It didn’t take long for purchasers to buy up all the available suites for sale at VOX Condos, a new 35-storey glass tower by Cresford Developments at 28 Wellesley St. East, just past Yonge St., which saw its 300 units sell out in a mere three days this fall.
An impressive showing to be sure, and one that Cresford sales and marketing president Maria Athanasoulis tells The Epoch Times is the result of her company’s experience designing and developing high-profile Toronto condo projects over the past decade, including most recently Casa I, II and III in Yorkville, and MYC Condos, near Davisville subway station.
The success of the project is also a reflection of the strong relationships Cresford’s in-house sales and marketing team has forged through the years with buyers, including courting the Asian market.
“Did (the sellout) come as a surprise?” she asks. “I'd say no. Reason being, we gave people what they wanted.”
While the main tower suites at VOX—ranging from 321-square-foot studios to 698-square-foot two-bedroom suites, priced from $199,900—sold out super fast, the penthouses and loft units have yet to be released. It’s the same situation with the penthouses at Casa I and II, the first two towers in Cresford’s Charles Street condo cluster, which also will be made available for sale at a later date.
“Not every purchaser wants to live in a 700-square-foot condo,” explains Athanasoulis. “Some buyers want the luxury of 10-foot ceilings in suites that are more in the 1,000 square foot range, but at a mid-range price point. And that’s what we’re about to release here.”
The penthouses should prove popular with Asian buyers, a market that has been a “huge part of our success,” she says. “There’s always been a connection with that market because they understand our product and the locations we choose.”
Designed by Peter Clewes of architectsAlliance, VOX Condos is slated to be completed by 2017.
Suites will have nine-foot ceilings, laminate flooring in all living spaces, and in-suite laundry closet with stacked washer and dryer. Kitchens are open concept, with natural stone or quartz countertops, ceramic-tile backsplashes, and stainless steel appliances. Bathrooms will have marble countertops, full-height ceramic tiled bathtub surround with tiled skirt and shower surround, and porcelain tile flooring.
The units will have individual hydro metering and in-suite thermostat controlled heating and air conditioning. They will also be pre-wired for cable TV, high-speed internet and telephone. VOX’s amenity areas will feature furnishings from the Diesel Living Home Collection, which brings the renowned fashion brand’s style to a line of furniture, lighting, accessories and kitchen design.
The VOX lobby, with a winding staircase that connects to three floors of amenity spaces, will be decorated by Diesel. And each of the suite designs at VOX has been named after one of the brand’s signature denim lines, including Darron, Baxo and Viker.
Cresford has been affiliating itself with high-end fashion brands in recent years. The lobby of its Casa III project will have furnishings by high-end French manufacturer Hermés. The lobby and amenity areas of the first Casa building are decorated by Italian design house Armani. Casa II will have furnishings by Italian fashion house Missoni. And two of Cresford’s projects in High Park are decorated with Fendi.
“By affiliating ourselves with fashion brands, we’ve gained a following in the condo market, and VOX is the next step,” says Cresford’s Erika Muzzo.
VOX will have three levels of amenities. Level 2 will have a party room, dining room connected to a Scavolini kitchen, and a landscaped outdoor terrace deck with barbecue. There'll also be a billiards table and lounge. Level 3 amenities include a library lounge, kitchenette, snack bar and media room. Level 4 will have a fitness centre, yoga studio and climbing wall. VOX also will have visitor bike parking.
“We wanted to keep our amenity offerings as simple as possible—just the things that people truly need—to keep fees as low as possible,” notes Muzzo.
The location of the project—on Yonge Street, two doors down from Wellelsey subway station, minutes from University of Toronto and Ryerson University, and close to the city’s health network and an array of shopping and fine dining options in Yorkville—“speaks for itself,” Athanasoulis says, noting it was a major factor in the success of VOX.
The project’s address has a Walkscore of 100 out of 100—making it both “a walker’s paradise” and a “rider’s paradise,” given its proximity to the subway line.
“It’s a key location that will continue to be in demand,” Athanasouli notes, which makes the units at VOX well-suited for investors to buy and rent out, or for purchase by parents who want to buy a condo for kids who may be attending school or working in the area.
In the end, though, the true appeal of VOX could lie in the simplicity and elegance of the building. “We want to make sure we design all our projects to stand the test of time,” Athanasoulis says. “And we think VOX will achieve that.”
VOX Condos
Location: Yonge and Wellesley Sts.
Developer: Cresford Developments
Architect: architectsAlliance
Interior design: Diesel Living Home Collection
Size: 35 storeys
Suites: 321 sq.-ft. studios to 698 sq.-ft. two bedroom units.
Prices: From $199,900 (sold out)
Info: www.voxcondominiums.com
Ryan Starr is a freelance journalist based in Toronto.
