Best of both worlds in Scarborough

TRICYCLE CONDOMINIUMS WILL ADD A NEW VITALITY IN MARKHAM AND ELLESMERE ROAD AREA LISA VAN DE VEN

Lash Group of Companies is hoping the third time’s a charm with the release of Tricycle Condominiums, the newest building at their ME Living master-planned community in Scarborough.

It follows up on the success of two previous phases — ME and ME2 — at the Markham and Ellesmere road location.

“ME and ME2 have been very successful sold-out projects,” says Lash president Larry Blankenstein. “You can see the revitalization in the area now that the first building is going up.”

Tricycle is the third of five condominium buildings currently approved at the ME Living site, which also includes a residential rental component, retail along Markham Road and a new city-run park. A more intimate offering than its predecessors, the building will feature just 144 units spread across 14 storeys, with one-bedroom-plus-den to three-bedroom-plus-den layouts ranging from 537- to 1,167-square feet and priced from the mid-$300,000s.

Like the towers before it, the third phase — currently in pre-construction — promises to help add new vitality to the local Scarborough neighbourhood, Blankenstein says, while providing “an alternative to downtown Toronto” for prospective buyers.

The developer expects many of those purchasers will come from Scarborough, ranging from first-time buyers and investors, to young families looking for a home. Others will just like what the area has to offer, including proximity to the planned subway extension, Highway 401 and the Scarborough Town Centre.

“We’re finding that people just like Scarborough and want to be in Scarborough,” Blankenstein says. “They don’t want to be in the hustle and bustle of downtown, but want to be close enough to reach downtown.”

While condominium growth has been booming for years in the centre of the city, it’s been slower to come to Scarborough, adds local councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker. Large-scale developments like ME Living, he says, add a new urban dynamic to the more suburban community — helping to create something that falls somewhere in between. Residents will be able to easily walk to the site’s retail components — a plus in the district, where accessing amenities has traditionally been car-dependent — and also take advantage of the new park, which is being planned by the city. “It’s literally at their doorstep,” he says.

“We’re starting to see the beginnings of that urban intensification,” De Baeremaeker adds. “The downtown urban vibe is moving out to Scarborough slowly right now. I think these are still the pioneers that are coming to Scarborough, but the subway is going to be built and that’s when I think you’ll see an explosion of people and condos.”

This development itself has been a long time coming, De Baeremaeker adds. He spent over a decade studying the Markham and Ellesmere neighbourhood, trying to come up with a revitalization plan that would bring new life to the area. He also worked closely with Lash to make sure the new condo community fit the needs of the residents already there, while adding density the area was lacking. That density, he says, can make the community a better bet for amenities like the boutique shops and cafés that downtowners take for granted.

“I think the people in this development will get the best of both worlds. They’ll get the higher density like you see in downtown Toronto,” De Baeremaeker says. “But it’s also in an area where it’s very easy to get around, with more park space than people can even utilize.”

To appeal to the diverse range of buyers expected at the site, the team at Turner Fleischer Architects — the same architect used for the first two phases — was brought on to design Tricycle, creating a contemporary esthetic that’s cohesive with the other buildings at the site. Taking a different approach inside, designer Paul Davies of Tanner Hill Associates is creating a more “luxurious” and “boutique” look than that found in the initial buildings, integrating more natural materials and neutral tones.

“The feel is really modern, lots of bright whites and greys,” Davies says. The lobby — home to a 16-hour executive concierge service — will feature statuary marble-clad walls, and an adjacent media lounge with a coffee bar and Wi-Fi-enabled study areas. Other amenity spaces include fitness facilities, a party room and a terrace on the seventh floor, as well as a barbecue area and outdoor seating.

“The finishes are very neutral. We want it to last for a long time,” Davies says of the overall esthetic throughout the interior common spaces. “The details will be in the lighting and ceiling — it will be pretty clean, the feel of it.”

The design isn’t all that’s clean and contemporary about Tricycle, either. The entire ME Living masterplanned project promises Scarborough a contemporary residential lifestyle. And for Lash, it was the chance to start clean and make their mark on the community.

“We like trailblazing into new neighbourhoods, and that’s a neighbourhood that hasn’t been revitalized in over 50 years,” Blankenstein says.

“We just felt Scarborough needed some revitalization, and we took a chance.”

Currently in registration, Tricycle is slated for December 2021 occupancy. To register, call 416-430-0003 or visit tricyclecondos.com.