Last week, we looked at the considerable and growing tension between developers, politicians and local residents when it comes to pushing forward with infill residential developments.
But the fact is, new-home buyers prefer to live in established neighbourhoods, whether condominiums, townhouses or detached homes.
They vote with their wallets, and they've come down heavily in favour of redevelopment.
Among the advantages are easy access to transit, schools, parks and established shopping areas, but there's also the desire to live in new housing without having to live in the dust and mud of a subdivision that might be under construction in phases for years to come.
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And of course there's location.
One of the most desirable locations for young professional adults in Toronto is Little Italy along College Street West, and it's here where you'll find an assortment of small infill projects along quiet side streets.
Among them is the Townhomes of Plymouth Avenue, just east of Grace Street, a collection of 13 townhouses between 1,700 and 2,000 square feet priced from $579,000 to $749,000.
The Townhomes of Plymouth is located on the site of an old baseball-cap factory developed by CitySpace Urban Developments, a local developer that specializes in infill redevelopments. While the prices may seem a little dear, they're in line with larger resale houses in the area, and there's no worry of imminent repairs or renovations.
These units also don't call for a sacrifice of space, with some four-bedroom townhouses available, as well units with private garages and main floors with 12-foot-high ceilings.
Townhouses and condos are the usual end products in a typical infill redevelopment, but that's not to say large-scale detached houses aren't available as well. As the land supply for common subdivisions dries up in the 905 suburbs, more developers are looking to assemble infill land for small-scale detached enclaves.
One such developer is Caliber Homes, which is building 32 large and luxurious detached houses starting in the Highland Creek neighbourhood of Scarborough, just north of Ellesmere Road, east of Morningside Avenue.
Again, there's nothing compact about these houses with brick and stone facades, starting at $510,000 for a 1,900-square-foot house and going up to $630,000 for a 3,600-square-foot house with as many as five bedrooms and a library.
Only 32 houses were built at Caliber's Mills of Highland Creek, near an area with a lot of outdoor attractions such as Rouge Park and Morningside Park. About half of them are already occupied and over two-thirds have been sold.
Residential opposition to infill redevelopment tends to be greater with condominium projects, especially in neighbourhoods with a high proportion of single family residences.
Toronto has no shortage of condo infills, but lately there has been tremendous developer interest in the High Park area of the west end, largely thanks to the picturesque 500-acre park that gives the neighbourhood it's name, but also its proximity to the Bloor subway line.
Monarch's Twenty Gothic is right across Bloor Street from High Park on Gothic Avenue, and is generally seen as an attractive addition to the area though there have been some vocal detractors. Launched a little over a year ago, the eight-storey mid-rise building will contain 175 suites from $200,000 for 538 square feet up to more $850,000 for nearly 1,800 square feet. With its High Park address and two-minute walk to the subway station, Twenty Gothic will no doubt keep its owners happy with its resale potential alone. But they can expect a barrage of future proposals for probably higher condos in the area, possibly turning them into anti-infill activists in their own right.
