, contributing $3 fare, Hayter St., which once connected Over the past decade, Canderel’s resi- says Mark Garner, executive director of million to give the valuable green space Yonge to Laplante St., west of Bay. dential developments have brought thou- from the 401 the Downtown Yonge BIA. “It’s created between its buildings a much-needed “Back in the ’70s when they did the rede- sands of new residents to the area. The and Dufferin . . . momentum for change in that area, that makeover. velopment of the entire block, they closed projects have also added an array of new It’s expanding block specifically. And you’re starting to “To have a three-acre park in the middle off Hayter,” Graziani explains. shops, services and eateries to cater to the see the ripple effect going down Yonge.” of an urban condition in a big city is rare,” “But there was still this stub of it, opening sizeable new market. (Canderel owns the our sense of the Canderel’s developments are improving notes Graziani. “We have this jewel in the onto Yonge, which we saw as an opportu- adjacent office complex at 777 Bay and has city.” the public realm in and around College rough that everybody has been walking by nity to announce the park on Yonge and revamped the retail offerings there, in- Park, as well. Aura’s base has been set back and ignoring.” create a new main entrance into the park.” cluding adding a Sobeys supermarket to BARRY GRAZIANA from the street, creating a wider sidewalk The development also will involve re- relieve pressure on the existing Metro.) ARCHITECT on Yonge. The builder is also sprucing up storing a forgotten midblock thorough- AURA continued on H14 Bryan Baeumler Homeowners’ repair notions head south, H2 Mark Cullen Some competition for garden invaders, H4

GRAND OPENING GARDEN SUITES AND TOWNHOMES

PRICES

THE LANES AT 101 ERSKINE FROM $695,000*

Parking Included

[email protected] Indulgent living spaces at Yonge & Eglinton.

Our limited collection of Garden Suites and Townhomes feature spectacular one and two storey residences with private lane entrances that are located along the lushly landscaped laneway at 101 Erskine. Each of these two and three bedroom Garden Suites and Townhomes offer sophisticated living with uncompromising attention to detail. Residents of The Lanes will also enjoy Tridel’s signature recreational amenities.

Presentation Centre Hours: Monday to Thursday: 11am – 7pm, Friday closed, Saturday, Sunday and Holidays: 12 noon – 6pm

*Price and specifications subject to change without notice. Illustrations are artist’s concept only. Building and view not to scale. Tridel®, Tridel Built for Life® are registered trademarks of Tridel and used under license. ©Tridel 2014. All rights reserved. E.&O.E. April 2014. Facebook.com/Tridel Twitter.com/Tridel tridel.com H14⎮TORONTO STAR SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 2014 ON ON2 >> HOMES & CONDOS Projects keep area ‘Yonge’ and alive

