Welcome to my blog on housing, culture, and design! I’m Steve Fudge and I’m celebrating over 3 decades as a realtor and property consultant in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Toronto is often called – ‘The City of Neighbourhoods‘ – due to the strength and vitality of the many unique communities within its borders. It currently has 120 official neighbourhoods to its name. Unofficially? The total is probably closer to 240. Each of these ‘pockets’, either symbolically or literally, represents a unique history, culture, or class of residents, and those distinctions are reflected in the amenities, food, architecture, and infrastructure found there.
One hundred years ago, there weren’t so many small divisions, but there was definitely one big one of note: the east side typically housed the working class, while the west side accommodated a mix of residents, including the more affluent merchant and professional classes. This is because, in a booming centre of production and commerce, the most desirable locations are those which aren’t downwind from all the industry. In Toronto, our lake breezes once blew all of the city’s smoke, soot, and stench over the east end. From Toronto’s inception, this hardly appealed to the affluent, so they located north and west, leaving the less desirable east side for the working class. Remnants of this division are still felt today, specifically in the slightly marginally lower house prices that the east side enjoys. You can read more about this in my blog, ‘Why Toronto’s East Side Real Estate Has Historically Been Cheaper‘.
Toronto neighbourhoods are constantly in flux, and as the City booms, many of its urban neighbourhoods continue to undergo significant transformation. For example, over the past decades we’ve seen urban blight become CityPlace, where obsolete industrial lands have been transformed for our post-industrial economies. We’ve seen Regent Park – one of the many block-busting attempts in the 1950s to revitalize the slums of urban cities in North America – begin its reinvention in 2006. When it is complete, ultimately 20,000 people will live in a blended mix of market condos and community housing, plus seniors housing and purpose-built rental buildings. We’ve also witnessed the Distillery District become architecturally preserved while modern infill towers become home to Toront0’s growing population.
Nearby, the neighbourhoods of The Garden District & Moss Park are also undergoing reinvention. Unlike the previously mentioned locations, these areas are not former industrial lands nor are they subject to being blockbusted. Instead, the existing fabric will be intensified and densified by private developers who have been assembling land, or who are seeking approvals to intensify existing sites by adding more units at a time when Toronto, Ontario, Canada is in a housing crisis.
These areas contain a mix of housing, ranging from shelters and low-income housing to fancy-pants domiciles. Surrounded by Cabbagetown to the northeast, Corktown to the southeast, and Regent Park to the east, plus Church Street Village to the northwest, the St. Lawrence Market Neighbourhood to the southwest, these areas are well-situated. Intersected by several transit lines (the new Ontario Line will have a Moss Park Station right at Queen); the City’s cycling network; and oodles of sidewalks & park paths to stroll on foot, many current residents walk or cycle to work every day. And why not when the Financial District, Hospital Row, Queen’s Park & Toronto City Hall, or our institutions of higher learning (U of T, Metropolitan University, and George Brown College) employ tens of thousands of people and are located only minutes away?
In other words, The Garden District & Moss Park are convenient accessible neighbourhoods that are ripe for redevelopment.
Under Construction & Pending Approvals
According to our friends at UrbanToronto, in the square area outlined in our map below – which spans from Queen East north to Gerrard East, and from Church Street east to Parliament Street – there are a total of 8 mixed-use developments containing 2583 units currently under construction.
Furthermore, there are an additional 15 mixed-use developments pending approvals by the City. These developments will add 5117 units.
In total, there are 7700 dwellings under construction or proposed in just 9 city blocks.
Here’s the list of what’s under construction, followed by proposed developments.
Under Construction:
From Queen Street north to Gerrard Street, and Church Street east to Parliament Street
Total: 2583 Units at 8 sites
The following developments – totaling 2583 units at 8 locations within these 9 city blocks – are currently under construction!
• A 52-storey mixed-use condo tower
• 587 Residential Units
• Designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects for St Thomas Developments
• Situated on the northeast corner of Queen Street East and Dalhousie Street in Downtown Toronto. Retail and office space are found in the podium.
• A 34-storey mixed-use condominium
• 369 Residential Units
• Designed by IBI Group for the Parallax Investment Corp and Harlo Capital
• Situated on the northeast corner of Mutal Street and Queen Street East, in Church-Yonge Corridor.
20 Mutual (‘The Elm’)
• A 27-storey and a 28-storey mixed-use rental building
• 542 Residential Units
• Designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects and Turner Fleischer Architects for Fitzrovia Real Estate Inc.
