Page 6 – Lifetime Developments

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COVID-19: Help Us Stop the Spread and Flatten the Curve . Stay Safe, Stay Home

Dear Friends,

We hope that your family and loved ones continue to be safe and healthy. Each day we are watching the situation unfold, and adapting together to evolving regulations and changes influencing our new unprecedented way of living. We are confident that we will get through this.

We wanted to take a quick moment to provide you with an update on how Lifetime Developments is addressing COVID-19. The safety of our employees, trade partners and customers continues to be of the utmost importance. While Lifetime is still operational and very much active, we are taking every precaution necessary to ensure a safe environment for our stakeholders. While our head office team is working remotely, everyone has access to proper technology and tools to guarantee that our projects are moving forward, and that you have the same level of access to support that you have grown accustom to. This practice extends to our sales offices as well to ensure that our Purchasers still remain in contact with us for any questions that you may have.

As many of you may know, Doug Ford, on behalf of the Government of Ontario, deemed above-ground construction an essential service, which means that work on Whitehaus, Panda and Liberty Market Tower continues. To ensure the safety of the individuals working on each project, we are taking every step possible to safeguard our sites and teams, including ensuring the availability to PPE for site attendees, daily cleaning with active sanitization of the entire site, bi-weekly inspections with health and safety inspectors and COVID training to all site attendees. Our offices are all on reduced staff and intermittent hours, to strengthen social distance rules.

We are all in this together. This is a very serious virus, but if we all do our part, we can stop the spread, flatten the curve and return to normalcy as quickly as possible. We are here for you, and are only a phone call or e-mail away. On behalf of everyone at Lifetime Developments, we want to thank you for your understanding as we work together to adapt to our new way of life. We hope you continue to stay safe and practice your handwashing and social distancing.

With great positivity,
The Team at Lifetime Developments

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Podium Levels Emerging for Lifetime’s Panda Condos

A block from Yonge and Dundas in the heart of Toronto, Lifetime Developments is in the process of bringing a 30-storey, Turner Fleischer Architects-designed tower to be known as Panda Condominiums. Under construction on Edward Street since Summer, 2018, the project recently rose above grade, and is expected to make its impact felt on the skyline west of Yonge Street later this year as it rises taller.

It’s been five months since we last checked in on construction, when an early November update detailed forming of the building’s five underground levels, a mix of parking and retail concourse space. In the time since, crews have wrapped up forming of the underground levels, hit grade, and are now working on the first sections of the first and second floors.

Looking northwest across the Panda site, image by Forum contributor Red Mars

This work is furthest along in the southeast corner of the site along Edward Street, where initial work on forming the second level has begun. To the west, forming follows a bit behind, with walls and columns for the ground floor still taking shape. The podium will rise three storeys before the floorplates reduce in size for the tower floors above.

Looking north to Panda site, image by Forum contributor AlbertC

Panda Condos—so name became the bifurcated tower will have one arm clad in white and the other in black—will bring 555 condominium units to the Yonge and Dundas area, as well as a mixed-use podium containing 1,100 m² of commercial retail space on the ground floor, and another 2,750 m² on the second floor, and over 2,750 m² of office space on the third floor. The below-grade concourse level—which one day may be connected to a second Dundas subway station exit—will include an additional 1,860 m² of commercial retail space.

Panda Condominiums, image courtesy of Lifetime Developments

Source: Urban Toronto

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Liberty goes family

Here’s what you’ll see if you’re people-watching in Toronto’s Liberty Village: nattily clad ad execs hopping out of Ubers, publicists grabbing coffee at Balzac’s with clients, condo dwellers browsing minimal sofas at West Elm before grabbing brunch at one of several microbreweries. What you likely won’t see is many parents pushing strollers between the office buildings and condo towers stuffed with single urban professionals.

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Final phase of Liberty Village now underway

The transformation of Toronto’s Liberty Village continued this month with the announcement from Lifetime Developments of the third and final phase of a 16-year development project.

For Brian Brown, the firm’s principal, there have been far more highs than lows since Lifetime purchased a property located at 37 Hanna Ave. in 2004 and initiated plans for what became known as the Liberty Market Complex.

