DUKE CONDOMINIUMS, THE JUNCTION, TORONTO
BUILDER/DEVELOPER TAS
SIZE 450 to over 1,600 square feet
PRICE Low $200,000s to over $1-million
SALES CENTRE 2800 Dundas St. West., east of Keele Street. Open Monday and Tuesday by appointment; Wednesday to Friday from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. and weekends from noon to 5 p.m.
CONTACT Phone 416-800-7738 or visit www.junctionlife.ca
The principals of TAS are so fond of the community surrounding its latest condominium in the Junction, they not only dine and shop there, but sourced everything they could from local talents and trades to build the infill development.
"I often say it's my favourite neighbourhood in the city because I find there's such diversity there," says president Mazyar Mortazavi, who is a regular patron of Gerhard, Mjolk and Playa Cabana Cantina.
"We're very big advocates of supporting local businesses, so it's not a marketing angle for us, it's just the way we live and breathe ourselves."
Mason Studio was among the first local team recruited to design the sales office and interiors of the modern, seven-storey development at the corner of Indian Grove and Dundas Street, just east of Keele Street.
"It's about creating an environment where if you're coming to the Junction for the first time, you'd really experience the breadth of the Junction: We used a local contractor and all the furniture and fixtures that we have in the space were designed by local designers and local artisans," says Mr. Mortazavi, who notes this is rarely done by builders.
"One of the key things that sets us apart from any other developer is that we treat our work from a community-first standpoint."
Not only have buyers found stylish pieces from Eclectic Revival and Flair Lighting at the sales office, but there is also the occasional event, such as free yoga sessions, to showcase independent operations around the site.
"We're close to 60-per-cent sold in three short months from the date we launched, so the response has been great," says Mr. Mortazavi. "And we gauge the success of the response not just from a sales standpoint, but also from the acceptance from the community."
Like the project's name, which combines the first letters of the major intersection nearby, the mid-rise will bring together many components, such as street-level retail, second floor fitness and party rooms and 85 suites, two townhouses and five two-storey live/work lofts with street access.
"The scale of it is in keeping with the area and the architecture is unique and responsive to the context and scale of the building," says Mr. Mortazavi. "Most of our units are one-offs, so it's effectively 90 custom homes."
To mirror the modern façade designed by Quadrangle Architects, the interiors will be contemporary, with open concept spaces, nine-foot ceilings, hardwood floors and Scavolini kitchens with stone counters and stainless steel appliances.
"The majority of our units are larger one-bedroom and dens and two-bedrooms, and our average unit size is about 750 square-feet, which is considerably larger than typical condominium products," says Mr. Mortazavi, who cites plans with up to three bedrooms and a den.
Residents will be connected with the outdoors with balconies and terraces, including some with garden planters for those facing south, as well as windows to the north and south for two-storey through units on the top floor.
The building will be built to LEED standards – with green roofs to in-suite energy recovery ventilators – keeping monthly fees to 45 cents per square feet.
Most suites will have an option to buy parking for $28,500. "A lot of people opted not to get parking because we're within walking distance to Bloor and Dundas subway station, Bloor and Keele subway station, and there are bus lines on Dundas and Keele," Mr. Mortazavi adds.
Occupancy is slated for November, 2015.