Vaughan city centre gets a downtown vibe: How We Live
‘Manhattan North’ is how one interested buyer sees the new city centre and first condo, Transit City
thestar.com and Toronto Star
By TRACY HANES
June 3, 2017
Gioia Di Giovanni loves downtown Toronto. She just doesn’t want to live there.
Di Giovanni, 36, works in healthcare in the 905 and owns a condominium in Richmond Hill, close to where she was born and raised. She wants to move up to a larger condo south of her current address and has found the perfect solution at Transit City - the first residential tower that will be built at Smart Centres Place in Vaughan, a 100-acre master-planned development.
Smart Centres Place - 17-million square feet of retail office and residential space - will be a key component of the new Vaughan Metropolitan Centre (VMC), aimed at bringing an urban presence to what had been predominantly a suburban community.
“As much as I’d like to be in the downtown (Toronto) core, the commute would be a negative factor,” Di Giovanni says. “What I enjoy about the new Vaughan Metropolitan Centre is that it has an urban feel. Vaughan is exploding - and I see it as Manhattan North.”
Transit City, a 55-storey tower with 551 units will be built in partnership by Smart Real Estate Investment Trust (SmartREIT), Mitchell Goldhar and CentreCourt Developments.
When completed in 2020, it will be one of the tallest buildings in York Region and will be steps from the new Vaughan Metropolitan Centre subway stop and inter-regional bus terminal. It will also be adjacent to a new 100,000-square-foot YMCA, as well as a centre for performing arts and library.
“The location is ideal not only because of the subway and direct access to downtown but also because of the proximity of Hwy. 400,” says Di Giovanni. “I do a lot of things on weekends in Collingwood and on Lake Simcoe with my family, and the highway makes it easy to get there.”
And while she enjoys the busy city vibe of Toronto, she also appreciates that Vaughan does not have that. “It’s definitely not the same congestion as the big city - there’s less stress and less noise,” Di Giovanni says. She can be to almost anywhere in Vaughan within 10 minutes via major roads; on the subway, she can be downtown at Union Station in 43 minutes or to Yorkdale Mall in 15 minutes.
Di Giovanni is looking forward to living in the midst of a live-work-play community, and is looking at buying a two-bedroom, two-bathroom suite. Her boyfriend, Javier Perez, is also considering the different condo layouts at Transit City as the pair determine their future.
One of the perks she’ll receive as a Transit City buyer will be membership to the state-of-the-art Y next door and she’ll be able to walk to shops and restaurants.
“Convenience to services and activities is huge for me,” she says. “Time is valuable and I really appreciate having those things close.”
Architect Don Schmitt, of award-winning Diamond Schmitt Architects Inc., says Smart Centres Place “is a significant and important development that will be a model for smart growth in the 905.
“The building has a powerful, iconic design and will be a beacon for residential living,” Schmitt says, describing the lobby as “a living room at ground floor” where the community will gather.
CentreCourt chief executive officer Andrew Hoffman says Transit City - whose team also includes Figure 3 Interior Designers and internationally regarded landscape architect Claude Cormier - “will set a high bar” for buildings to follow.
“We wanted to rethink the programming and experience of the lobby and we looked at hotels around the world,” says Hoffman. As a result, the Transit City lobby will be reminiscent of a luxury boutique hotel lobby and will include a Buca restaurant - the first outside of downtown Toronto and which will offer deliveries to condo residents - and Bar Buca set in a glass “box.”
Di Giovanni partakes in downtown Toronto’s food and entertainment scene and Buca is a brand she’s familiar with. “I’ve been to the Toronto locations many times. It’s a good Italian restaurant with delicious food. It will be great to have a place in my condo building where you can decide last-minute to go out to dinner.”
CentreCourt specializes in Toronto-area highrise developments close to major amenities, rapid transit and employment areas and has eight projects currently underway in the GTA. Di Giovanni says that experience also influenced her decision to buy at Transit City.
“I’m a second-time buyer so I’ve been through this process before - and I realized it’s important to deal with a builder that’s done this before.”
The unifying feature of the Smart Centres Place master plan is a one-kilometre linear park, designed by Claude Cormier, that will be lined by additional office buildings and residential and mixed-use condos. The park is another feature of her future neighbourhood that Di Giovanni plans to enjoy.
“I’ve realized the importance of not being dependent on a car,” says Di Giovanni.
“I’ll be home from work in a few minutes and I’ll have the rest of the day to hang out. With all the greenspace, I’ll be able to go for walks every evening.”
TRANSIT CITY
Location: Hwys. 7 and 400, SmartCentres Place, Vaughan Metropolitan Centre
Description: 55-storey tower with 551 suites, steps from the subway and inter-regional bus terminal
Developers: Smart Real Estate Investment Trust (SmartREIT), Mitchell Goldhar, CentreCourt Developments
Suites: 500- to 1,000-square-feet in one-bedroom, one-bedroom-with-den, two-bedroom, two-bedroom-with den and three-bedroom plans.
Price: From the mid-$300,000s
Amenities: Hotel-inspired lobby with Buca restaurant and Bar Buca; access to YMCA with gym, swimming pool, basketball courts and daycare, and to City of Vaughan library.
Occupancy: March 1, 2020
Info: Sales centre at 100 New Park Place; 416-869-9268, email info@transitcity.com and online at transitcity.com