Phase One was the building itself, a manufacturing relic that over the years been the location of a grist and flour mill machinery business, the producer of more than 60 per cent global output ofBren Light machine guns during World War II. and since then. everything from fishing tackle and house trailers to washers and dryers.

What followed was a multi-million-dollar renovation and a renaming of it to Liberty Market Building that resulted in an estimated 300,000 sq. ft. of commercial space being created.

“When you look back at where the property was when we bought it to where it is today, it’s probably one of the more dramatic changes that I have seen in a neighbourhood over a short period of time,” says Brown.

“When we bought this property in 2004, the area was a dead-end dirt road. Our building was painted in cream paint and had aluminum siding covering all the brick and the factory stashed windows were cracked and painted over. It was something we wanted to fix and restore. It has become a fixture in the neighbourhood.”

“Looking at where it is today versus how it was that to me is the high. I remember coming to Liberty Village before then. We used to go to The Academy of Spherical Arts, and I would park in a nearby gravel parking lot and think to myself I am really taking a risk with my car leaving it there.”

Today, he adds, Liberty Village has a “New York-feel to it and the life and activity both during the day and at night is amazing. “Phase Two was the 13-storey Liberty Market Lofts on 5 Hanna Ave. completed in 2013 and construction has begun on Liberty Market Tower, a 28-storey tower to be located at 171 East Liberty St. that will feature 281 residential suites ranging in size from 326 sq.ft. to 1,285 sq.ft.

Aside from the residences, there will be seven floors of commercial space, and an estimated 12,000 sq. ft. of indoor and amenity space to be located in the eighth floor of the building that will contain a state-of-the-art fitness studio, entertaining rooms, dining areas and a business centre.

In addition, artist Anthony Ricciardi has been commissioned to create what Lifeline describes as “murals and sculptures that will be integrated within the communal living environments, designed to inspire residents and complement the creative spirit of the larger Liberty Village community.”

As for any lows associated with Liberty Market Complex, Brown says they are “what you would expect when you are going through transition and change. We had some great tenants not succeed.”

“With our buildings we have tried to keep it to a good mix of smaller tenants and a lot of smaller start-ups. We gave people opportunities who were struggling to find units to rent in other locations. We took a bit of a risk with some of them. Sometimes it paid off and sometimes it didn’t.”

“Some of the tenants we took a risk with have grown and doubled and tripled in size in our building.” Occupancy at Liberty Market Tower is scheduled for late 2021.

Source: The Toronto Sun – Saturday, January 18, 2020.

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Building on history in Liberty Village

Toronto’s Liberty Market Building is literally underlined with history as the historic manufacturing and wartime weapons site moves into the future.

Liberty Market Tower — a 28-storey condo tower with 281 condo suites ranging from studios to three-bedroom units above seven floors of commercial space — is now being built onto the heritage 1881 warehouse. Occupancy at the mixed-use building is tentatively set for fall, 2021 and sales are expected to begin at the end of February.

The original structure “was built as a munitions factory in the 1940s, and you can still see some of the railroad tracks that run through the middle of the property that used to bring the material to the building,” said Brian Brown, principal of Lifetime Developments, the project’s builder.

“They were manufacturing the Bren gun, and after the war most of the industries moved out of the area, and this building was used for light industrial and warehousing purposes,” Brown added.

Residential amenities at Liberty Market Tower will be on the eighth floor and offer more than 12,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor facilities including a state-of-the-art fitness studio, entertaining rooms, outdoor dining and a business centre.

“We’ve been very successful at this property with the office components,” said Brown, of the warehouse that Lifetime acquired, and began refurbishing, in 2004. “The company, WeWork, will take up three of the six floors.”

The building also includes three floors of underground parking. “The area is parking-deficient in a lot of ways,” Brown said. “We wanted to add commercial parking, as well, which is important to tenants in our building. There was only a small area around the building which would allow for surface parking.”

