Making a great neighbourhood better
New townhomes will rise on the site of notorious Etobicoke strip club
Afresh face is coming to west-end street the Queensway, where an infamous adult entertainment club operated for more than 30 years.
Royal Q Towns, a 54-townhouse complex, launches for sale this fall. It will replace the House of Lancaster that closed this past July and was the site of several shootings over the decades.
“It (the strip club) was not just an offensive use, it was a blight on the streetscape where there are a lot of small restaurants and Mom-and-Pop shops. It’s directly across the street from a school, so the use was not compatible,” says Stafford Lawson, principal of Parallax Development Corp., which will build the project.
“We saw this as a rare opportunity to purchase a relatively small asset that has a broad, transformative impact on the entire neighbourhood — not just because of what we’re creating but what we are removing.”
Etobicoke-Lakeshore councillor Justin Di Ciano says the club’s closing and Parallax’s planned development is “great news for the residential community along the Queensway. The House of Lancaster’s time has passed. It didn’t belong in a residential community.”
He adds there is a need for more family-sized homes in the city and the three-floor Royal Q Towns will be “absolutely a win-win” for all involved.
“This neighbourhood has a lot going for it and until this opportunity fell on my lap, I’ll admit it wasn’t on my radar,” Lawson says. “But as we peeled back the layers, the story made a lot of sense.”
The Mimico GO station is within walking distance, and major highways are nearby.
“We looked at what the most appropriate housing type would be and that ultimately led to a less-ismore concept for this site,” Lawson says, about building the three-bedroom townhomes. “Unlike a highrise that can take three or four years to be constructed, this (townhouse) design adheres to the zoning bylaw, so there’s not a lengthy wait for approvals.
“The surrounding neighbours don’t have to have a vacant strip club as an eyesore on the street for a long time. And it’s great for buyers, as it will be a 13- or 14-month wait, rather than a three-year-or-more process.”
Designed in a contemporary style, Royal Q Towns are 1,500-squarefoot-plus in size and will start at under $1 million. The Royal Q complex will be U-shaped, standing four storeys tall along The Queensway — with retail shops at street level — and three-storey towns will form the “arms” of the U along Penhurst Ave. and Wesley St., with a landscaped courtyard in the centre.
About two thirds of those who have preregistered for the Royal Q Towns are families, with the others being downsizers — many of whom have roots in the neighbourhood and want to stay, yet no longer want large, detached homes.
Dave Colebrook, who lives nearby in the Sunnylea neighbourhood, describes that stretch of The Queensway east of Royal York Rd. “as a bit of a dog’s breakfast” currently but he sees the potential. “It’s slowly getting better and just north of there is a great area.
“It’s a bit of an anomaly. I think the location is one of the best in Toronto. You are minutes to the airport, minutes to downtown, minutes to the lake. It has great schools, parks — and Tom’s Dairy Freeze (a popular ice cream and burger takeout shop that opened 1969).”
Colebrook and his wife hope to buy one of the towns as an investment property they can rent out now and then have as a home when they downsize from their detached house, or where one of their children (ages 6 and 10) may one day live. “The location is the key thing and over time, we won’t need a massive house anymore. It’s a long-term investment and a good retirement plan.”
Lawson says the neighbourhood is stable and mature, with interesting shops and good restaurants. “It’s an awesome, human-scale street. The club was a sore spot on it. I really like this pocket of The Queensway. It’s a very walkable street that you want to stroll along in the evening. It has what all that the best neighbourhoods in Toronto have.”
As well, improvement plans are under way for The Queensway, says councillor Di Ciano. “This year, there are millions of dollars in investment going to The Queensway, including close to $1 million for a new landscape plan” to add trees and planters from Kipling Ave. to Park Lawn Rd.
A new Queensway Village, west of Royal York Rd., will add new midrise condo Queensway Park, as well as shops and restaurants.
“We were able to secure $1 million in funding for the (green space) park, as well. It will have an outdoor skating trail and Christmas trees in winter and in summer, it’s a place where little markets and festivals can happen,” says Di Ciano. “We wanted to invest in public spaces that are going to change the vibe and animate the street.”
Di Ciano says he’s encouraged by the retail space planned for The Queensway that will be part of the Royal Q Towns development, since they’ll be smaller units (600 to 800 square feet), blending in with other retail in the area.