The man behind 133 Hazelton on tackling condos
While he cut his teeth building custom homes — a business he’s still active in — Sam Mizrahi, president and CEO of Mizrahi Developments, is now a boutique developer in the city’s luxury condo market. Construction just started on Mizrahi’s 133 Hazelton, with a new site, 181 Davenport, launching in September.
Q What do you look for in a site you want to develop?
A We pick locations based on community requirements, the necessity for it and for the lifestyle experience — where the city’s growing and what the environment there is offering.
Q Once you’ve chosen the property, how do you go about designing the right building to suit that site?
A We listen to the community — what do they want from a pedestrian experience, from a residential lifestyle experience — and then we reverse engineer the building to mirror that. Because I come from custom homebuilding, I’m able to customize each suite from inception by communicating with the homeowners, the community and all the stakeholders. We have community consultation meetings. We meet with the ratepayers’ association and build a consensus with the neighbours, so what we develop is in partnership with the community.
Q Is there anything else you take into consideration?
A We look at the architecture of the area and design buildings that look like they always fit in. You never want a building that looks brand new, that sticks out — you want it to be so fluid it looks like it always belonged there. Part of that is looking at what the roots of the community are, where it is today and where it wants to go. Bring all of those together and you create a building that feels natural on the street, that enhances the pedestrian experience and the whole neighbourhood.
Q Are buyers looking for anything different in a condominium building today than five or 10 years ago?
A Buyers today are far more educated, much more experienced, and they’re asking the right questions. They’re asking questions about acoustics and noise insulation. They’re asking about the building materials and the quality of the builder and the after-sales customer service. It’s raising the bar for developers and builders, requiring them to produce better product, so it’s a win-win situation.
Q How would you describe the Toronto condo market today?
A It is extremely strong, and part of that is because of immigration. We’ve got the best of the best in the world, which is why we live here and why I’m so proud to be Canadian and live in Toronto. We have cultures emigrating from all over the world, picking Toronto as one of their top places to call home, and it’s created this incredible long-standing place to build homes.
Q What do you think Toronto’s going to look like in another 10 years?
A You’ll see more of Toronto’s beauty revealed as developers start to take real responsibility in terms of the architecture they put in, partnered with the city. Toronto’s going to blossom over the next decade, and I’m so proud to see our city transform. It’s becoming a truly international city, and we couldn’t ask for more than that.