There’s good, and there’s Great Gulf. Mark Cullen Bigger, better botanical garden To learn more, visit GREATGULF.COM in the plans for Toronto, H2 IN HOMES CONDOS NEW SATURDAY, JANUARY 17, 2015 SECTION H ON ON2 > TORONTO STAR ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION Building on the allure of Yonge St. City’s top condo builders discuss the appeal, character and transformation of Toronto’s main artery TRACY HANES SPECIAL TO THE STAR Historic Yonge St. was built by Toronto founder John Graves Simcoe as a strategic military and commercial route between Lake Ontario and Lake Simcoe. More than 200 years later, the artery plays a central role in the city’s evolution. It’s the site of Toronto’s first subway line, it spawned a rich musical and entertain- ment scene starting in the ’60s, and be- came home to the Eaton Centre, one of Canada’s largest malls and a major tourist attraction. An estimated one million people gath- ered around Yonge and Dundas Sts. to celebrate the Blue Jays’ 1992 and ’93 World Series, and again in 2002 and 2010 for Olympic hockey gold. The Guinness Book of World Recordsonce listed it as the longest street in the world, stretching 1,896 kilometres from Toronto to the town of Rainy River, on the border with Minnesota. That changed in 1999, when the province separated it from Hwy. 11 and now Yonge St. ends just south of Lake Simcoe in the Barrie area. In the past decade, a flurry of condo de- velopment has transformed the stretch of Yonge running through Toronto — and recently, beyond Toronto — into a highly desired residential corridor, from down- town to midtown to the suburbs, driven partially by provincial and city policies that encourage growth along existing tran- sit corridors. VINCE TALOTTA/TORONTO STAR According to figures from market ana- From left: Jim Ritchie, Tridel; Riz Dhanji, Canderel Residential; Anson Kwok, Pinnacle International; Christopher Wein, Great Gulf; Marco Filice, Liberty lysts at RealNet Canada, the period from Development; Peter Freed, Freed Development; Jared Menkes, Menkes Developments; and Danny Roth, Brandon Communications. January 2000 to October 2014 saw 135 condominium projects built along Yonge “It’s the spine Marco Filice of Liberty Development cance in the residential condo market — is at the foot of Yonge St. and Lake Onta- St. In those buildings, 41,923 condos were Corp.; Peter Freed of Freed Develop- and also put into context what Yonge St. rio’s shoreline, or north of Hwy. 401. “The sold — almost 27 per cent of the total and it’s critical ments; Anson Kwok of Pinnacle Interna- means to the city. subway has always been the big draw for 155,845 units launched across the city. to the city’s tional; Jared Menkes of Menkes Devel- condos, whether it’s the Yonge line or The Star brought together seven exec- success.” opments Ltd.; Jim Ritchie of Tridel; and The importance of Yonge St. another subway line,” said Ritchie. “For utives of the city’s top development com- Christopher Wein of Great Gulf Residen- to condo development us, it started in North York on the subway panies with condominium projects that ANSON KWOK tial; along with moderator Danny Roth of Yonge’s key appeal, according to the pan- line or very close to it.” are built and also underway along Yonge PINNACLE Brandon Communications — to explain el, is transit — and the subway is the main St. — Riz Dhanji of Canderel Residential; INTERNATIONAL the historic, renowned street’s signifi- draw. That applies whether the building YONGE continued on H4 Interior Design Show 4 days, 300 exhibitors, countless ideas, H6 Sale conditions How to put them in your offer, H6 Water’s edge luxury with unlimited views. PRESENTATION CENTRE AQUAVISTA Signature Collection. 261 QUEENS Take your lifestyle to the next level. The AQUAVISTA Signature Collection offers luxurious QUAY EAST lakeside living and breathtaking views without stepping foot outside of the city. These TORONTO exclusive residences feature open concept gourmet kitchens, soaring ceiling heights and many with luxurious lakeside terraces. Experience this next wave in waterfront living. Adjacent to Sherbourne Commons Priced from $1 million to over $3 million.* CONTACT ® US A Tridel Built Green. Built for Life. community. PHONE *Price and specifications are subject to change without notice. Illustrations are artist’s 416.514.2710 concept only. Building and view not to scale. Tridel®, Tridel Built for Life®, Tridel Built Facebook.com/Tridel Green. Built for Life.® are registered trademarks of Tridel and used under license. WEB ©Tridel 2015. All rights reserved. E.