Inclusive and diverse
The Manderley Condos in Scarborough’s Birch Cliff area blend green features with extra room to bubble
The Manderley Condos are embracing conservation before shovels hit the ground, starting with a recycled sales centre.
Formerly serving the same purpose for Core Development Group’s nearby Clonmore Urban Towns, the site and single- storey building were purchased by Nova Ridge Development and rebranded to showcase The Manderley, a 12-storey property slated to rise over the northwest corner of Kingston Road and Manderley Drive in Scarborough’s Birch Cliff neighbourhood. Occupancy is planned for late 2023.
“We’re reusing and recycling,” Nova Ridge vice-president Brett Llewellyn-thomas says of the development’s more detailed conservation plans. “Now the real work starts.”
Part of that work entails installing electric- vehicle charging stations, ample bicycle parking and a green roof designed to control indoor temperatures by deflecting excess heat. The centrepiece of Nova Ridge’s eco- endeavours involves drilling more than 70 metres into the ground under the Manderley to create a geothermal heating and cooling system in partnership with Toronto- based Subterra Renewables. According to Subterra CEO Lucie Andlauer, this will free up square footage by eliminating many conventional HVAC system components and achieve energy savings of as much as 80 per cent.
Some of that extra square footage will be used to accommodate amenities and suite features that will help the Manderley “compete against all those downtown projects that are trying to cram in as many units as possible to keep price points down,” Llewellyn- Thomas says, adding Nova Ridge made an effort to price the Manderley’s 23 three- bedroom units below $800,000. “It’s really hard for families to get anything for under a million dollars with three bedrooms. Even if you’re talking about our one-bedrooms” — 138 of those units start at around $ 400,000 — “those are bigger spaces that can easily accommodate a guest and offer a ton of outdoor space thanks to all the terracing along the north facade.”
Open- concept suites ranging from 400 to 1,100 square feet will feature oversized windows, extended-height cabinetry and stainless- steel appliances, with quartz countertops, polished chrome accents and modern glass shower stalls in the bathrooms.
Appointed by Michael London Design, the building will have two groundfloor lobbies and a rooftop party room. The former will be clad in natural stone, bleached wood and polished steel, while the latter will be furnished with a billiards table, fireplace and catering kitchen, all of which will be wrapped by an outdoor terrace with dining and barbecue areas. Other amenities elsewhere in the building include a pair of meditation patios on the eighth floor, a second- floor fitness centre and co- working spaces, a meeting room and a children’s indoor- outdoor play area on the third floor.
“Because of the pandemic, there’s been a realization that large open amenity spaces aren’t always the best option,” Llewellyn-thomas says. “So we’re giving people these breakout- style rooms that can accommodate single households and offer extra value with the growing work-from-home crowd.”
“I love how inclusive and diverse our community is,” Llewellyn-thomas says of the Manderley’s Birch Cliff setting, “but at the same time you can jump in your car or an Uber and you’re downtown in 20 minutes, or in the Beaches or at the Scarborough Bluffs in less than 10.”
Lakefront walking and cycling paths, meanwhile, pick up just east and west of the site, with the Victoria Park subway station 30 minutes away on foot. “This is a neighbourhood where you’re close to the action, yet outside the hecticness of the downtown core,” says Llewellyn-thomas.
“There are good schools in the area, you’ve got main street shopping along Kingston Road, and with all the residential development we feel Birch Cliff will be the next area to take off.”
Nova Ridge is releasing units to a “select group” of brokers before deciding to adjust pricing or embarking on a full public launch, he notes. “We’re finding that people are either hesitant, or are of the mindset that now is the time to get the best pricing because everything’s going to go up next year.”
Prices start in the high $ 400s. For more information, visit manderleycondos.com.