AURA from H1 ing that for years sat deteriorating > FOREVER YONGE behind a chain-link fence. The developments have opened Up at Yonge and Bloor Sts., Great Y/C Condos á Developer: Canderel Residentia other opportunities, particularly for Gulf Homes is building its 75-storey á new retail in the area. Aura’s hefty One Bloor mixed-use condo. Down Location: 460 Yonge St., Yonge and Grenville Sts. podium houses a Bed Bath & Beyond Yonge St., a few blocks south of Aura, á and Marshalls stores, as well as the construction is under way on the Size: 66 storeys; á newest and largest location of Ma- new Ryerson Student Living Centre Status: Pre-construction; donna’s Hard Candy Fitness chain. at Yonge and Gould Sts. yccondos.com Three restaurants recently opened All of these projects are paying Aura á along Gerrard St.: Reds Midtown homage to Yonge St.’s rich history Developer: Canderel Residential Tavern, Scaddabush and Duke’s Re- while also helping rejuvenate the á Location: 388 Yonge St., Yonge fresher + Bar. “We’re seeing people city’s spine for another century. and Gerrard Sts. from the Ontario courts and Service- “When you talk about the cultural á Size: 78 storeys Ontario and Ryerson faculty mem- memory for most Torontonians, á Status: Nearing completion; bers coming over,” notes Amanda Yonge St. has always been the main canderel.com/residential/aura- Lee, local marketing co-ordinator for street,” Switzer says. “It’s where you condominiums-college-park SIR Corp., which operates all three went on a Saturday night, it was the The Massey Tower establishments. “So we’re already main shopping street. And it’s be- á Developer: MOD Developments getting some loyal customers in the cause of that that people feel very á Location: 197 Yonge St. neighbourhood.” emotionally tied to it.” á Size: 60 storeys Jeffrey Roick, who co-owns The For Dhanji, the change in atmo- á Status: Pre-construction; Carlu event space in the neighbour- sphere on Yonge St. between College themasseytower.com ing art deco College Park building — and Gerrard since his company be- Five at 5 St. Joseph once home to Eaton’s College Street gan work there has been dramatic. á Developers: MOD Develop- — sees the changes taking place in “I used to be able to walk down ments/Graywood the area as a huge positive. Yonge and I could run back and forth á Location: Yonge and Joseph Sts. He’s looking to include more live along the sidewalk and never hit á Size: 48-storey tower with five, music events on the venue’s calendar somebody,” he says. “Today you have 1870s brick buildings along Yonge and condo dwellers represent an ob- to actually dodge people — it’s such a á Status: Pre-construction; vious target market. “There’s a whole different feeling from what it was in fivecondos.com new group of people moving in,” he the past. One Bloor says, “and that’s good for everybody “I think it’s great that the devel- á Developer: Great Gulf Homes on the block.” opment we’ve been doing has really á Location: 1 Bloor St. E. Just north of Aura, at Yonge and brought this animation back to á Size: 75 storeys Grenville Sts., Canderel is building Yonge that wasn’t there when we YC Condos will rise at Yonge and Grenville Sts., and will feature an á Status: Construction; on its momentum with YC Condos, a started back in 2001.” infinity-edge pool on the top, 66th floor. onebloor.com 66-storey glass tower. (Penthouses, ranging from 1,000 to 1,500 square feet, are available starting at $930,000.) The slender, building, which will have a pool on its top floor, promises to add architectural interest to an area that hasn’t seen much through the years. “We wanted to restore the fabric of the city, put it back the way it should be, and get good retailers in there.” GARY SWITZER MOD DEVELOPMENTS

“This building is very New York, with a modern look and feel,” says Canderel’s Dhanji. “We think it’s going to be a great architectural and design addition to the area.” Like its developments at College Park, Canderel’s YC Condos will help rejuvenate that stretch of Yonge St., he adds, with new retail at the ground floor and a focus on enhancing the public realm. “This is going to bring lots of people onto the street, which will help change and improve things along Yonge,” says Dhanji. Canderel is in good company in the Now Under TLC it’s showing Toronto’s main ConstructionHomes drag. Up and down Yonge, new projects are playing a part in its rebirth. Just north of Wellesley St., an entire block of 19th-century buildings on Yonge is being restored as part of a new condo project, Five Condos at 5 St. Joseph. “We wanted to restore the fabric of the city, put it back the way it should be, and get good retailers in there,” says Gary Switzer, whose firm MOD Developments is co-developing the project with Graywood Develop- ments. Farther south on Yonge near Queen St., MOD is developing The Massey Tower, a 60-storey building that will incorporate at its base a restored beaux arts-style bank build-

BAY YONGE/BLOOR BLOOR ST. E. BLOOR ST. W. One Bloor BAY ST.

Five at 5 St. Joseph CHURCH ST. WELLESLEY ST. W. WELLESLEY

YC Condos COLLEGE ST. CARLTON ST. COLLEGE

Aura GERRARD ST. YONGE ST.

DUNDAS ST. W. DUNDAS BAY ST.

SHUTER ST. The Massey Tower

QUEEN ST. E.

QUEEN

TORONTO STAR GRAPHIC