Line 5 Condos project aims to spice up Yonge and Eglinton community.
LINE 5 CONDOS AIM TO SPICE UP YONGE/EGLINTON AREA
Get in line, one of Midtown Toronto’s busiest neighbourhoods is transforming. And Line 5 Condos, a new project by Reserve Properties and Westdale Properties, will be adding to the mix.
Taking its moniker from the Eglinton Crosstown light rail transit route currently under construction — otherwise known as Line 5 — the new site promises to add to the changes already underway in the local Yonge and Eglinton community. And it’s doing so with a few new lifestyle offerings of its own.
“I think it’s a community that’s starving for more housing supply,” says Shane Fenton, Reserve’s chief operating officer. “It’s an area that’s clearly sought after by many people — not just because of the community itself, but also now because of the transit, and its connectability to everywhere else in the city.”
Featuring two towers of 36 and 33 storeys, the project — currently in pre-construction — will add 930 units to its Broadway and Redpath Avenues location, along with an 8,000-square-foot daycare space and another 34,000 square feet of amenities for the exclusive use of the project’s residents. And, inspired by emerging technologies and lifestyle trends, some of those amenities are a little outside what Toronto condo buyers are used to.
“Concepts like Foodora and Amazon delivery are drastically changing the way we’re all living in condominium buildings today,” Fenton says. “So we looked at how do we create a thoughtfully designed space that takes into account how our lives have changed and incorporates elements into the building that account for that.”
With that in mind, the building will incorporate an Uber pick-up lane in the courtyard, hot and cold storage for grocery or food deliveries, and increased parcel storage to accommodate the growing popularity of online shopping sites like Amazon. “You don’t need to worry about rushing home and adjusting your schedule to accommodate these things,” Fenton says.
While amenities like these may not seem “glamorous,” he adds, the developer hopes they’ll add increased functionality to Line 5 that corresponds directly with how residents today actually live. But of course, the more glamorous amenity offerings are available too.
Among those is a 10,000-square-foot gym with private training studios — there, interactive training systems will connect to computerized floors, lighting and walls for virtual fitness training. There’s also a spa with a steam room, saunas and an outdoor zen garden, a juice and coffee bar, and a social club and co-working space that opens up to an outdoor pool. That’s on top of the party room, demo kitchen, outdoor barbecue and dining areas, art studio and outdoor theatre.
“We really wanted to create a playground for adults,” says Kelly Cray, partner and creative principal with U31, the Toronto-based design group tasked with styling those common spaces. Cray describes Line 5’s interiors as “contemporary luxury with touches of refined industrial eclecticism,” but top of mind for him was simply designing an esthetic that proved memorable to buyers and visitors alike.
That will begin in the lobby, where a two-storey space is styled to create a hotel-style sense of arrival, with custom metal screens, a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf and an elegant concierge desk. Antique brass, perforated metal and contrasting dark and light stones are used throughout the space, then continued through the rest of the common areas.
“The developers had high expectations in terms of what they envisioned for the esthetic,” Cray adds. “They wanted something that was going to be sophisticated.”
Those “sophisticated” interiors were inspired in part by the site’s architecture. Responding to the dynamism of the local neighbourhood, global architectural firm IBI Group has connected the two towers with a seven-storey podium, introducing landscaped open spaces and a linear park for what lead architect Mansoor Kazerouni calls “an oasis in a vibrant, connected neighbourhood.”
The exterior features a dark façade and dynamic lines, including basket weave styled balconies, a charcoaltoned, perforated metal facade and warm, wood-look accents — adding to the vitality of the neighbourhood with a sculptural appeal.
“For me, Yonge and Eglinton is probably one of the most exciting parts of the city to live in, in terms of its vibrancy, its energy, its diversity, its connectedness,” says Kazerouni, IBI’s global director of buildings. “It’s that idea that we tried to embody architecturally in the design.”
Responding to that, Fenton expects to see a range of buyers at the site, including those already renting in the Yonge and Eglinton community, looking for an opportunity to own. He also envisions purchasers coming from throughout the city, attracted by the proximity not just to the Crosstown, but to the Yonge subway line, as well as local boutique shopping, restaurants and parkland — all of which add to the liveliness the team behind Line 5 want to honour.
“We really wanted to make sure we found the right opportunity to make our mark on this location,” Fenton says.
Sales are opening soon for Line 5’s first phase, with studio to three-bedroom layouts available. Ranging from 385 to more than 1,000 square feet, they’re priced from the $300,000s. Occupancy is slated for September 2022.
To register for Line 5 Condos, visit line5condos.com.