Retailer Robert Whitfield, owner of Casalife Furniture, will return his store to the new Liberty Market Tower when construction is complete. Whitfield first opened in Liberty Village 17 years ago and “there was nothing there when we got there — the road wasn’t even paved. It’s a good busy hub now.

“We evolved into a condo store,” Whitfield said. “I’m a furniture designer by trade, and people were having problems with space. I was the first guy to come up with the drawer beds — we did a lot of condo furniture. ”

Just west of downtown, Liberty Village is bordered by Dufferin St. on the west, King St. W. to the north, Strachan Ave. to the east, and the Gardiner Expressway at the south. It’s walking distance to Exhibition Place grounds, BMO Field, Ontario Place and Budweiser Stage, Lake Ontario and the Martin Goodman waterfront trail. It’s also steps to the Exhibition GO train station on the Lakeshore West line.

From left, Casalife Furniture owner Robert Whitfield, Lifetime Development’s Brian Brown and Liberty Village resident Maz Mohajer at the Ben Johnston-painted mural at Liberty Market Building.

“Being able to walk down to the lakeshore with the bicycle paths that are there and all the other facilities, it really makes it a very attractive property,” said Brown.

Resident Maz Mohajer agrees. “We’ve been here for 10 years but we’re still discovering little places down some of the roads, and it’s still fun to discover the area.”

“I’m a little bit of a history junkie, so I love the fact that whenever I walk past one of these buildings, I think of the people working here, day and night, in the 1940s to collectively fight something,” said Mohajer. “If you connect to the city you live in, these kinds of areas become important, remind us of what we’ve done together.”

Mohajer, a photographer and painter, has used the area in his various photo shoots. “I’ve used a lot of the different nooks and crannies and old spots around here.”

Source: Toronto Star

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Lifetime Launches Liberty Market Tower as Construction Progresses

With construction already underway on the third and final phase in the 16-year redevelopment of the 6-acre Liberty Market Complex in Toronto’s Liberty Village neighbourhood, Lifetime Developments is officially launching the project known as Liberty Market Tower. Designed by Wallman Architects, the 28-storey mixed-use tower will bring 281 luxury condominium units to the site, as well as office space and more retail.

To make a virtue of the building’s communal spaces, a series of murals and sculptures by multidisciplinary artist Anthony Ricciardi having been commissioned.

Looking west across site of Liberty Market Tower, image by Forum contributor AlbertC

“From the outset, our work in Liberty Village has always been about creating a community,” reads a statement from Brian Brown, Principal of Lifetime Developments. “As pioneer builders of the neighbourhood, we’re proud to bring this project to life through a one-of-a-kind building situated where art meets business and industrial heritage meets modern design.”

Meanwhile, as the launch kicks into gear, the building is already well under construction. As of the end of 2019, crews had begun work on the uppermost level in the 3.5-level, 298-space underground garage. The 13.85-metre climb from the base of the pit back to street level is under way. Once there, it’s a 100-metre ascent into the local skyline to the top of the mechanical penthouse.

Looking west across site of Liberty Market Tower, image by Forum contributor AlbertC

To make way for the new build, the east end of the the Liberty Market Building—a legacy warehouse since converted to office and retail uses—was demolished. In its place the new building’s podium features a warehouse-inspired design that acts as a modern interpretation of the currently operating section of the Liberty Market Building to the west. This podium will house a mix of ground floor retail and office space.

Source: UrbanToronto

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Lifetime Developments Announces Final Phase of Liberty Village

Recognized city builder and community leader, Lifetime Developments, announces capstone project in Liberty Village, completing a three-phase, 16-year redevelopment of the growing neighbourhood.

TORONTO, Jan. 7, 2020 /CNW/ – Renowned urban developer and industry leader, Lifetime Developments, is pleased to announce the third and final phase of a 16-year redevelopment project in Toronto’s vibrant Liberty Village neighbourhood with the launch of Liberty Market Tower. Following the success of the first two phases of the Liberty Market Complex project – Liberty Market Building and Liberty Market Lofts – the final stage of the community’s redevelopment has officially commenced.

