Jared Bensky Discusses the Wycliffe Way - Part 2

In Part 2 of our interview with Wycliffe Homes’ VP of Development Jared Bensky, we discuss a couple of new communities that we are really excited about.

Newinhomes (NIH): We just heard about Wycliffe on the Ravine Heritage Estates. Can you tell us more about that?

Jared Bensky (JB): Wycliffe has a long history in Markham. We’re about to launch that project in about a month. It’s a unique property where we’ve created nine lots right on the ravine, less than a five-minute walk to Main Street Markham, which features lots of fabulous shops and restaurants.

Each of these nine homes are unique and different. There’s no model. They back onto a ravine conservation area. Nothing will ever be built behind these homes, it will always be an open vista. The lots range from 60 to 65 foot frontages, and up to 150 and 160 foot depth. The response that we’ve received for this project has been very organic. It’s all local Markham people looking to upgrade. There’s the odd downsizer, a couple people requesting a main floor master, they want a 3,800 or 4,000 square foot bungalow, and this goes back to the Wycliffe made to measure program - we will do that if the demand’s there. We’re essentially building nine custom homes. Prices are ranging from $1,450,000 to over $2 million.

NIH: About a year ago, you teased us with minor details about Wycliffe’s plans for a community called Hendon Park Towns. Now, it looks like you’re ready to move forward with the big project.

JB: Hendon Park Towns is a major milestone for Wycliffe. It’s our first midtown, large scale project right in the heart of North York. The location is incredible. It’s right on the subway at Yonge and Finch. We opted not to go the high-rise route - we really believe in the stacked townhouse model - it’s a great hybrid for people who don’t want a small space 25-30 storeys up, and also want their own front door at street level.

Hendon Park itself probably has the best splash pad in the City of Toronto. You go there on a Saturday and there’s a ton of kids there, a ton of parents, two baseball diamonds, incredible playgrounds - you have to experience it. Yonge and Finch is really a gathering spot coming into its own - it’s just smack in the middle of an established residential neighbourhood.

The demand has been overwhelming, we just can’t believe how many registrations we have. We’re seeing a lot of singles, newlyweds, young couples, and a lot of young families looking for starter homes showing interest in the community. There’s approximately 130 units there, and prices are starting at $389,900. Sizes range from about 700 to over 1,000 square feet. We expect to launch Hendon Park sometime this Fall.

NIH: Both communities sound pretty amazing. You explained “Generation Wycliffe” to us the last time we visited you, but could you describe it again for our readers?

JB: Specifically in legacy neighbourhoods that we’ve been involved in for the past 60 plus years, especially Woodbridge and now Markham, we noticed people saying, ‘oh, my mother lived in a Wycliffe home,’ or ‘my grandfather lived in a Wycliffe home.’ We built over 600 homes in Woodbridge over the years, and as we opened up Fairground Lofts, we had a lot of people coming in with their parents who still knew Ed Casey, our sales manager who’s been with us for over 35 years! They’ve been living in their Wycliffe home for the past 25 years, and now their kids are buying homes close to mom and dad.

So, we created this campaign: “Join Generation Wycliffe.” You got the grandparents, the kids, and now the grandkids living in a Wycliffe home. There’s not a lot of builder/developers in the GTA that can say they’ve been around since 1951. We’re very proud of that.

We thank Jared Bensky for taking the time to meet with us and discussing the “made to measure” philosophy that Wycliffe embraces, as well as the two new communities for which we are very excited!

Stay tuned- we’ll be hearing more about Wycliffe on the Ravine Heritage Estates and Hendon Park Towns very soon.