NEW NEIGHBOURS
Forest Hill condominium offers luxury units while trying not to stand out,
The hushed, leafy streets of Forest Hill are no longer immune to Toronto’s condo-city transformation.
The 200 Russell Hill project by Hirsh Development Group has quietly raised the bar on luxury living. Suites at the development in the Spadina Rd. and St. Clair Ave. W. area start at $3.2 million and top out at a jaw-dropping $12 million.
Tentatively planned for occupancy in fall 2018, the 22 units in the fivestorey development will range from about 2,000 square feet to 5,000 square feet, although buyers have the option of combining two suites into a single home.
“To get multi-unit development like this in this neighbourhood is really unheard of . . . This was a 10-year fight to get this approved,” said developer Simon Hirsh, whose company is known for custom and high-end vacation homes.
Residents initially opposed condos because they were afraid they would destroy old trees and the habitat for red-tailed hawks in the area, said retired city councillor Michael Walker.
When Hirsh bought the property in 2014, it was already zoned as a condominium.
Neighbours, who had objected to other development proposals in the area, had no appetite for another fight on that site, said Al Pearson, president of the South Hill District Homeowners Association. He’s met with Hirsh and approves. “I think people are really pleased with what he’s putting in. It’s high end — $2,200 a square foot. There’s only about 22 condos in there,” said Pearson.
Neighbours, he said, are less enthusiastic about other, denser development proposals in the area.
Although 200 Russell Hill’s highend features and finishes are unique in the Toronto market, it’s the kind of project that is likely to show up more as the supply of developable land dwindles in Toronto, Hirsh said.
“There is a trend toward people wanting to stay in these high-end neighbourhoods and have buildings that offer a little more efficiency as far as the number of units,” he said.
“These are going to be boutiquestyle, midrise condos,” said Hirsh. “Like this project, they fit well in the neighbourhood, not overpowering to the existing homes and it’s not changing the terrain or the skyline.”
“It’s true that the highrise areas were the first to be aggressively developed. Now the development is looking at more gentle densities in more-established neighbourhoods,” said Cherise Burda, director of the Ryerson City Building Institute.
Maintaining the character of a neighbourhood is key with these projects, she said, “whether it’s fitting into the very expensive high-end character that (Forest Hill) is, or it’s modern and fitting into a type of character like Roncesvalles or Parkdale, where it’s more rustic looking.”
The 200 Russell Hill sales centre on the west side of the street can’t be seen from the road where it slopes and winds dramatically south of St. Clair Ave. W.
The only hint that there’s a building in the offing is a series of black metal panels along the driveway.
But the drama escalates from the two enormous arrangements of fresh white roses flanking the sales centre’s threshold on a chilly April Friday.
Lori Morris, whose designs have graced luxury homes around the continent, has fashioned the sales centre into two of her signature interiors — one contemporary, the other more traditional, although there is nothing remotely staid about the sumptuous furnishings, fabrics and fixtures contained within the leather-strapped, flannel walls.
The official launch for the project doesn’t come until May 14, but units are already selling, said Hirsh.
His clients — Forest Hill downsizers and high-end downtown dwellers sick of having their views blocked by galloping construction — want the simplicity of condo living in the comfort of a familiar, residential enclave.
“We’re offering them the best of the best in the best neighbourhood. That is enough for them to say they’re willing to give up the big home and have maintenance-free living and still maintain a certain level of luxury and prestige,” he said.
The interiors are eye-popping. But, said Hirsh, “the location is the best part of the whole project.”
It’s not just the neighbourhood but the leafy setting.
“We back onto Sir Winston Churchill Park and onto the ravine to the south so you have your views completely protected,” he said. “There will be no development to the south or the west to infringe on the views. You’ve got walking trails, access to (Forest Hill) village, great proximity to very high end, quiet, residential neighbourhood.”
The building’s exterior front of traditional limestone and a Mansardstyle roof fits with the neighbourhood, said Hirsh. There’s a more contemporary facade on the ravine and park side.
“When people are in the park looking back up at this building, I want it to start to disappear. I don’t want to affect the view from the path and the trails,” he said.
Homeowners will enjoy a full range of hotel-style conveniences ranging from valet parking in the three underground decks to a complimentary espresso bar and a full-service wine lounge where they can store their personal collections.
All that luxury will be overseen by an attaché offering a much higher level of service than the standard building concierge.
According to Hirsh, “There is really nothing else like this.”