As we continue our blog series on the trend of more and more people choosing to move into the downtown core, particularly into condos, our last blog was about why more than families are choosing to move there. As we started to find information about the reasons why people are moving closer to their office space Toronto, we discovered additional facts that we put into this second blog entry.

In part one, we focused primarily on why folks are choosing to move downtown and the fact that there are now more family-friendly condos being built. We wanted to use this blog entry to tell you about the logistics of living in a downtown condo as a family. It is interesting that this is not a new trend in other major North American cities like New York and Chicago. For the past 10 years, the concept has been gaining popularity in Toronto.  While Toronto housing is not yet as expensive as in cities like New York, London or Paris, the cost of buying a house in Toronto has increased greatly. Even houses in the once “working class” neighborhoods of Central Toronto have become “gentrified” and therefore more expensive. The increased prices of home ownership in Toronto means that families must now consider condominium living in order to stay downtown or close to their downtown Toronto office space.

Here in part two we want to talk about some of the developments that are located in downtown Toronto that are family (and more specifically children) friendly. These are new condominium projects that have more bedrooms – or simply have more amenities aimed at child residents. These include parks, playgrounds, swimming pools, ice rinks and a host of other child-friendly places. These projects could be ideal for people and families who have Toronto office space that is located in the heart of the city – as they are also accessible by walking, public transit or a short taxi ride.

Some of the developments that are currently under construction, or are about to start, that specifically claim to be family friendly are:

  • AURA. This will be Canada’s tallest condominium at 78 storeys high. It is being built on the dynamic corner of Yonge & Gerrard Streets. The building will feature some 2 1/2 bedroom suites and has a 5th-floor rooftop patio that is ideal for a family picnic or for children to play.
  • The Distillery District (Parliament and Front) projects have been selling two-bedroom with den units and three-bedroom suites to people who have infants and school-aged children. There are several parks and schools nearby, but the area also offers easy access to newer parks on the waterfront like Sugar Beach.

While many condominium projects or existing condominium buildings do not make a point of advertising that they are family-friendly or children-friendly, many indeed are – and the developer or building management often do not even know it! Another one of our office for rent Toronto tenants has a friend who found a re-sale condo on Queen’s Quay that was a 2-bedroom. It was just steps away from Harbourfront Community Centre and City School and a short walk to parks and the Harbourfront Centre. An experienced condo realtor can find downtown condos with large 2-bedroom suites that also have a den that can be used as a small child’s bedroom or even play area.