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Treviso. Exterior. Lanterra Developments

Treviso

Location: North York, Ont.

Builder/developer: Lanterra Developments

Size: 480 to 1,232 square feet

Price: low-$200,000's to $559,900

Sales centre: northeast corner of Dufferin Street and Lawrence Avenue. Open Monday to Thursday from noon to 6 p.m.; weekends from noon to 5 p.m.

Contact: 416-787-8882, www.trevisocondos.com

Buyers yearning to embrace a more laid-back, European lifestyle that includes strolling through open piazzas, playing a game of bocce ball and tending to personal gardens will soon have a rare opportunity to do so without leaving Canadian soil.

Late last year Lanterra Developments kicked off the grand opening of an Italian-style, master-planned community with four mid- and high-rise buildings and a public park on a 10-acre site at the northeast corner of Dufferin Street and Lawrence Avenue.

"It's difficult to acquire sites that large," says president and CEO Barry Fenton. "It's like building a city within a city."

The historic city of Treviso, located just north of Venice, Italy, was the inspiration for the name and design of this infill project, which will have an Old World-style entry boulevard, colonnades and street-level shops.

A three-acre square - evocative of the Italian town's beloved Piazza dei Signori - will have pedestrian bridges over a waterway, landscaped paths, bocce courts and seating areas. "It's a nice way to bring people together," says Mr. Fenton.

Heading indoors, the first phase, which will consist of 423 units, will have a gym, boardroom and party room with a dining area, kitchen and access to a terrace with barbecue stations, dining areas, lounge seating, a pool and hot tub.

Plus, there will be gardening plots for vegetables, herbs and flowers.

Planters will also be a highlight on the many oversized balconies and terraces situated off individual suites, which currently range from 480 to 1,232 square feet.

"We're giving the purchasers the ability to select from 70 different floor plans, which is really nice in a project of this size," says Mr. Fenton.

There will be one- and two-bedroom layouts - with or without dens - and three-bedroom plans. Models will generally have open living and dining areas and casual or formal kitchens with islands and peninsulas.

But each was designed to maximize space as demonstrated by the two-bedroom-plus-den model suite, which has a sliding barn door to open up - or enclose - one bedroom from the principal rooms.

"You can use it as an extra living space or use it as a sleeping space at night," Mr. Fenton says.

Interior finishes will encompass laminate, porcelain and ceramic tile flooring, as well as custom Munge Leung-designed kitchens with granite counters, ceramic tile backsplashes and stainless steel Energy Star appliances.

"In downtown Toronto - which is ten minutes to the south - purchasers would be paying up to $700 a foot for product, but here, you're paying $450 and you're getting the same quality," says Mr. Fenton.

Residents have easy access to Lawrence station, Highway 401 and Allen Road as well as arts and recreation facilities at the Columbus Centre and upscale shops and restaurants at Yorkdale Shopping Centre.

Occupancy for phase one will begin in 2014.

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