St. Hilda’s Towers Inc. underwent a deep energy efficiency retrofit to improve the property’s efficiency, resilience, and affordability—and did so in a cost-effective, replicable manner for other high-rise multifamily assets in cold-weather climates. The project investment history is unique in that the owner had limited reserves and did not contribute to the retrofit at the […]
Originally built in 1948, Regent Park is undergoing a decades-long redevelopment from low-income public housing to a mixed-income neighborhood with a focus on community health, economic development, and relocation supports.
The impetus for redevelopment began 25 years ago, stemming both from residents who demanded neighborhood improvements and from the foresight of the Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC), which also recognized the growing need for significant repairs. TCHC is leading the transformation—expected to be complete around 2030—and has prioritized health-promoting features such as parks, athletic grounds, a community center, and the area’s first supermarket. TCHC has also ensured that all original residents have the right to return to Regent Park and that they will be rehoused in an appropriate replacement unit.
The Shops at Waterloo Town Square is a redevelopment of a two city block, 25,548-square-meter (275,000-sq. ft.) enclosed shopping mall into a mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly district. The project reestablishes a strong street presence in Waterloo’s uptown district, with two new mixed-use buildings comprising 17,744 square meters (191,000 sq. ft.) of shops and restaurants and 9,290 square meters (100,000 sq. ft.) of office space. A new retail street bisects the 2.9-hectare (7.2-acre) site, breaking apart the superblock and bringing a human scale to the project.
After the Canadian Broadcast Corporation relocated its English-language broadcasting headquarters from this historic Toronto neighborhood in 1997, the land and buildings sat vacant for several years. Formerly home to a 152-meter (499-ft) radio tower, offices, and performance space, the one-hectare (2.4-ac) site—located in the dense rental market of Church/ Wellesley Village—now consists of 32,516 square meters (350,000 sf) of condominium space, 18 townhouses, and a 16,723-square-meter (180,000-sf) arts training institute.
Comprising 15 townhouses as well as 396 studios and one- and two-bedroom units in two high rises, Radio City provides residential ownership opportunities in the predominantly rental market of Toronto, Ontario’s Church Street neighborhood. Because the neighborhood is commonly referred to as Toronto’s “gay village,” the project’s marketing plan targeted gay men. Part of a public/private partnership, Radio City shares the site with Canada’s National Ballet School (NBS). Developer Context Development Inc., bought the site in 2000 and sold half of it to the NBS for CAN$1 in exchange for height and density bonuses from the city.
Port Credit Village–a 27.2-acre (11-hectare) mixed-use, mixed-income town center–has reclaimed an underutilized industrial site on Lake Ontario, 20 minutes from downtown Toronto, in Mississauga, Ontario. The project joins two formerly separated sides of the suburban village of Port Credit, connecting it with a restored waterfront and providing a gentle transition from high-rise development on the west to single-family housing on the east. Completed in 2005, Port Credit Village contains 410 residential units, 30,000 square feet (2,838 square meters) of retail and office space, and 1,300 parking spaces, approximately 1,200 of which are underground or enclosed. Eighteen of the dwellings are live/work units in a townhouse arrangement. The commercial component of these units forms a pedestrian corridor. Located just blocks from a commuter rail station, Port Credit complements the province’s smart growth initiative by intensifying pedestrian-oriented suburban development along a major transportation corridor and upgrading a longstanding village retail hub.