Where to Buy Now: Corktown, because the historic neighbourhood has lofty ambitions
What used to be a don’t-walk-here-at-night zone is being reinvented by builders like Streetcar Developments and Brad Lamb into a booming mid-rise condo ’hood. By the end of 2010, 68 per cent of the real estate sales in Corktown were condos. These include plenty of lofts: the Queen City Vinegar Co. Lofts (shown above); the four-building Corktown District Lofts (shown below); and Trinity Lofts, an eight-storey, curvy construction that bridges the gap between the Distillery and King Street and gives good space for the buck ($550 per square foot). With nine-foot-high exposed concrete ceilings, the Trinity units appeal to designers who work in the area’s studios or professionals looking for a 20-minute walk to Bay Street.
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From Berkeley St. to River St.; from Shuter St. to Front St.
2009: $408,019
2010: $428,017
2011: $501,055
*2011 averages reflect most recent data from January to August
As for Corktown’s megaprojects, the vacant land west and south of the neighbourhood is undergoing massive change with River City, an 80-acre planned community under construction in the West Don Lands that includes condos, townhouses, restaurants, new parks and even an elementary school. Factor in the Regent Park revitalization to the north and Corktown is ready to pop.