• Fronting on Mutual and Dalhousie Streets
89 Church (‘The Saint’)
• A slender and elegant tower rising above Church and Adelaide Streets
• 418 Residential Units
• This condo preserves the historic buildings of the neighbourhood while making a modern design statement.
81 Shuter (‘Garden District Condos’)
• A 32-storey condominium
• 234 Residential Units
• Designed by architectsAlliance for Hyde Park Homes and The Sher Corporation
• Rises behind heritage buildings at 79, 81, and 85 Shuter
191 Parliament (‘Parliament & Co’)
• An 11-storey mixed-use condominium
• 337 square metres of retail and 6,235 square metres of office on floors 2-5
• ‘Warehouse’ live-work units above
• An 9-storey mixed-use rental problem
• 80 units
• Designed by Studio JCI for Core Development Group
• Situated on the north side of Parliament Street of Shuter Street, in Cabbagetown South.
• The final building of Phase 3 of Regent Park’s revitalization
• 324 units
• Designed by superkül for The Daniels Corporation
• Situated on the southeast corner of Gerrard Street East and Parliament Street.
Pending Approvals
In addition to the 8 mixed-use developments currently under construction, there are an additional 15 mixed-use developments pending approvals by the City.
These developments will add 5117 units.
Here is a summary broken down by street.
Proposed Developments On Sherbourne Street – From Queen Street, North to Gerrard Street East
Total: 1721 units
• A proposed 49 and 47-storey mixed-use rental building.
• 511 Residential Units
• Designed by PARTISANS for Fitzrovia Real Estate Inc.
• Situated on the northeast corner of Sherbourne Street and Shuter Street, in Toronto’s Garden District.
• A proposed 47-storey mixed-use condominium building
• 619 Residential Units
• Designed by Hariri Pontarini Architects for KingSett Capital
• Situated on the west side of Sherbourne Street south of Dundas Street East, in Toronto’s Garden District.
• A proposed 20-storey rental building
• 392 Residential Units
• Designed by superkül for MPI Group
• Situated on the southwest corner of Sherbourne Street and Glenholme Place, in Toronto’s Moss Park.
• A proposed 15-storey condominium building
• 199 Residential Units
• Designed by superkül for Forum Asset Management
• Situated on the southeast corner of Sherbourne Street and Gerrard Street East, in Toronto’s Cabbagetown
Proposed Developments On Queen Street East – From Church Street East to Parliament Street
Total: 1546 Units
• A proposed 40-storey mixed-use condominium building
• 440 Residential Units
• Designed by IBI Group for 1332904 Ontario Ltd. & Max Klaczkowski
• Situated on the southwest corner of Queen Street East and Jarvis Street, in Toronto’s Old Town.
• A proposed 45-storey mixed-use condominium building
• 516 Residential Units
• Designed by Arcadis for Dash Developments
• Situated on the southwest corner of Queen Street East and Sherbourne Street, in Toronto’s Old Town.
• A proposed 25-storey mixed-use residential building
• 446 Residential Units
• Designed by Graziani + Corazza Architects for ONE Properties
• Situated on the southeast corner of Queen Street East and McFarrens Lane in the Moss Park area
• A proposed 17-storey mixed-use condominium building
• 144 Residential Units
• Designed by BDP Quadrangle for Berkeley Events
• Situated on the southwest corner of Queen Street East and Berkeley Street, in Toronto’s Old Town
Proposed Developments On Jarvis Street – From Queen Street, north to Gerrard Street East
Total: 874 Units
• A proposed 22-storey mixed-use rental and condominium building
• 256 Residential Units
• Designed by Giannone Petricone Associates for Antorisa Investments Ltd
• Situated on the northwest corner of Jarvis Street and Gerrard Street East, in Toronto’s Garden
• A proposed 60-storey mixed-use rental and condominium building
• 618 Residential Units
• Designed by Arcadis for CentreCourt
• Situated on the east side of Jarvis Street north side of Dundas Street East, in Toronto’s Garden District.
Dundas Street East Developments – From Church Street, East to Parliament Street
Total: 743 Units
• A proposed 52-storey mixed-use condominium, rental-replacement & retail building
• 630 Residential Units
• Designed by Turner Fleischer Architects for Metropia and Greybrook
• Situated on the south side of Dundas Street East, west of Pembroke Street in Toronto’s Garden District.
• A proposed 4-storey affordable rental building
• 12 Residential Units
• Designed by Hilditch Architect for St. Jude Community Homes
• Situated on the southwest corner of Dundas Street East and Milan Street, in Toronto’s Cabbagetown South.
