Toronto's Junction neighbourhood is one of those special spots in the city, which once languished as neighbourhoods were reinvigorated around it, thanks, it's said, to a longtime ban on alcohol in shops and restaurants in the area. Ever since the ban was lifted in 1998 however, the area has been slowly gentrifying. Now, thanks to a slew of well-regarded bars, restaurants and cafés, along with the various galleries, antique shops and the success of the Junction Flea, the area has become a hotspot in the city. New housing developments have been few here so far though, but people interested in the area have some options since TAS announced DUKE Condominiums.

View of DUKE along Dundas Street W., courtesy of TAS

DUKE will be a seven storey Quadrangle Architects-designed building located at 2803 Dundas St West, the former home of McBride Cycle. The condominium will feature a mix of uses, with retail on Dundas, 85 condo units above, plus two town homes and five live/work lofts in the rear. DUKE will offer an exercise gym and an entertainment-dining room combo as amenities, along with considerable bicycle parking. DUKE will also be built to a LEED Silver standard, including a green roof, plus harvest planters, specially designed to all food to be grown on the south-facing terraces. It is all part of TAS' four pillars of sustainability philosophy being applied to the building.

DUKE during the day, courtesy of TAS

The project has proven to be quite popular; TAS has recently announced that DUKE is now 60 percent sold. If you are interested in this development, TAS notes that there is still a good selection of suites available; studio and one bedroom; two and three bedroom, town homes; and live/work spaces are still available for purchase. To spur further interest, TAS is offering a very compelling incentive for prospective buyers: they are now offering up to $20,000 worth of savings on two and three bedroom suites in the building. 

DUKE's terraces at night, courtesy of TAS

TAS has also announced that construction will commence on DUKE this summer, allowing them plenty of time to meet the expected 2015 completion date. If you are interested in this project, UrbanToronto has earlier interviews with Richard Witt, of Quadrangle Architects and Mazyar Mortazavi, President and CEO of TAS, in which they discuss all things DUKE and the Junction.

You can find out more about DUKE in UrbanToronto's dataBase file for the project, linked below. Want to talk about the project? Choose one of the associated Forum thread links, or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.

Related Companies:  BDP Quadrangle, Ontario Panelization, Peter McCann Architectural Models Inc., TAS