&O.E. January 2015. Twitter.com/Tridel TRIDEL.COM [email protected] Redefining life on the water’s edge. tridel.com H4⎮TORONTO STAR SATURDAY, JANUARY 17, 2015 ON ON2 V2 >> HOMES & CONDOS Yonge St. lends identity to condo buyers, builders YONGE from H1 out mixed-use as it’s just a single The developers of the roundtable application (to the city), but you have “I don’t think there’s anyone in this World on Yonge, a better community with it,” said 7171 Yonge St. room that doesn’t look at that trans- STEELES AVE. W. Ritchie. portation route and all the ancillary Wein said while many planners stuff that goes with it, such as office want mixed-use to go everywhere, it space and retail. That’s the simple has to be in appropriate locations. answer,” said Ritchie. “The neighbourhood dynamics have Freed’s company built its brand CUMMER AVE. to function properly. There are areas raising condos on King St. W. with no where mixed-used is applicable, but subway access (though it is served by FINCH AVE. W. other areas are not large enough to streetcars) and now has two Yonge support it. On paper, it looks amazing St. projects. “Yonge St. obviously is but I’ve seen a lot of failures and it Gibson the main artery of our city and the Square, has to work beyond the project itself. longest road,” Freed said. Jim Ritchie You need thousands of people.” 5162/68 Senior V-P sales & marketing “King West is more defined by a Kwok said Pinnacle works on Yonge St. Tridel small neighbourhood and its own mixed-use projects on a large scale á Hullmark Centre, 4789 Yonge St. history, is close to the water and and having office and retail space is SHEPPARD AVE. W. Mixed-use project with access to Queen St. W., and has other charac- Riz Dhanji critical to its developments. Retail at Hullmark subway; two condo towers, 682 V-P sales & marketing teristics. Yonge St. has easier-to-un- street level and at the city’s under- Centre, suites; under construction, sold out. Canderel Residential derstand characteristics as far as in- ground PATH walkway level will be 4789 Tridel.com á Aura at College Park, 386/ vestors, renters and other potential Yonge St. key to One Yonge playing a role as a 388 Yonge St. Mixed-use project will purchasers are concerned, such as gateway to the waterfront, he added. 401 be largest residential condo in Cana- being on the subway, and different Dhanji said “it’s a huge plus” for da with 78-storey tower, 994 suites; characteristics as you go north.” people to live in a building attached WILSON AVE. Collegeparkcondos.com Torontonians identify themselves á to retail shops where they don’t have by Yonge St., said Menkes, and YC Condos, 460 Yonge St., 66- to go outside. An even bigger advan- whether they live east or west of the storey tower, 634 suites, occupancy tage, he said, will be the extension of artery. The subway line serves as the 2017. Yccondos.com the PATH system allowing people to dividing line. go in and out of buildings and in- “We are really committed to Yonge tegrating the city more. St.,” says Menkes, whose company LAWRENCE AVE. W. Menkes said plans to extend the has been a key player in the evolution Christopher Wein PATH system will also connect resi- YONGE ST. ST. YONGE President of the Yonge-Sheppard area from a dents of Harbour Plaza project when Great Gulf bedroom community into a thriving the underground walkway is linked á One Bloor, 1Bloor St. E. @ Yonge. area of office towers, retail shops, to the One Yonge development. “It’s Mixed-use, 75-storey tower under institutional buildings and highrise so important. Our sidewalks are construction, 789 condo suites. condominiums. overextended and we don’t have any Onebloor.com “I think for the development in- EGLINTON AVE. W. more room for people so they are dustry, Yonge St. is the Milky Way,” going into the PATH.” agreed Filice. “World on Yonge (Lib- Art Shoppe, Anson Kwok V-P sales & marketing erty’s large mixed-use development 2131 Yonge St. The role of Toronto’s new govern- Pinnacle International north of Steeles Ave.) is one of the ment in developing Yonge St. á One Yonge, 1Yonge St. Large-scale, newest shining stars and all along the What the city desperately needs is a mixed-used project with four resi- corridor, there’s potential for a lot of substantial investment in transit, the dential towers. To be connected to stars to come out. It’s one of the main panellists agreed. the PATH system, 4 condo towers, areas the world comes to. Filice said that a portion of the tax- 4,000 suites. “When you look at demographics, es, development fees and other Pinnacleinternational.ca whether it’s retail, office investment charges generated by large condo or residential, a lot of international Peter Freed projects should go back to the neigh- flavour is coming to Yonge St.