The Exciting Revitalization of Dupont and Lansdowne
By Lucas on Jun 24, 2015
It goes without saying that most parts of Toronto have changed dramatically over the last century. The Lansdowne and Bloor neighbourhood, for example, has seen a real revitalization recently, and it’s mostly thanks to the Neudorfer Corporation.
We recently had the opportunity to visit the construction site of Fuse Condos at the corner of Lansdowne and Dupont, where two condos are being built. We met with Ross McKerron of Neudorfer to discuss the development’s progress, as well as a little bit of the history behind the site.
Right now, the construction crew is working on restoring the brick warehouse on the site, which was built in 1906 and was originally used by GE to assemble televisions, McKerron explained. There was a bunch of salvaged original brick that will be used in the restoration. When fully restored, the brick building will house a Metro, a Shoppers Drug Mart, and potentially a bank. Fuse 1, a 27-storey tower, will rise above to retail space and have direct access to it.
Inside the former GE building.
The other portion of the site that is currently underway is the two-level above grade parking, which will feature a landscaped rooftop exclusively for residents of Fuse Condos. The above grade parking will be for patrons of the retail space. The residents have access to a separate underground parking area with two levels.
“One of the things that we found is that the demand for parking is far less than, first of all, the city bylaw requires, and far less than what we had been anticipating,” McKerron explained. “We’re finding our buyers are more interested in auto share, they’re more interested in the proximity to public transit, and we found that not just with this project but with the American Standard project immediately to the south, and again we’re finding that with respect to the development to the north.”
Looking south at Fuse. The open land is reserved for three more condo towers!
When McKerron says “American Standard,” he is referring to The Standard rental buildings just south of Fuse Condos. Neudorfer is actually responsible for the majority of the development along Lansdowne all the way from Lappin Avenue up to Davenport. We had the opportunity to walk up to Foundry Lofts with McKerron to check out what a finished revitalized brick building by Neudorfer looks like. The Foundry Lofts building is famous for its beautiful atrium, and we’re excited for Neudorfer to bring that level of revitalization to Fuse Condos.
Foundry Lofts atrium
Between Fuse 1 and Fuse 2, the latter will rise 23 storeys, there will be a total of 579 units. “We’re very pleased with the progress of the sales,” McKerron said. “The initial sales were more investors and now basically 100% are end-users.” Fuse 1 is 90% sold and Fuse 2 is 85% sold. The remaining units range from $243,400 for a 502 square foot, one-bedroom floor plan and range up to $409,400 for a 780 square foot, two-bedroom penthouse.
Some of the interior features and finishes at Fuse Condos include stainless steel appliances, white stacked washer and dryer packages, granite countertops, ceramic tile, high quality laminate flooring, and halogen track lighting in the kitchens.
Construction is just starting to amp up, so McKerron says that Neudorfer has the occupancy of Fuse Condos scheduled for April 2016 for the first tower, and July 2016 for the second tower. The retailers will be moving in around the same time, near the end of summer and into the fall.
If you’re interested in learning more about the remaining units at Fuse Condos, visit the presentation centre at 1401 Dupont Street (located in the first block south of Dupont Street on the west side of Lansdowne Avenue - just north of the Dollarama) Monday to Wednesday from 1 pm to 6 pm, or on the weekend from 12 pm to 5 pm. You can also call 416-534-4444 for more information.
