by Dan Flomen
Over 20 years ago, developer Walter Jensen of the CanAlfa Group came across a parcel of land fringing on downtown Toronto.
His vision was to turn this 45-acre parcel from an industrial site into a lush green space and vibrant residential streets. Bounded by Strachan and Atlantic to the east and west, and King and the Gardiner to the north and south, this master-planned development is an enormous undertaking.
“I first got involved when I was called in to help rationalize the Massey Ferguson site on King Street in 1983,” says Jensen. “As I became more and more involved, I came to understand what this neighbourhood has meant to the city. I could also see clearly what it could become.” Located minutes from the heart of Toronto, this new area will eventually be home for over 3,500 families, with new retail stores and a central park.
Liberty Village has a colourful history behind it. Its roots trace back to the War of 1812, when US troops landed at the foot of Dowling Avenue and attacked Fort York, driving the British garrison out, and then returned across the lake.
From the late 1800s until the roaring 1920s, the area was home to a prison for men, later becoming the Women’s Prison. Its chapel, built in 1877, still remains today and has been restored. It will become a café and will serve as the focal point for Liberty Village’s central park.
The area was also the heart of Toronto’s industrial community in the late 1800s. The A.R. Williams Machinery Building was Toronto’s first “free-span” industrial building and is now home to CanAlfa’s head office and the project’s presentation centre.
Jensen wanted to create a community unlike others, diverse in culture and welcoming to all financial levels. “Despite its terrific location, we did not want to create an enclave just for the well-to-do. The vitality of any village depends on its enjoying a balanced mix of young and old, families and singles, those just starting out and those long established,” said Jensen. Ensuring that the area would not become a concrete jungle like so many other master-planned communities, three large parcels have been allotted as parkland.
Liberty Village will eventually be home to a dozen high-rise condominium towers, hundreds of townhomes, a retail, and a rental building. CanAlfa’s first phase was the creation of affordable townhomes. Quality coupled with attractive pricing were the driving forces in the quick sale of almost 500 units.
Currently, CanAlfa is launching the first phase of Liberty Towers, a trio of high-rises joined by a four-storey podium. The village will also showcase its own shopping centre, now under expansion at the west end of the community featuring a 24-hour Dominion. More commercial space, including live/work studios, is in the planning stages.
By clearing away decaying industrial buildings long past their prime, preserving the best examples of Victorian and Edwardian architecture, and using them as centrepieces for the community, CanAlfa is creating the perfect village within a city.
———————————————————————————
Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information
Incoming search terms