383 Sorauren offers modern interpretation of industrial chic

Ryan Starr – Toronto Star

For Bill Gairdner, the launch of 383 Sorauren represents a maiden voyage of sorts, the first condo he’s developed since striking out on his own just over a year ago.

383 Sorauren, a 10-storey mid-block masonry building designed by Peter Clewes of architectsAlliance, is meant to be a modern interpretation of the old warehouses that dot Roncesvalles Village. (Next door to 383 Sorauren is Robert Watson Lofts, a turn-of-the-19th-century factory that was converted into condos several years back, with much of the original gritty character kept intact.)

383 Sorauren will have 144 units that range from 470-square-foot studios to 1,500-square-foot three-bedroom-plus-den penthouses. There also will be four, two-storey, two-bedroom townhouses located along Sorauren Ave.

Prices range from $250,000 to $899,000. Occupancy is scheduled for 2016.

The project, which went on sale this week, had over 700 registrations as of late March. Gairdner — who left Freed Developments at the end of 2011 to launch his own firm — sees that as a significant vote of confidence for his inaugural condo effort. (His partner on the project is Martin Niro of Centrestone Urban Developments.)

“It’s the first boutique launch of the season, so a lot of people are keeping an eye on it,” Gairdner says as he strolls through the half-finished 383 Sorauren presentation centre a few weeks before the project’s official opening.

“It’s a totally different market (compared with previous springs),” he acknowledges. “But if anything the market has been speaking loud and clear that this is the kind of product it’s still interested in.”

“We designed this building to attract end users. It might have a slower absorption schedule, but I’m fine with that.”

True Neighbourhood

Residents at 383 Sorauren will have plenty of transit options, including the Dundas and College Street streetcars, and a GO train connection at Bloor and Dundas. (Unfortunately the condo has a railway corridor running behind it, but so do Rosedale mansions, Gairdner points out.)

The building is a five-minute stroll from a revitalized Roncesvalles Avenue, which offers a parade of hip restaurants, bars, coffee shops and galleries. “I feel like it’s the first neighbourhood when you head west from downtown that feels like a neighbourhood but still has the urban flair and feel for people who don’t necessarily want the Kingsway or High Park,” Gairdner says.

383 Sorauren’s suites, designed by Johnson Chou, will have terraces or balconies and nine-foot ceilings, with 10-foot ceilings in the two-storey penthouse suites.

The building will have a fitness centre and a terrace with an outdoor lounge, barbecues and a dining area that backs onto Sorauren Park, located just south of the property (where there’s a farmers’ market every Monday evening.)

The project’s masonry warehouse look is a tribute to the area’s industrial past. “We didn’t want to put up some fancy glass box in the middle of this neighbourhood,” Gairdner says. “That would be really out of context.”

At the same time, he stresses, 383 Sorauren isn’t going to mimic the older architecture either. “We want to tip our hat to that kind of structure because it’s beautiful,” he says, referring to the Robert Watson project next door. “But we still want to do a building that’s modern and cool that speaks to our generation and time.”

Finding Freed

Gairdner got his break in the development business from Peter Freed, King West’s condo king.

Fresh out of university and looking for a job in the industry, Gairdner introduced himself to Freed back in 2004, in the elevator of the condo where they both lived (Freed’s 66 Portland). “I said, ‘I bought into your condo, I’ve always wanted to get involved in the business, and I’d really appreciate the chance to chat with you,’ ” Gairdner recalls.

Freed gave him his email address, and Gairdner, now 30, says he “chased him down for about six months before he finally agreed to give me a job.”

Gairdner started off doing anything that fell off Freed’s desk, and before long had gotten a crash course in all aspects of the condo biz. “It was such a small organization that I was doing things well beyond my years,” says Gairdner, who eventually became Freed’s vice president of development. “I got the best education going because it was hands-on and Peter was doing a lot of really exciting things.”

In 2011, Gairdner decided to go solo. His mission: to develop his own brand of “cool buildings where real human beings want to live.”

“I had this entrepreneurial hunger. I wanted to see if I could actually do it (on my own),” he says. “I think I always knew I could, it just seemed risky.”

To mitigate risk on his first foray, 383 Sorauren, Gairdner has surrounded himself with an A-team of Toronto condo consultants, including architect Peter Clewes and designer Johnson Chou. “I’ve got great partners, a great team and I’ve also done this a bunch of times,” Gairdner notes. “So for me it doesn’t seem like an insurmountable task.

“It’s just a refreshing experience being able to do it on your own versus doing it for someone else.”

The Details

Location: 383 Sorauren Ave.
Developer: Gairdloch Developments & Centrestone Urban Developments
Architect: Peter Clewes, architectsAlliance
Interior design: Johnson Chou
Size: 10 storeys
Suites: 144
Prices: $250,000 to $899,000

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Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information – 416-388-1960

Laurin & Natalie Jeffrey are Toronto Realtors with Century 21 Regal Realty.
They did not write these articles, they just reproduce them here for people
who are interested in Toronto real estate. They do not work for any builders.
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bill gairdner developer toronto

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