Westlake a step closer to west-end urban village
Shops, cafes planned for community along lake
For the finale in its “urban village” design along the Etobicoke waterfront, Onni Group of Companies has launched the site’s fourth and final building overlooking Humber Pay Park and Mimico Creek.
Westlake Encore is the last phase of the Vancouver-based firm’s masterplanned community. The 45-storey glass tower — at Lake Shore Blvd. and Park Lawn Rd., on the northern side of Onni’s Westlake Village — will have 515 condos that range from 450-squarefoot studios to 1,270-square-foot twobedroom-plus-den suites.
The project also includes eight townhouses at the base of the building.
Encore began sales in April, with occupancy slated for spring 2017. Prices start at $229,900.
Suites will have nine-foot ceilings in the principal rooms, a choice of two interior colour schemes (“aqua” or “sage”), and a balcony or terrace accessed by sliding glass doors.
Kitchens come with GE Profile Energy Star stainless steel appliances, including a fridge, convection oven and microwave vented to the outside, dishwasher, and stacked front-loading washer and dryer.
Kitchens also will have stone countertops , glass-tile backsplashes and freestanding islands.
Bathrooms will have marble floor tile and ceramic tile with glass-tile accents in the bathtub and shower, as well as a stone countertop with undermount sink and soaker tub.
Onni launched the Westlake Village community two years ago. The four-tower development ultimately will comprise more than 1,800 units in all.
Designed by Page + Steele / IBI Group Architects, Encore will have 20,000 square feet of amenity space housed within the building’s sevenstorey podium.
There will be a fitness centre, indoor basketball and squash court, yoga room, as well as hot tub, steam room and sauna. Encore will have a party room — equipped with kitchen and bar — that opens onto a rooftop terrace with lounge seating, barbecue areas, cabanas and swimming pool.
The condo also will have two guest suites, pet grooming and car wash stations, and a business centre with work stations and Internet access.
Onni is billing the project as the area’s first “true urban village,” a self-sufficient community that the developer hopes will become a new shopping and lifestyle destination along the Etobicoke waterfront.
Westlake Village will have more than 60,000 square feet of retail, including a Metro supermarket, Shoppers Drug Mart, TD Canada Trust, as well as cafes, restaurants and additional shops. “I think it’s going to add tremendous value to a location that’s already in high demand,” says Onni’s Toronto-based sales manager, Sue Young, who notes the area does not have shops and stores.
“When residents have all those amenities and services downstairs, they really won’t have to travel very far,” she adds. “And that’s the biggest selling feature for most people.”
The development’s proximity to Humber Bay Park means recreational options are right at hand, including sailing in the bay, cycling paths and the Martin Goodman Trail.
And with Encore’s pricing and proximity to downtown Toronto — 15 minutes by car or public transit on a good day — the project should prove attractive to first-time buyers, downsizing buyers and investors alike, Young notes. “I feel we can sell this product to any market. It’s for people who want affordability but don’t really want to be in the downtown core with the hustle and bustle. They want the convenience, want to be near the water and want to be where they can have access to outdoor activities.” Westlake is the second condo community that Onni is building in Toronto. The firm is also developing four residential projects at Fort York that will include more than 1,000 units. The first building, Garrison at Fort York, took occupancy in November; the second tower, The Yards, is currently under construction. The third building, Local, is still in its preliminary sales phase, and recently had two additional storeys added. Plans for the fourth building at Fort York have not been unveiled. Meantime, Young notes that Onni is “actively looking for new sites” in Toronto. “If the site makes sense, it adds value and we see growth opportunities for our buyers,” she says, “then that’s something we’re interested in picking up.”