In my last post, I took a step back and looked at the West Don Lands Park and the value it provided River City.  In this one, I’m taking a step forward and looking at “green” initiatives offered at the development.

River City will be the first residential development going for a Gold LEED Certification in Toronto! LEED ranks building design, construction, and operational practices that provide high quality and high performance advantages to increase occupant health, comfort, productivity while reducing environmental impacts.  The exact details of green initiatives at River City have not been officially released but according to their website, the 4 main goals are:

1. Reduce as much as possible to what it take to build and then live in River City
2. Create healthy living environments
3. Reduce as much as possible what we actually throw back into the community
4. Offset any remaining impacts so River City is carbon neutral overall

A few newspaper reports I’ve been reading even mentioned River City as having – a hybrid car and bike-share program as well as parking garages pre-wired for electric-car charging stations!  Any buildings over 3 stories high will have green roofs to absorb rainwater, insulate and help mitigate the urban heat island effect.  Buildings will be heated and cooled from a central energy plant, with water supplied through a system of underground piping. This eliminates the need for boilers, furnaces, hot water heaters, chillers and air-conditioning units.

There are other green advantages to building an environmentally friendly condo.  Financially speaking, these green initiatives translate into: utility bill savings, less consumption and overall lower maintenance fees! The more I research this development, the better it gets! It’s such a rare opportunity to buy into something that offers so much.  The first phase will be made up of two buildings connected via a three-storey industrial-looking glass bridge. Those suites include 1,000- to 1,600-sq.-ft. town homes, 400- to 900-sq.-ft lofts, and 515- to 1,600-sq.-ft. penthouses, all ranging from $179,900 to $769,900. I’ll be getting floor plans and price lists in the last week of November. From November 25th to 30th I’ll be meeting with clients interested in purchasing at River City. On December 2nd agreements of purchase and sale will be signed. I’m taking names as of today, so if you’d like to be part of River City, give me a call or send me an email… I’d love to help!

Pop quiz readers! What’s the number ONE rule in real estate? Thaaat’s riiight! LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!

No matter what type of real estate you’re buying, you should always be familiar with the lay of the land. Last week I blogged about River City Condo’s, but for this one I wanted to take a step back and look at some of the others features in the area that make River City such an advantageous opportunity!

Located to the south of the future River City Condo Development, the Don River Park will bring a refreshing change to the 5000 people planning to call the West Donlands home. Waterfront Toronto has plans to transform the abandoned and contaminated post-industrial site to an 18 acre greenscape that will feature an urban meadow, water play, a skating area, a multi-use sports field, a skateboard park and new playground equipment geared to a range of ages.

Perched on one of the highest points in the park, will be the pavilion (pictured above).  It will also act as a informal amphitheatre and future focal point of the development. Michael van Valkenburgh Associates, with over 20 years experience in restoring lost landscapes throughout North America will be the team behind the transformation. The park is scheduled for completion in 2011. When the residents of River City start moving into West Don Lands they’ll be moving into a new neighbourhood, not just a new development.

The first phase will be made up of two buildings connected via a three-storey industrial-looking glass bridge. Those suites include 1,000- to 1,600-sq.-ft. town homes, 400- to 900-sq.-ft lofts, and 515- to 1,600-sq.-ft. penthouses, all ranging from $179,900 to $769,900. I’ll be getting floor plans and price lists in the last week of November. From November 25th to 30th I’ll be meeting with clients interested in purchasing at River City. On December 2nd agreements of purchase and sale will be signed. I’m taking names as of today, so if you’d like to be part of River City, give me a call or send me an email… i’d love to help!

More images of the park can be seen here: http://www.waterfrontoronto.ca/dbdocs//464dcccae9e23.pdf

The long awaited launch of River City Condos is finally here. I’ve been following this one closely over the past year…and for good reason!

The River City development won’t be your typical condos…it’ll be a collection of 5 different buildings built with LEED GOLD STANDARDS! (The first in Toronto). In the past, The West Donlands have been an eyesore of industrial buildings and barren land. River City is the first step to revitalizing Toronto’s waterfront and transforming it into a community that will soon be home to over 900 loft style condominiums and family friendly town homes. I’ve been by the River City site several times, and there is nothing but mounds of dirt. That’s what makes this development so special. It’s not just a developer coming in and throwing up a bunch of buildings, instead it’s a planned community in partnership with Waterfront Toronto! The plans call for the introduction of cafes, boutiques and restaurants along tree lined streets creating over one-million square feet of employment space. The buildings themselves will be built with a goal to make it the most environmentally progressive residential development in Toronto today!

Montreal based Saucier + Perrotte Architects will be working with Toronto based ZAS architects to bring a bold new look to the former industrial Brownfield. Add an 18 acre urban oasis park to the mix, and you get all the right ingredients for an attractive investment AND a sustainable neighbourhood to live in.

The Don River Park, which will lie to the south of River City, will feature a skating area, a multi-use sports field, a skateboard park and new playground equipment geared to a range of ages. The park’s hills and lawns will be ideal for tobogganing, Frisbee, catch or a whole range of informal sport. Just announced, the West Donlands will also be the location for the Pan Am Athletes Village in 2015!

The key elements of the Donlands over haul include:

- 23 acres of parks and public spaces including 18-acre Don River Park
- Public transit within a five-minute walk of all residences
- 5,800 residential units, including 1,200 units of affordable rental housing
- One-million square feet of employment space
- Pedestrian & cycling connections within neighbourhood and to city
- Elementary school
- Recreation centre
- Two childcare centres

A lot of the newspaper reports are calling for two towers, 5 and 14 stories in phase one….BUT the latest email from the developer describes the first phase towers as  7 and 15 stories! The two will be connected via a three-storey industrial-looking glass bridge. Those suites include 1,000- to 1,600-sq.-ft. town homes, 400- to 900-sq.-ft lofts, and 515- to 1,600-sq.-ft. penthouses, all ranging from $179,900 to $769,900. I’ll be getting floor plans and price lists in the last week of November. From November 25th to 30th I’ll be meeting with clients interested in purchasing at River City. On December 2nd agreements of purchase and sale will be signed. I’m putting this one out early because I know there’s going to be a lot of demand for this one. I’ll also be doing a series of posts pointing out the other highlights of the project in coming days! I’m taking names as of today, so if you’d like to be part of River City, give me a call or send me and email… i’d love to help!

For more information about mortgages, visit Meridiamcu.ca