Yes, today’s condo units may be well planned, but they are small. We are told we will love our new condo lifestyle because we don’t have to shovel snow, and can hop right on the subway, but is that enough? Sometimes it’s more than enough.
The sheer size of the shared amenity space at 5959 Yonge may make condo living more attractive than single-family home ownership for some. Not convinced? Take the time to read on.
“What we are proposing here is a community of towers that essentially provide you with so much amenity space you don’t need to leave your home,” explained Honey Ghods, VP of Business Development at Ghods Builders.
Starting from the bottom, the first floor holds a state of the art LED multi-use court. Lines are not fixed, but projected under the floor, allowing the choice of over a dozen games, from basketball to racquetball. The first of its kind in a condo anywhere, Ghods previously installed one in a custom mansion on Post Rd. “We thought, why not bring it to the condominium market,” Honey Ghods explained.
Don’t like court games? There will be two lanes of 10-pin bowling. Yes, really, as well as two meeting rooms, two pet spa rooms, a party room, and one of two guest suites.
The second floor is home to a media lounge, theatre, two party rooms with individual prep kitchens, and a sports bar with big screen TVs.
Indoor and outdoor facilities begin on the third floor. The indoor pool area includes a wet steam room, dry sauna, and the fitness centre and yoga/pilates studio. Walk out to the outdoor reflecting pool and cabana lounge. Keep walking and find a barbecue patio, Zen river garden, and end up at the outdoor barbecue lounge.
The fourth floor is where you'll find the rooftop terrace and another complete set of cabana lounges surrounding an outdoor fir pit, as well as two more barbecue areas and an additional reflective pool.
Still want the feeling of being outside but can’t brave the cold? Travel up to the 32nd floor to the two-storey atrium with floor to ceiling windows, a spectacular view, calming water features and plants as well as an adjacent Chai Room. If you crave the view from up high you can get it here without paying the $1,000 per floor height premium.
The fourty-thousand square feet of shared amenities spread across five floors in this project provide abundant opportunities for entertaining, exercising, or just hanging out on your own outside your unit. Residents will doubtlessly find a favourite spot somewhere in all that space.
“There’s so much going on the in building to take advantage of. You have much more that you would in a home,” said Rosa Ghods.
The number and variety of the amenities helped 5959 Yonge make it into New in Homes Magazine’s “Top 5 Most Popular High-Rise Posts” list last year, which is determined by reader interest.
Ghasem Ghods and his wife Rosa founded Ghods Builders in 1979. They began with single custom-built luxury homes, working up to subdivisions and large multiple-home projects in and around North York. 5959 Yonge will be their third high-rise condo project in the Yonge and Finch neighbourhood since they began with Symphony at 23 Lorraine Rd. 12 years ago.
Founder Ghasem Ghods was one of the first builders to introduce the den at a time when computers were much larger and fit awkwardly in homes. “I was thinking, can I find a place for that computer? We called it a den,” said Ghods.
The results of creating livable spaces at 23 Lorraine arrived quickly.
“Within 60 days, of the 317 units, I sold 250 units … I was thinking ahead of the market.” True to form, almost all suites at 5959 Yonge contain a den.
Designed by Kikor Architects & Planners, an architectural firm that has handled many projects for heavyweights like Tridel and Daniels, 5959 Yonge will begin with two towers of 43 and 31 storeys connected by a podium. The project will initially offer 550 units in the first phase with one and two bedroom units ranging from 500-750 sq. ft. and is scheduled for completion in 2018.
Ghods Builders plans to pursue LEED certification, which will keep the condo fees of $0.55 per sq. ft. reasonably stable as energy costs fluctuate.
Prices start at $288,900 for 507 sq. ft., one bedroom plus den, averaging around $520 per sq. ft. Parking spots are currently $29,500.
Info: http://www.ghodsbuilders.com
