Designing for buyers’ futures
New condo 900 St. Clair West includes an age-in-place approach by offering the opportunity for purchasers to reshape their suites
Bill Wiener will likely live out his life right beside the supermarket parking lot where he learned to ride a bike as a young lad.
He and his wife Lillyann, both still “vibrant and healthy” in their 60s, have bought three adjacent condo units in a nearby midtown building so they can grow old in a familiar, walkable community.
Two suites will be combined initially then reconfigured to meet their needs — possibly including an on-site caregiver — down the road.
“We’re happy in our house but when it’s time to move, what we’re looking for may not be available,” Bill said about their creative plan to age in place.
Worth a total of $4.5 million, last fall’s triple purchase at the development, 900 St. Clair West, gives peace of mind to the long-time residents of the Cedarvale neighbourhood.
Here’s their plan for the units, currently under construction in the 12-storey Canderel development that’s billed as the Spirit of St. Clair:
Suites of 600 and 1,000 square feet have been combined into one 1,600-sq.ft. living space with three bedrooms and three bathrooms; the third adjoining unit with 2,000 square feet, two bedrooms and two bathrooms remains separate.
The Wieners will initially rent out both apartments then reconfigure the units when they’re ready to live there. The original 1,000-sq.-ft. unit will be joined with the 2,000-sq.-ft. space to create one large suite for them. The 600-sq.-ft. space, which has a kitchen and one bedroom, will be severed for a housekeeper or maybe a future caregiver. That person would live independently but have access to the couple through a connecting door.
“We’re being very practical,” said Lillyann, explaining they’ll likely move in
“five to 10 years, probably closer to 10 years.”
The empty nesters’ plan is a new twist on an emerging trend as Toronto’s population of senior citizens grows. Currently accounting for 15 per cent of residents, seniors are expected to almost double in the next 20 years.
With that demographic shift comes increased demand for age-in-place housing that allows independent living. A report released last year by Sotheby’s International Realty Canada and Mustel Group revealed that 86 per cent of baby boomers and older homeowners want to stay put as long as possible. Most prefer to remain in their current neighbourhood, and those who expect to move will be downsizing, typically to a single-level condominium.
Developers are starting to open the door for purchasers to merge or reshape units. Canderel is showing how to do it, with its current project in Toronto’s St. Clair West Village neighbourhood.
Two other buyers with plans similar to the Wieners’ are also combining suites, said Andy Yu, vice-president of sales at RAD Marketing, which is handling sales and marketing for Canderel.
“Condos have become smaller and smaller,” he said, explaining the interest in double units, particularly among people moving from spacious homes in nearby Forest Hill, for example.
At 900 St. Clair West, located in a well-priced neighbourhood with a “charming, homey feel,” spaces of 490 to 2,100 square feet sell for $450,000 to $2.5 million, Yu said.
While there’s a handful of suites left in the red-brick building, Canderel’s next project at 908 St. Clair West will offer more opportunities for customization when it launches later this year.
The Wieners exemplify a trend that Yu calls “right-sizing.” The parents of two grown sons will be leaving a big house with room to roam outdoors for a more suitable yet still spacious residence with a 1,500sq.-ft. wrap-around terrace.
Bill Wiener, who works in real estate investment and management, describes their neighbourhood of many years as “special — a great place to be where you interact with people.”
“It’s not highfalutin, it’s a more down-to-earth community,” he said, listing mom-and-pop stores, coffee shops, cycling paths and proximity to Cedarvale Ravine among the area’s assets.
Their new piece of fourthfloor real estate checks off all the boxes, said Wiener, one of the founders of the renowned Distillery District, in Toronto. The active sexagenarian commends 900 St. Clair West for its fitness centre, price point, security and size (neither too big nor too small). In addition, the well-reputed, 46-year-old development company, Canderel, was flexible in accommodating their requests, he said.
“We were really, really impressed with this builder,” he said, adding “fabulous” inhouse interior designer Kathy Chow was a huge help in adapting their space — a redesign that happened before construction began.
When the time comes, separating the units — joined with drywall — will be easy, he said. “You just take a knife, cut out the opening, put in trim and you’re done.”
For Chow, reconfiguring the suites to suit the couple’s future needs was a “very unique experience.
“It’s very exciting to recreate three units into a potential home for them,” she said, adding the goal was to “create spaces that make the most sense” while providing maximum functionality and satisfying the Wieners’ wishes.
“They knew exactly what they wanted, which was really great,” she said, recalling the creation of a bike storage space close to the front door and a handy broom closet in the laundry area.
Chow said when she’s designing for older residents in general, she likes to keep spaces open, minimize hallways and provide abundant natural light.