For more than four decades, Lifetime Developments has created thriving neighbourhoods and successful commercial properties seen as major contributors to city building in the Greater Toronto Area. With a community-first live-work approach, Liberty Market Tower will add a dynamic new mixed-use element to the neighbourhood, accented by a distinctive art collaboration and a range of highly sought-after lifestyle-based amenities. Renowned multidisciplinary artist Anthony Ricciardi (@ricciardipaints) has been commissioned to create murals and sculptures that will be integrated within the communal living environments, designed to inspire residents and complement the creative spirit of the larger Liberty Village community.

“From the outset, our work in Liberty Village has always been about creating a community,” says Brian Brown, Principal of Lifetime Developments. “As pioneer builders of the neighbourhood, we’re proud to bring this project to life through a one-of-a-kind building situated where art meets business and industrial heritage meets modern design.”

The development will boast a distinctive 28-storey tower featuring 281 luxury residential suites and seven floors of commercial space – all with connectivity to the existing Liberty Market Building. Over 12,000 s.f. of indoor and outdoor amenity space make up the 8th floor of the building, featuring a state-of-the-art fitness studio, entertaining rooms, business centre, outdoor dining and incredible views overlooking both south of the city and Lake Ontario.

This will complete Lifetime Development’s 6-acre Liberty Market Complex, the connection between the community’s thriving residential neighbourhood and its ever-growing commercial district. Since the project’s inception, Liberty Village has evolved into a destination in and of itself. Both residents and visitors of the neighbourhood experience easy access to everything from sports and entertainment to hospitality and premium neighbourhood amenities – all in walking distance of one another. Liberty Market Tower reflects the best elements of the community and its distinctive surroundings, seamlessly blending the prevailing architectural context of the neighbourhood- both its revitalized turn-of-the-century brick and beam industrial spaces and its contemporary condominium designs.

For more information on Liberty Market Tower and/or to request more information, visit www.LibertyMarketTower.com. For additional information on Lifetime Developments and any of its developments, please visit: www.lifetimedevelopments.com and on social media @lifetime_dev.

About Lifetime Developments
For more than four decades, Lifetime Developments has created thriving neighbourhoods and successful commercial properties seen as major contributors to city building in the Greater Toronto Area. In successfully identifying emerging areas poised for growth, Lifetime has created vibrant, interconnected residential neighbourhoods which have greatly enhanced Toronto’s real estate and development sectors.

Lifetime has developed several internationally recognized projects in the GTA. Its signature residences include Bisha Hotel and Residences, Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences Toronto, INDX Condos, Karma Condos, The Code Condominium, The Bond Condominium, The Yorkville, WaterParkCity, Lumiere Condos, Liberty Market Lofts, Victory Condos, M5V Condominiums, Whitehaus, Panda, and recently launched XO Condos.

Within Lifetime Developments there exists a strong culture of corporate and social responsibility to improve the fabric and quality of living within the communities where it builds. The company’s charitable foundation, Lifeline, which has a focus on homelessness, gives back to Toronto’s communities through their active support of, and participation in, many various local initiatives including environmental responsibility, health and wellness, and the provision of the basic necessities of life for those in need. Celebrating its fifth anniversary in 2019, Lifeline has supported more than 40 charities and programs and raised in excess of $1.75 million.

Source: Cision

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Lifetime and Knightstone’s Whitehaus Condos Celebrates Topping Off

It was a celebratory atmosphere at the Midtown Toronto construction site of Lifetime Developments and Knightstone’s Whitehaus Condominiums this past Friday, as crews gathered to commemorate the topping off of the Diamond Schmitt Architects and Turner Fleischer Architects-designed condominium tower on Yonge Street north of Eglinton. With the building now arriving at its final 31-storey, 107.2-metre height, Friday’s topping off celebration marked a major milestone.

Looking southwest to Whitehaus Condos, image by Jack Landau

The building’s final few feet of concrete and steel are now being formed high above the corner of Yonge and Helendale, obscured from view by formwork in photos captured from street level. A few levels below, the white window wall cladding from which the building draws its name is quickly enclosing the tower, with just a few more floors left to install. A copper-hued treatment encloses the podium anchoring the tower to Yonge.

