Posts Tagged ‘development’
Hop on the 63 bus, and head down to Ossington for drinks, dinner and condos! The former sleepy street that was once home to factories and commercial business has quickly transformed into a hot bed of action with new bars and restaurants popping up everywhere… and I’m not just selling the hype here, i’m also partaking in it! You’ll often find me at BQM for a burger or hanging out at The Ossington while the Secert Models dj a set to a packed house on a Saturday Night! I’m probably not the first to tell you this but the Ossington neighbourhood is quickly becoming the “it” place to be!
A few years back, Reserve Properties was the first to embrace the strip and bring to it a modern and well appointed development known as Motif! With the success of their first project, they’re back again with a second project at 109 Ossington, the former Mondial Auto Repair shop! According to the press release:
Building on Ossington’s character and dynamic street line, 1090Z offers a contemporary design that reads to the eye as four intimate structures. “We wanted to create a built form that really suited the eclectic rhythm and dimensions of the street,” says Shane Fenton VP of Reserve Properties.
Catering to Ossington’s active pedestrian traffic, new retail on the ground floor will reanimate 150 feet along Ossington’s vibrant north-south corridor.
“Staggering storeys back and forth as you move up the building provides a variety of angles and gives each element its own identity,” says lead architect Roland Rom Colthoff of RAW. “Dark brick, zinc and glass materials used on the façade further enhance texture, while mimicking the memory of the existing lot division.”
Emphasizing the angular façade, balcony enclosures will be punctuated with different colours, co-designed by purchasers, giving them the opportunity to personalize the exterior of their new home.
“With 109OZ we really wanted to capture the essence of the local attitude and diversity of people who live there,” says Dan Menchions of II BY IV Design Associates.
Drawing the Ossington vibe inside, the 109OZ marketing centre is animated with pops of tangerine orange, canary yellow and fuchsia and a monochromatic gradient herringbone pattern on the floor. “The presentation centre is designed to make you feel like you are walking into the actual lobby itself,” adds Menchions.
Capturing the creative culture of the area, a multi-coloured pendant fixture by neighbourhood design darling Castor Design, crafted from recycled fire extinguishers, is surrounded by graphic elements and artwork reminiscent of 60’s and 70’s pop-art movement.
“We know from our recent success with Motif Lofts & Towns on Ossington that this is a very savvy neighbourhood when it comes to design. We wanted to create a project that local residents would appreciate and represents where design is going,” says Shelley Fenton, President of Reserve Properties.
109OZ offers 85 generously sized lofts with open concept layouts. Providing purchasers a flex space for work, dining and entertaining, European styled kitchens feature oversized islands that double as a chef’s table. With private outdoor space off of almost every suite and a second floor amenity terrace that overlooks the main street, purchasers can stay in and still engage with Ossington.
“People from around the city travel to Ossington in order to play. They come here to do their boutique shopping, do dinner at Union or hit up Foxely,” says Johnston. “But now with 109OZ people won’t just be visiting the neighbourhood to enjoy it, they are going to be able to live in it and truly take part in everything by foot, and that’s just good neighbourhood building.” Read the rest of this entry »
I was at the River City sales office the other day getting some updates on availability of units…after chatting with the wonderful staff (I can truthfully say that from experience) I took a walk over to the see the progress at the site! To the average person it pretty much looks the same, but from what I saw back in October to how it looks now is quite substantial. For a project of this size, tons of parts must first be put in place before the actual project gets off the ground. In the coming days I’ll have some video footage showing some of the changes at the site….
BUT the bigggggest update I discovered was almost camouflaged by some graffiti on the hoarding. Posted towards the end of the construction wall was a white sign that read “Daniels”!!! I instantly got on my laptop and started searching to see if anyone had picked up on this! (As of writing this post, no one has)… before I go on, let me take a step back to explain why this finding is so HUGE!
Currently all that’s on the site is a ton of dirt and a bunch of construction workers getting ready to carve the River St extension. Once complete the street will run through the River City development (on the East side of the street. To the West of the extension will be a dedicated area for mixed use and affordable housing. Since the project launched back in November, I’ve been searching all over the City (and internet) for information on who will be building the housing. All that I was able to find was a short note reading “Toronto Community Housing Corporation is developing the first complex comprised of three buildings of affordable housing. Construction of the 243 unit development designed by Baird Sampson Neurt Architects will start in spring 2010 and occupancy is expected in early 2012.” from a March 10th Waterfront Toronto release. Even the Toronto Affordable Housing website lacked the details I’ve been looking for!
If my findings are true, and in fact Daniels is the developer selected to build at the site…this is great news for all! Daniels has an excellent reputation, already building AND selling out their One Cole project a few blocks away in Moss Park. They’re also the developers who practically sold out their Mississauga townhouse complex in several hours back in March. I couldn’t find anything on the Daniels website announcing their involvement in the River City project BUT if that little white sign is any indication of what’s to come, it’s should be a welcomed addition to the neighbourhood!
There are some great layouts available at River City! If you’re interested in calling River City home, give me a call or send me an email… I’d love to help!
Look for more video updates in the coming posts!











