Recent data from the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) showed a steep 69% decline in home sales in early April, compared to the same time last year. Similarly, the number of new listings had also fallen 63.7%. One thing remains unchanged, however: housing prices.
Given the current economic climate caused by the pandemic, those in hopes of finding low housing prices are met with dismay as the average selling price for all home types in Toronto reached $885,371, a 3.7% decline compared to the same period last year. The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) housing market remained flat, with an increase of 0.1% to $821,392 for the same period over last year.
As housing prices in the GTA remain high, an increasing number of people are looking for alternative, affordable options outside of the city’s core. The biggest obstacle to overcome for these home buyers is how to live outside of the city without compromising their lifestyles. The answer is suburban self-sustainable mixed-use developments.
Revitalizing Suburbia
Many first-time home buyers and millennials are not willing to spend a fortune on small studios in the heart of downtown Toronto. Location is no longer a top priority for home buyers, according to Point2Homes Real Estate news. Today’s buyers value affordability, ease of access to work and entertainment, enough space to meet their needs, and modern features and amenities. Developers are responding by revitalizing some of Ontario’s oldest suburbs with large mixed-use developments.
Dubbed as “Hipsturbia,” Toronto developers are presenting walkable, condensed neighbourhoods with condo towers, restaurants, bars, cafes, and retail shops which create a familiar city vibe outside of the city. They are hoping to attract millennials into these otherwise unattractive neighbourhoods by providing easy access to public transit and a robust communities.
“Downtown Toronto is going to continue to thrive, but I think subway connected, suburban-urban locations are going to see a bit of a rebound in the next three to five years,” predicts Sean Menkes, director of office and retail at Toronto-based Menkes Developments Ltd.
“It’s a huge trend in the U.S. and it’s exactly what we’ve been planning for the last few years” said Jared Menkes, executive vice president of high-rise residential for the family-owned firm. “We’re bringing what we know downtown and bringing it to the suburbs.”
Development Highlights - Vaughan, ON
Menkes is teaming up with public-pension manager British Columbia Investment Management Corp. to develop an urban pocket in Vaughan, a suburb just north of Toronto. Construction for Mobilio started in 2019. This mixed-use development is an ambitious master-planned community with 12 phases, 40 buildings, and 10,000 residences. Phase 1, called Festival, is scheduled for completion in mid-late 2022 and will showcase a four-tower development and 85,000 square feet of retail. Residents can expect lots of outdoor play areas and walking paths, restaurants, shops, entertainment activities, top of the line amenities, and direct access to facilitated transit.
Development Highlights - Mississauga, ON
Another exciting mixed-use development to look forward to is Mississauga’s Square One District by developer Oxford Properties Group and their partner Alberta Investment Management Corp. Claimed to be the “the largest mixed-use downtown development in Canadian history,” Square One District will begin construction in the summer of this year with expected occupancy to begin in 2024. In this plan, they will be turning 135 acres into an 18 million square foot neighbourhood for 35,000 people, a dramatic boost to Mississauga’s population which is expecting a spike over the next 20 years, according to Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie. This plan will host 37 towers, more than 18,000 residential units, office and retail space making it a “high density living and working zone.”
Development Highlights - Ottawa, ON
Further North, the board of directors for the National Capital Commission (NCC) in Ottawa has approved a preliminary version of the LeBreton Flats master plan, which will include the redevelopment of 4 districts just west of Parliament Hill. Of the 24-hectare site, the commission is looking to have 44% parks and open spaces. The remainder will feature 4,000 residential units, 116,000 square metres of office space, and 21,000 square metres of retail space. The NCC describes Lebreton Flats as, “a place that is pedestrian and cyclist friendly, surrounded by lively and active parks and plazas, including the dynamic Aquedect District, the Ottawa riverfront and a large destination park.” City of Ottawa Mayor, Jim Watson stated, “Ideally, we need to find things that attract visitors and complement the museums and monuments that are in that vicinity and it needs to be a destination for live, work and play and not just live.”
The Ontario Condo Act states that all corporations should maintain insurance equivalent to total replacement cost value for their property. During construction, Course of Construction insurance is required. However, upon completion and prior to the first occupancy, either the developers or the Condo Corporations must acquire Property Insurance for full replacement cost. Normac is Canada’s leading insurance appraisal provider. We are accredited appraisers who specialize in determining replacement cost value for all types of properties, including large mixed-use developments.
