Deciding where to live in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) naturally comes with a slew of lifestyle considerations, leaving prospective buyers to decide how urban, suburban, dense, fast-paced, or slow-moving they’d like their surroundings to feel. And in a rapidly-growing city like Toronto, you rarely get it all in one spot.
The coveted Leaside neighbourhood, however, stands out as a true exception.
In short, Leaside indeed offers it all, resulting in a harmonious sense of balance for residents of all ages. The midtown Toronto neighbourhood, which sits just northeast of the downtown core, was established over 100 years ago, when it was designed under the urban planning Garden City Principles. This way of thinking and planning prioritises green spaces, community-building, and local engagement. Refreshingly, this sentiment continues in Leaside to this day.
The resonating theme in Leaside is balanced living. Think: an interconnected community that offers the best of urban, suburban, and small-town living. It’s quaint and peaceful, yet quick and convenient. And, thanks to new developments like Camrost Felcorp’s celebrated Upper East Village mixed-use community, it’s now a more accessible place to call home for those in the market for balance — and the best of all worlds.
With Upper East Village comes the opportunity to rent (with 36 Brentcliffe entirely dedicated to rentals), purchase and move in now (select suites are currently available at 33 Frederick Todd Way), or buy pre-construction at The Frederick. This wider range of home types opens Leaside up to a larger demographic of people, of varying life stages.
Convenient Connectivity
Before we get into the heart and soul of Leaside, its prime location alone offers a major draw for this wide variety of residents. Once relatively isolated from TTC stations (but still connected via bus), the upcoming Eglinton Crosstown LRT, with its shiny new local TTC stations, will connect Leaside to the rest of the city like never before. This will offer quick and convenient access to the downtown core.
Leaside is also a quick drive from major highways, like the Don Valley Parkway and the 401. Meanwhile, a short drive down the greenery-filled Bayview extension offers quick access to places like the designer boutique-filled Yorkville, and further south to downtown Toronto’s sights, sounds, and tastes.
Let’s not forget that the cyclist set of Leaside dwellers has long-appreciated its close proximity to a network of cycling paths that span to places like the Beaches and beyond.
(Still) A ‘Garden City’
Though it sits just a short distance from the concrete-filled downtown core, Leaside is filled with parks of all sizes and functions – appreciated neighbourhood staples that offer everything from nature trails to baseball diamonds, skating rinks, and splash pads. This abundance of green space provides a peaceful juxtaposition to the quickly-densifying downtown region, which can be accessed by transit in less than half an hour.
“You’re connected to a lot of beautiful parks, trails, and parks when you live in Leaside,” says Christopher Castellano, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Camrost Felcorp. “There’s a reason Leaside is still called Toronto’s ‘Garden City.’ Because the neighbourhood shines in so many areas, with so many community amenities and local businesses, the wellness element can be underplayed. But when you look at end users, particularly downsizers, they’re looking to live a more relaxed life. The abundant outdoor space is a major draw. For example, both Sunnybrook Park and the whole Don Valley ravine system are just minutes away.”
Green spaces and access to nature are correlated with improvements to mental health, with one study linking access to green space to lover levels of loneliness.
READ: Loving On Leaside: Why The Park-Filled Neighbourhood Is A Toronto Mainstay
Small-Town Vibes
The Bayview strip – a vibrant stretch of Bayview between Merton Street and just north of Eglinton Avenue – brings a distinct small-town feel to Leaside, thanks to the abundance of mom and pop shops and other small businesses. Like many of the neighbourhood’s residents, some of these local staples have been in the neighbourhood for decades. These range from the always-bustling Hollywood Gelato, or the home decor and greeting card spot Write Impressions, to beloved sushi restaurant Fukui Sushi, and local watering hole (the type of place where everyone knows your name), McSorley’s Saloon.
The common denominators in Leaside’s small businesses are a distinct charm and a long list of long-time customers that have become friends. Of course, this element adds to Leaside’s tight-knit sense of community, typically reserved for small towns. So do things like the local Leaside baseball and hockey leagues (Go Flames!).
“From a lifestyle perspective, having these mom and pop shops along Bayview, where you get to know the people who work there and the business owners, has a huge impact on one’s social connection to the area,” says Castellano. “I think that’s one of the neighbourhood’s biggest draws.”
Suburban Perks
While admittedly not as charming as their small-scale alternatives, big-box stores definitely come in handy when it comes to everything from buying in bulk for families and events, to renovating one’s living space. Uniquely, Leaside is also home to big box stores usually found outside of the city's borders, like Home Depot, Costco, and Best Buy.
“You typically don’t find that connected living when you live near big-box stores,” says Castellano. “With Leaside, you have access to the best of both worlds. You can drive down the street to a Home Depot, or to one of the nicest Longos or Sobeys stores in the city, or you can take five more minutes and visit the Bayview Strip for that personalized one-on-one experience. You don’t find that in many neighbourhoods in the GTA. But Leaside has that balance.”
Balanced Urban Living
While Leaside living used to be predominantly limited to single-family homes on curvy, tree-lined streets, with the exception of the odd older condo or apartment building, times are changing. Now, access to the coveted neighbourhood has changed, thanks to new design-forward residential projects that embody the DNA of Leaside – but with the option of living in a sleek one-bedroom condo with all the amenities one’s heart could desire.
The introduction of the upcoming Eglinton Crosstown LRT has inspired impressive development along Eglinton Avenue East — and Upper East Village is a prime example. Located at Eglinton and Laird – just steps from the upcoming Eglinton LRT station – the sleek and spacious residences range in home type, style, and floor plans, truly offering something for everyone.
South-east 2+1 suite at Upper East Village (deanafeldman.com)
On a visual level, Upper East Village is designed to seamlessly integrate into its surroundings. “The project is designed, especially the pedestrian areas and connections, to be a space of abundant brick and stone so that it fits in aesthetically with the surrounding homes,” says Castellano.
The celebrated development is also designed to encapsulate the heart and soul of Leaside. “With Upper East Village, we tried to create a microcosm of all the key elements that make Leaside great,” says Castellano. “So, we are putting in a half-acre park that we’ll donate to the community. We’re also bringing in convenient new retail, a dentist, medical office, and possibly restaurants. We are trying to mimic Leaside’s accessibility to retail and restaurants within our community. We purposely bought a plot of land that’s in close proximity to transit, roadways, and walking paths – a connectivity that’s long been associated with the neighbourhood."
To learn more about Upper East Village, click here.
This article was produced in partnership with STOREYS Custom Studio.
