Smaller suites, more shared space
City Lights condo towers at Yonge and Eglinton will feature 28,000 square feet of communal areas
Space — shared space — can be an important frontier for owners of smaller condominiums.
At Pemberton Group’s Citylights on Broadway, in midtown Toronto, Wallman Architects and interior designer Elaine Cecconi, of Cecconi Simone, have gone boldly into that frontier.
With two condo towers and 596 units ranging from 405 square feet to 890 square feet, the pair struck on a plan to maximize the shared amenity space — a total of 28,000 square feet. They wanted to give residents more room to relax and mingle while also offering secluded cubbies to just chill.
Cecconi said using every nook and cranny available came out of the realization that, between the two buildings, there are a lot of smaller suites and a need for more communal space.
“We worked with the architects to find opportunities to create interesting amenities and I think we have,” explained Cecconi.
“There’s a wonderful amount of space in the podium but we’ve also created smaller spaces within that space, which allows for smaller more intimate areas.”
Enhancing the sightlines and sense of expanse meant ensuring larger “rooms,” such as the yoga area, for example, opened up onto a serene Zen garden. The intention was to bring the indoors to the outdoors.
“There’s a green wall in the yoga area, a waterfall in the pool area, and the gym overlooks the basketball court,” she said, noting the idea was to make it all visually stimulating. “People have the option to mingle. Or not.”
Starting at $199,990 and ranging to the mid-$400,000s, City Lights’ suites includes studios, one-bedrooms, one-with-den and two-bedroom units at Broadway and Redpath Aves., near Yonge St. and Eglinton Ave.
“We’ve also created smaller spaces . . . which allows for smaller, more intimate areas.” ELAINE CECCONI DESIGNER
The South Tower is now on the sales deck, with occupancy set for spring 2019. The North Tower has occupancy aimed at 2018.
Citylights’s very walkable and transitoriented midtown location is a big draw. As are condo sizes and prices for firsttime buyers.
Broker Mariana Durcikova notes it’s also the shared space and amenities that attract buyers.
“I think what’s important to these buyers is that they want to be able to entertain friends and family, but it’s difficult to get 10 or 15 people in a smaller condo unit,” she said.
“So what we have here are not just large party rooms but areas divided up into smaller spaces, too.”
The main amenities are pretty impressive, starting with the Broadway Club, with more than 18,000 square feet of in- door leisure and entertainment facilities and then another 10,000 square feet of outdoor space.
“There’s even a boxing area. But the pool and outdoor theatre are fantastic,” said Durcikova, noting the trend in condos is moving away from privacy and anonymity and towards a sense of community.
Sports and fitness amenities at Citylights include a half basketball/ badminton court and a full-on fitness centre with a wide range of workout options, including yoga, a Pilates and spinning studio, a cardio studio with treadmills, elliptical and spin bikes and a strength-training area with fitbox and free weights. The project also has three guest suites, a demonstration-style chef’s kitchen and 24/7 concierge service.
The jewels, however, are two rooftop pool areas, with cabanas, hammocks, a connecting bridge and surrounded by lounge areas that include fire pits and barbecues. There is also an outdoor theatre with arena-style, tiered seating.
Condominiums with 1,500 residents are small villages, said Cecconi, noting there is a new emphasis on gathering places, such as coffee shops and condo amenity spaces.
In that vein, Citylights’s outdoor theatre with stadium seating invites people to gather and socialize, using the screen for anything from movies to live sporting events best shared with a crowd.
Not a typical condo amenity, the theatre was created from an unusual wedge of space around the buildings’ podium. Going with the premise that no space should go unused or unwanted, brainstorming led the design team to create the theatre and stadium seating.
Outside the building, which features a high Walk Score of 93, almost everything can be done on foot, with an array of restaurants and retail in the neighbourhood that includes the Yonge-Eglinton centre’s 75 shops.
For transit, the score is again high, with the Yonge subway line a stroll away, 54 bus routes in and around the area, plus the new Eglinton LRT.