On-the-GO-Mimico will have direct access to a GO station.
On-the-GO-Mimico
Etobicoke, Toronto
Developer Stanton Renaissance
Size 489 to 1,205 square feet
Price From the mid-$250,000s to more than $740,000
Contact To register, phone 647-692-8417 or visit onthegomimico.com
One of the last surviving CN railway stations in Toronto sat vacant in a waterfront community of Etobicoke for years.
Within a month's time, the century-old structure in Coronation Park will become a popular destination for commuters once again, but this time as a sales centre for a rare condominium development adjacent to a busy GO Train station.
"I've been told we're the only site in the GTA … with direct access to the GO … it's very important to people we're selling to at this point," says Louie Santaguida, president of the developer Stanton Renaissance.
"You can come down from your condo and in two minutes be on the GO and either head towards Hamilton or towards downtown Toronto."
This means residents of this modern 26-storey building by the Mimico GO station can reach Union Station, Air Canada Centre and Rogers Centre faster by train than car, along with countless restaurants, bars, museums and theatres.
"[Buyers] can enjoy a different price point much lower than in the core," adds Mr. Santaguida. "They can be in the core in [20] minutes and also as one potential buyer said: 'Get the hell out of there when they need to get out of there for some peace and quiet.'"
The former railway station will be modernized on the west side of Royal York Road, directly across the infill site, which is close to waterfront trails, Humber Bay Park, eateries, cinemas and major highways.
"We're just a hop, skip and a jump away from the lake," says Mr. Santaguida. "You can walk out to Royal York where there are bakeries and shopping available."
Once the 242-unit tower is built in 2016, it will also bring in an upscale grocer and café at its base, along with a private gym, party room and guest suite. Plus, the sales centre will be donated to Etobicoke as a museum and community centre.
"It's a regentrification of north Mimico at this point in time, so we're the first to revitalize this part of the community, whereas the southern part has been ongoing for the last seven or eight years by the waterfront," Mr. Santaguida says. "There are new retailers coming in along Royal York and on Evans [Avenue] and Lakeshore [Road]."
The city's Mimico 20/20 revitalization plans will restrict future development heights in the area, ensuring unobstructed sight lines from a majority of this high-rise.
"A lot of condo owners currently along the lake or downtown find another condominium has plopped in front of them," says Mr. Santaguida says. "To the north we have a three-storey townhouse site; to the south we have a three-storey apartment site; to the west we have a park; and to the east are clear views of the downtown core and lake."
Each suite will feature a balcony, along with open principal rooms and Italian-manufactured kitchens and bathrooms. The project will incorporate recycle-based wood flooring, a green roof and an ecofriendly car wash, among other green elements. "We're looking at what would be the first of its kind for a high-rise, which is a geothermal and co-generation electrical system," Mr. Santaguida adds.
Monthly fees will be under 50 cents a square feet and some units will include parking.