• A proposed 10-storey mixed-use building
• 101 Residential Units
• Designed by BDP Quadrangle for Plaza Partners
• Situated on the southwest corner of Dundas Street East and Berkeley Street, in Toronto’s Cabbagetown.
Proposed Developments On Gerrard Street East – From Church Street, East to Parliament Street
Total: 233 Units
• A proposed 7-storey mixed-use rental building
• 39 Residential Units
• Designed by COMN Architects for 211 Gerrard East Inc
• Situated on the southeast corner of Gerrard Street East and Seaton Street, in Toronto’s Cabbagetown South.
• A proposed 10-storey mixed-use market-rate and affordable rental building
• 194 Residential Units
• Designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects for Yonge Street Mission and New Commons Development
• Situated on the north side of Gerrard Street East, east of Parliament Street, in Toronto’s Cabbagetown.
There was a time when the housing stock in each ‘urban village’ tended to be accorded a premium or a discount depending on the area’s status and desirability. However, these distinctions and differences have narrowed as the city’s population has grown, commuting times have ballooned, and the dominant shelter typology in the central core has seen condominium housing surpass freehold dwellings. As a result, freehold dwellings in all locations have become more coveted and desirable in the downtown core, while the premiums or discounts that in early times were based on the particular blocks of any street have all but evaporated.
Instead of some urban neighbourhoods being coveted, and others not, everywhere is now considered premium. What property is worth tends to now be calculated based on its value as land (size, features, highest and best use) and the structures on it (age, size, condition, and architectural merit). And most every city street has properties that may be considered strictly as ‘land value’, while others may be deemed ‘executive pedigree’. And each will find its Buyer.
Such is the case as Toronto continues its journey forward.
With the densification of this section of Sherbourne Street from Gerrard to Queen – and the surrounding area – assuredly we can expect an increase in amenities to accommodate the residents of this neighbourhood. How wonderful to live in a community on the brink of such exciting change!
Allow us to introduce this 3bed multi-level townhome that’s tucked away in a gated courtyard community – which is NOW SOLD:
We’re Singing Shangri-La-La-La On Sherbourne Street
Surrounded by Cabbagetown to the northeast, Corktown to the southeast, and Regent Park to the east, plus Church Street Village to the northwest, the St. Lawrence Market Neighbourhood to the southwest, and the Garden District to the west, Moss Park offers a supportive blend of convenience, community, and culture.
280 Sherbourne Street is a collection of 18 multi-level townhomes that share a private courtyard behind secure gates – and very rarely come to market! Beloved by its community of residents, these red brick residences – constructed in 1977 – were built to complement the Victorian residential fabric in the area. Comprising two rows of townhomes staggered in height and separated by a tranquil refuge of mature plantings and tiered stone paths, the row facing Sherbourne Street features fenced garden terraces within the private courtyard while the back row of townhomes enjoys private terraces on the west side of the complex overtop the secure exclusive-use carports accessible from the laneway.
Questions? Contact nadia@urbaneer.com!
Looking for more on how neighbourhoods develop? Try one of these posts!
Gentrification, Densification, And The History Of Toronto Real Estate
Are You An Architectural History Buff? We Adore The Dazzling Distillery District!
A Brief History On The Old & The Emerging New Dupont
A Brief History On The Intensification Of The Danforth In Toronto
From Brownfield To Playing Field: A Brief History Of Toronto’s Davenport Village
A Brief History Of Toronto’s Little India Neighbourhood
A Short History Of Toronto’s Fashion District And Art Deco Architecture
Excavating The History Of Toronto’s Avenue Road
Garden City: The History And Revitalization Of Toronto’s Regent Park Neighbourhood
A Mini History On St. James Town
Want to have someone on your side?
Since 1989, I’ve steered my career through a real estate market crash and burn; survived a slow painful cross-country recession; completed an M.E.S. graduate degree from York University called ‘Planning Housing Environments’; executed the concept, sales & marketing of multiple new condo and vintage loft conversions; and guided hundreds of clients through the purchase and sale of hundreds of freehold and condominium dwellings across the original City of Toronto. From a gritty port industrial city into a glittering post-industrial global centre, I’ve navigated the ebbs and flows of a property market as a consistent Top Producer. And I remain as passionate about it today as when I started.
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Thanks for reading!
-The Urbaneer Team
Steven Fudge, Sales Representative
& The Innovative Urbaneer Team
Bosley Real Estate Ltd., Brokerage – (416) 322-800
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Celebrating Thirty-Four Years As A Top-Producing Toronto Realtor
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