At the current stage of construction a project has typically reached its peak workforce, with forming wrapping up while work continues on both interior fitting-out and exterior finishing. With all the various trades on site at once, the topping off party has become a tradition in the building industry, giving crews a chance to step back and celebrate the work completed so far.

Topping off party at Whitehaus Condos, image by Jack Landau

Friday’s party brought together a large group of crews and executives—with ample precautions taken in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic—to enjoy a meal and other festivities.

Topping off party at Whitehaus Condos, image by Jack Landau

With the construction hoist shut down due to Friday afternoon’s high winds, the party marked an early end to the work day for many of the crews, adding to the celebratory atmosphere. A raffle was held for site workers, filling the unfinished third floor of the building with animated cheers and playful jeers for prizes awarded to standout workers.

Raffle prize being awarded, image by Jack Landau

Commemorative t-shirts marking the occasion, featuring a stylized image of the completed condo tower, were also handed out to the construction crew.

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Demolition Clearing King and Dufferin Site of XO Condos

A commercial plaza and former McDonald’s location at the southwest corner of King and Dufferin in Toronto’s West End is coming down to make way for a new condominium building from Lifetime Developments and Pinedale Properties. Following interior gutting, the first visible activity for XO Condos got underway on Monday afternoon when excavators began to tear into the single-storey building, which will free up space for the start of the project’s upcoming shoring phase.

Demolition at site of XO Condos, image by Forum contributor AlbertC

Work commenced around the noon hour, and in just a few short hours, much of the old McDonald’s had been reduced to rubble. Demolition is moving from west to east, with the three retailers to the east of the partially-demolished McDonald’s now awaiting the same fate. Once the buildings are fully demolished and the site is cleared of all the rubble and debris, drilling rigs can commence shoring work.

Retail spaces about to come down for XO Condos, image by Forum contributor AlbertC

To be spared from the demolition is the 1906-built Bank of British North America at 1211 King West, which is being retained into the base of the development at the corner of Dufferin. Currently in use as the project’s sales centre, the two-storey building is technically a separate property and was not addressed in the planning process, though Lifetime has stated their intention to maintain its important corner presence.

Heritage building at King and Dufferin, image via Google Street View

XO Condos will bring a pair of Core Architects and Turner Fleischer Architects-designed buildings to King and Dufferin. The initial sales run focused on the 14-storey building, now beginning the construction cycle at the intersection’s southwest corner. The second building is planned for the northeast corner, to rise 17 storeys and replace another single-storey retail plaza. The McDonald’s has now reopened in the Kings Club complex a block east on King Street.

XO Condos, image courtesy of Lifetime Developments

Source: Urban Toronto

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Summer in the City at Bisha Hotel

Planning a summer break but dread the thought of battling cottage traffic with swatting mosquitos as your reward? How about pampering yourselves with a 3 or 4 day “Staycation” at Bisha Hotel?

Since its opening in September 2017 as the first 5-star luxury destination in the heart of the Entertainment District, Lifetime’s Bisha Hotel and Residences has been ground-zero for the trendiest parties and events for style-makers, urban tastemakers and celebrities, or those who just as soon lie back in the lap of luxury and be spoiled.

From its private den-like lobby, the ultra-luxe boutique Bisha Hotel occupies the first eight floors of the 44-storey tower, and who knows who you may run in to? Perhaps Lenny Kravitz, who’s ‘Kravitz Design’ firm created an entire floor of the hotel. There is a 24-hour gym to maintain your routine and a rooftop infinity pool as your summer sanctuary – with outstanding views high above the busy city. The room appointments and features are of the highest quality, with a sleek, smooth and cosmopolitan feel.

Drink and food options abound, from Mister C Bar Room in the lobby for cocktails, Michelin-Star chef Akira Back’s famous Japanese-Korean restaurant on the second floor or the newly-acclaimed K?st Restaurant on the 44th floor for the perfect dinner overlooking the metropolis.

Time to reward yourselves.

So. Very. Civilized.

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