Curated Properties is stepping up the scope of its developments and is about to launch sales for its largest project so far, a 16-storey, 269-unit condominium known as 8 Temple.

The property is located a few blocks southwest of its head office in the western part of downtown Toronto. The development site came about after Curated acquired nine homes on Temple Avenue, a short street just west of Dufferin and south of King streets, throughout 2019 and 2020. 

All of the needed approvals to move forward with the development are in place and the houses are vacant but haven’t yet been demolished.

“I would call it more of a move-up project, which I don't see a lot of other developers doing,” Curated principal Adam Ochshorn told RENX. 

“I think that there is a niche that's been created because whether it's single-family or townhome, the downtown core has become so expensive and out of people's reach that I think there's a great need for units that can handle what we like to call an emerging family.” 

The RAW Design-designed building will have units ranging from 447 to 1,351 square feet. The mix will be: 51 per cent one-bedroom and one-bedroom-plus-den; 39 per cent two-bedroom and two-bedroom-plus-den; and 10 per cent three-bedroom and three-bedroom-plus-den.

No pricing for the units has yet been announced.

The goal is to begin construction next spring and have people moving into the building in 2027.

8 Temple’s amenities

As with Curated’s AKRA project at Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue in midtown Toronto, the interiors and amenity program at 8 Temple are being handled by Chapi Chapo Design.

Amenities at 8 Temple will include: a top floor with Toronto’s first rooftop pickleball court; a commercial-grade indoor and outdoor kitchen; a strength and conditioning centre; a lounge with two cocktail bars and an outdoor theatre; and barrel saunas that overlook the Toronto skyline.

There will also be co-working rooms and a fireside lounge off the main-floor lobby.

“Usually to get the amenities that we're offering, you have to be in a multi-tower project or have 600 units,” Ochshorn said.

“I think with our mid-200s amount of suites, it’s still fairly intimate and we're not crazy hustle and bustle.”

Units will also include what Ochshorn calls a concierge closet, a space of up to 100 square feet which is accessible from both the unit and corridor that creates storage space for the residents and provides a place for the building's concierge to drop off delivered packages when they’re away.

Desirable location

Residents will have easy access to the 504 King streetcar as well as the 29 Dufferin bus, while being minutes from the existing Exhibition GO Transit station, a future Ontario Line subway stop and the Gardiner Expressway. 

The site is also in close proximity to the shopping, restaurants and bars of Queen Street West, King Street West, Ossington Avenue and Liberty Village, as well as the Canadian National Exhibition grounds.

“The beauty of the site, which has always been Curated’s mantra, is to be close to the action but not right in it,” said Ochshorn.

The surrounding neighbourhood has been home to past Curated developments and the company has always liked what it has to offer.

While younger people were initially attracted to the area and those projects, Ochshorn has more recently seen a wider demographic range purchasing units.

Curated’s evolution

Curated was launched in 2009 by Ochshorn and co-principal Gary Eisen with a focus on developing boutique projects in Toronto's core.

Its first development — the four-storey, 24-unit Annex Loft Houses at 483 Dupont St. — was completed in 2012. 

The company has since completed the 12-unit Dovercourt 455 in 2014, the 20-unit Edition Richmond in 2015, the 16-unit Lanehouse in 2016, the 25-unit Cabin in 2019 and the 74-unit The Plant in 2020.

“We've always taken a design-forward sensibility in all of our projects,” said Ochshorn. “I wouldn't call us a commodity developer at all.”

Along with 8 Temple, Curated is also moving forward with two other larger developments.

Akra and Veneta on Yonge

The aforementioned Akra is a 22-storey, 211-unit condo at 109 Erskine Ave. in midtown Toronto that will begin construction this fall after a solid sales launch.

Akra has a health and wellness theme that includes: a community garden; a lobby with a proprietary scent and lighting system that changes throughout the day; hot and cold plunge pools; a ritual centre; infrared saunas; and yoga and workout rooms.

Veneta on Yonge will be Curated’s first foray into the 905 area code with a site much farther north than its other developments -- at Yonge and Steeles Avenue.

“We're trying to bring some of our urban design sensibility and amenities to the suburbs,” said Ochshorn.

Veneta on Yonge is still going through the approvals process and Ochshorn isn’t yet sure when it will launch.

The proposed 40-storey, 487-unit building would feature: 74 per cent one-bedroom and one-bedroom-plus-den units; 23 per cent two-bedroom and two-bedroom-plus-den units; and three per cent three-bedroom and three-bedroom-plus-den units.

Curated is working on two other projects, though Ochshorn said it is too early to discuss details.