On The Map
Valera in Burlington a mix of condos and townhouses
After graduating from Brock university in 2002, Tariq Adi went car shopping with his brother Saud, who had recently finished studies at Niagara College. The two had always planned to move in together closer to Toronto when they both finished school. They figured sharing wheels would make it easier to get around.
“The car dealership happened to be in Burlington, which turned out to be serendipitous,” says Tariq.
While out for a spin, the brothers went on a reconnaissance mission. They admired Spencer Smith Park in Burlington’s downtown. “It’s probably the most beautiful and preserved downtown in the GTA,” says Tariq. That’s due to easy access to the lake, “a strategic move that is smarter than and shut it off from the public view,” he says. “I was so impressed. I thought, ‘This is a nice place to live.’ ”
Others agree. In 2019, Maclean’s rated Burlington the number-one mid-size city to live in Canada.
Sitting at the elbow of the Horseshoe on Lake Ontario, Burlington takes advantage of the spectacular Niagara escarpment views up north, Tariq points out. “Over the years, it has transitioned from a suburban bedroom community to an urban centre, and it’s more transit oriented.”
Tariq and Saud ended up buying the red VW Golf. The following year they snatched up a house in Burlington, then kickstarted Adi developments, opening an office in the city.
As business progressed, the brothers — Tariq is president and CEO and Saud is COO — went from building their first project, a 23-unit townhouse, to contributing more than 3,500 homes to the community.
The latest is Valera, composed of two sleek horizontal buildings — nine and 10 storeys — that contain condos; 70 townhouses are tucked behind amid gardens.
units in both housing styles, designed by CORE Architects, are available in one- to- three-bedroom layouts, priced from the $600,000s and starting at 850 square feet. The movein date is set for december 2022.
After Valera launched last November, “90 per cent of the towns sold in a couple of weeks,” says Tariq. “COVID has created pent-up demand.” It’s been mostly local buyers, he adds.
In amenities, the building offers a pet spa, Crossfit centre and yoga studio. There’s also a rooftop pool with wood decking and low-slung seating, outdoor barbecues, a party room and games area. A separate dining space with kitchenette and private terrace will allow residents to host shindigs away from their suites.
With its sinewy walls, the double-height lobby designed by u31 has a contemporary feel that is carried into the sauna and steam rooms. But the big draw, as Tariq sees it, is the “proptech” features.
“Everything is done through your phone,” he says, from keyless door entry and facial and licence-plate recognition in the lobby, garage and lockers. Should friends visit post-covid and a resident isn’t home, he or she can let them into their suite remotely.
Wall panels in the units, meanwhile, will be app-integrated. “We’ve got elevator phones in the suites, so you don’t have to go into the hallway to call it,” says Tariq, while automated leak detection will notify a resident “if there’s a flood or the dishwasher leaks — the water shuts off mitigating a ton of risk,” he says. “We’re putting the home in the person’s palm.”
units start in the $600,000s for 850 square feet. For more information, visit adidevelopments.com. To visit the presentation centre at 4880 Valera road in Burlington, appointments can be made by calling 905467-5338.