In order to bring people in, they included commercial and retail space on the main floor. In order to add density, they settled on 212 residential units. To make them affordable and accessible, they made them rentals. Also, they made the call to only include 40 parking stalls so they could maximize the space for living while also leaving space for a courtyard. “We had to be very thoughtful about the design,” Alkarim says. “We had to understand that bike parking has to be a pretty big component. Walkability had to be a big component. Open space had to be a big component.” Alkarim partly credits the success of the concept to their partners at 5468796 Architecture. He says they have been “extremely creative in their approach.” “They don’t do anything the way it’s been done in the past,” he says. “They’re about finding creative solutions. They’re not trying to build things the way they have always been built.” Alkarim also partly credits the builder, Concord Projects – he says they are “just an exceptional general contracting partner, and they have been doing an unbelievable job for us.” Then there’s the rest of the project team – Alkarim says they all deserve credit, and that the project couldn’t have gotten this far without their early input. “Having 546 at the table, having Concord at the table, having the landscape architect at the table, having the engineers at the table – that was really critical early on,” he explains. “These projects are really made or broken prior to even digging ground. Ninety per cent of the work happens before you ever see a shovel. That’s something we’ve learned over the years.” MARCH 2022
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