TORONTO'S REAL ESTATE game has been feeling pretty grim. The list of problems is long, bleak and all too real. Rents are skyrocketing. Home ownership feels increasingly out of reach. The city desperately needs more housing options, but where and what kind? Meanwhile, large-scale construction is expensive and environmentally fraught. Solutions and action-seem to be in short supply. In light of these realities, it's easy to be pessimistic.
And yet, there are also reasons for optimism. The new Mirvish Village, which will be ready this year, is a master class in community-building, with more than one-third of its units designated as affordable housing. Waterfront Toronto finally has a plan to fix the city's saddest stretch of shoreline, and it includes a one-acre rooftop farm, a new arts venue and a mini forest. Jennifer Keesmaat is back in Toronto, and her firm is creating a leafy, car-free neighbourhood in North York. Partisans, one of the city's buzziest architecture firms, has plans to stop urban sprawl by turning a small town north of the city into a transit-friendly sci-fi utopia.
All across the GTA, such projects give hope amid the gloom. In the pages ahead, we preview some of the coolest developments, most-sustainable living spaces and smartest home tech. Get ready for the nearly here future of Toronto real estate.
A NEW WATERFRONT
Quayside will transform the city's shoreline
Projected first occupancy in 2030; construction complete in 2035
WATERFRONT TORONTO aims to fix the bland industrial stretch at Queen's Quay and Parliament Street with an ambitious netzero mega-development. Quayside will consist of six plant-drenched residential buildings, an urban farm and a stroll-worthy boardwalk. Meg Davis's role is to manage the entire project, from concept to completion. We asked her all about it.
This story is from the May 2023 edition of Toronto Life.
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This story is from the May 2023 edition of Toronto Life.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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