2 Post Road is an upcoming project by North Drive Investments Inc. that will feature 62 opulent residences in Toronto’s Bridle Path neighbourhood.IMAGE COURTESY OF NORTH DRIVE
Bridle Path, one of Toronto’s most exclusive and prestigious neighbourhoods and home to such celebrities as Drake, is about to see a new addition to the landscape: the first new building to go up there in 20 years.
With 62 carefully crafted residences in five storeys of timeless Beaux Arts architecture by renowned architect Richard Wengle, 2 Post Road is the latest project from Toronto real estate developer North Drive Investments Inc.
“We’ve always looked at Bridle Path as a celebration of success,” says Barry Cohen, president of Cohen Homes and Estates, the sales team representing the new project. “It stands for opulence, grandeur and wide-open spaces.”
The appeal for the affluent buyer who moves into the neighbourhood are the large lot sizes that connect to the peaceful, natural beauty of such places as Edward Gardens and the Don River.
Out of the pandemic came a heightened focus on the home, Cohen adds, in which amenities were built in, such as fitness centres, spas, outdoor barbecue decks, movie rooms and home offices, allowing residents to have many of their needs met at home. But that’s turned out to be more than a trend.
“I think it’s permanent,” he says.
“Why travel 20 minutes to have access to those facilities when you can have them in your home? Certainly, a lot of the new buildings are being built that way – amenity rich. Many people are trying to renovate their current homes. When was the last time you went to a movie theatre?”
Bridle Path attracts a specific echelon of real estate buyer, in part because a close-knit, high-status community that values discretion has been built there.
Jordan Morassutti, co-founder of North Drive, says the plan with 2 Post Road was to capture that community’s features with its opulent finishes, large suites with wide terraces and open green space.
“When we were designing the project, it was very important from the beginning to capture the presence and feeling of approaching a grand Bridle Path estate,” he says. “This isn’t supposed to feel like an imposing, alien form of a condominium. It was intended to feel like an estate that’s commensurate with other homes that exist on this street and some of the surrounding streets.”
The architect, “Richard, really paid attention to the area,” says Justin Cohen, vice-president of Cohen Homes and Estates. “I think the residents are going to be proud of this building. It will be like a gateway to the neighbourhood. If you’re [living] on the Bridle Path, you did something right. There’s more buyer demand for this kind of product, where the country and city seem to be going, with baby boomers aging. Their lifestyles are different.
“The challenge with our area is they didn’t have a next step. We were losing them to large recreational properties in places like King City, or to the downtown atmosphere.”
These buyers had built their mansions in the neighbourhood, lived there and wanted to stay there, but when searching for condo suites with comparable square footage, and access to nature, there were no choices in their area. Now there are.
In addition to the architecture and outdoor spaces, the key points of 2 Post Road are its 12-foot ceilings on the main, fourth and fifth floors (four and five are the Penthouse Collection), with 10-foot ceilings on the second and third floors (the Signature Collection), as well as the garden homes, with large outdoor spaces and backyards at grade.
The spacious, well laid-out suites with garden and city views appeal to buyers’ needs, with concierge, valet and property management services by The Forest Hill Group, providing added convenience and extensive security.
Building suites sizes average just over 2,000 square feet, with some more than 3,300 square feet. Buyers can also combine suites for larger living spaces.
There is a private dining room with catering kitchen, a large fitness facility with a pickle ball court and golf simulators, and energy-efficient green features. The spectacular standard finishes include solid core doors, wide-plank hardwood floors, large kitchens with centre islands and walk-in pantries, Wolf/SubZero kitchen appliances, designer-selected options of marble, silestone or Dekton countertops, and gas fireplaces. All units come with two-car parking and a locker.
The average price per square foot for the building is $1,900, with a premium on the higher floors and outdoor space attached to the suite.
2 Post Road is for those making a transition buy, perhaps moving from a large single-family home and spending portions of the winter or summer months out of the city. They are seeking lock-and-go convenience, security and five-star, hotel-style amenities.
The question is why it took 20 years for a new project to be built in Bridle Path. The zoning has changed, for one.
“This is a very discerning audience,” Morassutti says. “There is pent-up demand for a building like this. We’ve been hunting around the Bridle Path area for a perfect site for quite some time.
“This is also coming on the heels of a very successful project that we launched earlier this year at One Roxborough West, which is the quintessential luxury downsizer building in Rosedale neighbourhood. We focus on the upmarket end-user buildings in the city’s classic neighbourhoods. We’ve done projects in the Kingsway, Forest Hill, Yorkville, Annex, Rosedale, and now feel privileged to have the ability to do a building in the Bridle Path neighbourhood.
“For us, it’s about contextually responsive development and taking cues from the site and the neighbourhood and assembling a team that are experts in this neighbourhood,” he says. “So, that is absolutely critical to the success of the project. It’s not coming into a site with a predetermined architectural style or team. We really focus on ensuring that we do justice to the neighbourhood and the site itself.”
Advertising feature produced by Globe Content Studio. The Globe’s editorial department was not involved.