Alluring Kingston Road
11-STOREY PROJECT IS COMING TO DESIRABLE WEST HILL COMMUNITY
Sean Lawrence, a partner at Kohn Partnership Architects, finds it amusing that, lately, when the phone rings there’s only one street new clients are asking about: Kingston Road.
“It’s become a joke in the office,” says Lawrence, who has 16 condominium projects along the popular strip (one is a rental building) in various degrees of development from Victoria Park to Pickering.
“They’re all different clients and one or two of them are at very early stages,” says Lawrence. “There’s a real desire to live in this part of the city, and I can certainly see why.”
Filled with diverse and attractive neighbourhoods, Kingston Road offers abundant green space and ravine houses with bluff views alongside urban pockets. The area, one that feels wholly authentic, shares traits with Parkdale, with the lake teasingly close by.
City planners, too, have taken notice of the major arterial street that runs from Queen East to Ajax. Kingston has been designated one of several “urban growth areas,” notes Lawrence.
“These development corridors are primarily midrise,” he says.
So as not to overwhelm with condos and to limit street-level shadows, city officials have imposed height restrictions on Kingston Road, keeping condos to eight storeys — a roadblock the architect faced when designing East Pointe by Mutual Developments. Located at 4569 Kingston Road, the Scarborough midrise has a move-in date of December 2024.
Originally zoned for eight floors, the 11-storey building features 104 suites. Pricing starts in the $400,000s. Units range in size from 388 to 1,036 square feet for one to three bedrooms. Interiors are by ESQAPE Design.
“The way the city guidelines are written is that there’s a height allowable on an avenue, which is based on the width of the right of way,” says Lawrence. “In other words, the wider the right of way, the higher the building can be.”
Lawrence says he “slenderized” the front part of the building “by taking a bite out of the tail of the building that slopes down to the rear and putting it along the height of Kingston Road.” Effectively, the building has a smaller floorplate as it gets taller, reducing shadow impact on the surrounding neighbourhood.
Lower levels will feature garden suites, so residents can enjoy outdoor space, while those on the south side of the upper levels will have views of the lake from their balconies.
“We’re trying to maximize glass in those areas, obviously, and at the same time we’re trying to be energy-efficient and reduce the carbon footprint,” says Lawrence.
One sustainable feature is the combination of a high albedo (solar reflective) and green roof. While it won’t be accessible to residents, it will reduce the building’s temperature by reflecting the sun’s UV rays. Additionally, energy from the residents’ washers and dryers will be recovered into the mechanical system for added efficiency.
Amenities, meanwhile, include a co-working space, a fitness centre, a party room, a boardroom and an outdoor area fitted with grilling and cooking stations.
On the tech side, there are key fobs for entering the building hands-free, electronic parcel storage, a virtual valet service that allows residents to interact within their community as well as secure 1.5 Gigabit internet.
So, who’s buying here? Lawrence says he had surprise visitors during the building’s planning stages. “We had a couple of seniors groups turn up at the meetings. They were saying, ‘We want to stay in this neighbourhood, but there’s nowhere to downsize to. We want to see more of this kind of development because it lets us retire within our existing community.’ ”
Mike Bowering, president of Mutual Developments, feels students are also a likely demographic.
“We’re only five minutes from U of T Scarborough. Centennial College is on the same campus,” says Bowering. “There’s a bus that goes from Morningside to Kingston Road near us. I’m pretty sure a few investors are buying and renting to students. At U of T, there’s not even 1,000 beds for 18,000 students.”
For that reason, Bowering points out that the co-working space is well equipped with multiple portals for a laptop, a full-size printer and private and group workstations.
As a 30-year resident of the neighbourhood himself, Bowering believes those choosing Kingston Road will find it both convenient and scenic.
“It is a higher-level, sophisticated neighbourhood,” he says. “You’re near the waterfront and the beaches. It’s close to the GO Train and the 401.” As for the site, Bowering likes that it’s beside Morningside Crossing. “The major anchor plaza has the LCBO, the Beer Store, Food Basics, three banks and Shoppers Drug Mart within 100 yards.”
Prices start in the $400,000s and the range in size is from 388 to 1,036 square feet for one- to three-bedroom units.
For more information, visit mutualdevelopments.com.