A village within a village
Qwest aims to create a complete community from once-private space
From a sixth-floor balcony across the street, there’s a bird’s-eye view of the construction taking place at the former Soeurs de la Visitation property just west of Island Park Drive and Richmond Road.
A trio of buildings are quickly rising out of the ground in front of the former convent abbey, forming a line of condos that will front the heritage structure, linked together with giant archways that invite pedestrians in to what will become the hub of the “village within a village”.
It’s a fascinating opportunity to get a sense of the scale of Ashcroft’s mammoth QWest project, which will eventually see 1,000 units in eight buildings and about 60,000 square feet of retail space. “I love watching these guys down here. It’s incredible how much they do in a day,” vicepresident Nicole Choo says of the construction workers.
Ashcroft is using that sixth-floor unit at 101 Richmond as the model home to sell QWest, showing finishes and features that will be similar in its cousins across the street.
“I live in this building and I love the closet space,” says Choo, daughter of founder David Choo. Indeed, the closet space is ample in the twobedroom-plus-study unit, including a walk-in closet in the master.
The open-concept plan is contemporary and bright, opening from the front door to a pocket office on one side or the main living area that forms a long space straight through to a window wall at the end of the room.
In keeping with the contemporary theme, sliding barn-style doors are used for both the master and second bedroom. In fact, the second room has corner sliders for either an open, extra living space or a private room.
Although the model is not exactly what will be found at QWest, it’s close. At 906 square feet, it’s done in mostly standard finishes, boasting a white, European-style kitchen with soft-close pot drawers, quartz counters and hardwood throughout. Bathrooms have modern fixtures with a soaker tub in the main and glassed-in shower in the ensuite.
Hits of gold add a bit of glitz to the neutral decor, including in the interesting choice of a floor lamp that uses an assault rifle for its base. And in a clever use of space, a trio of funky wall racks doubles as wine storage.
Overall, it makes for an eclectic decor likely to appeal to both the young professionals and the downsizers that are making up a majority of the purchasers, says Choo, adding that the three QWest buildings are 90-, 51- and 59-per-cent sold so far. (101 Richmond is 93-per-cent sold and 111 Richmond, which is also under construction next door, is 77-per-cent sold.)
That decor was just part of the appeal for 29-year-old Mili Sampat, who is eagerly awaiting completion of her one-bedroom unit and ready to leave her suburban townhouse.
“Technically in square footage I’m downsizing, but I like to think of it as upsizing my location,” she says with a laugh. Location, layout, finishes and amenities all combined to make the choice “perfect” for her.
Along with redevelopment of the abbey, amenities will include a home theatre, games/events room, private dining room with kitchen, rooftop terrace with outdoor kitchen, dining and lounge areas (including hot tub), and pet-grooming, bike and ski tune up areas, along with bike storage, in the basement.
“I think it’s going to be an amazing intersection of pedestrian, shops, park and sitting areas,” Choo says of the whole project.