Tapping into an “undersupplied market” is one of the key reasons Brixen Developments and National Homes have partnered on a two-tower development in Greater Toronto Area city of Brampton.

“A lot of immigration coming to the GTA is going to Brampton specifically and the city does a good job in fuelling that growth by reinvesting in the city, whether that’s the LRT that’s going through Hurontario (St.),” according to Alexander D’Orazio, co-founder of Brixen.

The partners recently announced Phase 2 of Duo, a 670-unit development located on Steeles Ave. W. near Hurontario St. 

It’s located close to the Hurontario LRT, set to be completed later this year. The transit line will begin in Mississauga, the city directly south of Brampton, at the Port Credit GO Station. From there, the line runs north to the Brampton Gateway Terminal on Steeles Ave. 

Duo2 tower to link with completed first building

The new tower promises to be a 29-storey condo building that will be linked to the previously completed tower one via a courtyard. 

“There is such a great demand for this type of product where traditionally, Brampton has not seen this type of new condo product; certainly not as much as other municipalities like Mississauga, Toronto. This type of product is in such high demand. It offers attainable housing to a population,” D’Orazio explained.

Due it being part of a master-planned area, “we were very conscientious of making it feel like a community for the residents,” he said.

The development will be aimed at all types of buyers, D’Orazio said. Sales will begin in fall 2024, with pricing starting in the $400,000s. It is being designed by Arcadis.

Other features include a “content creation room,” as well as a private dining area with kitchen, party room and lounge, a fitness studio, an outdoor terrace and lobby, and co-working space that could also be used as a lounge area.

But what makes this property so unique? The developers found the master plan provided some guidance to the builders and this informed its design.

“I find with other two-, three-tower developments, all the buildings look the same, whereas in this building — don’t get me wrong, there’s certain elements that really complement each other — but each building has their own personality and are uniquely designed for that. You’re not only part of the master-planned community but you’re preserving your own presence,” said D’Orazio, whose company was recently named Home Builder of the Year - Mid/High-Rise by industry organization BILD.

Working with City of Brampton

With the central physical connections between the properties, that’s where Duo really shines.

“Phase 2 is going to complete that courtyard, where it’s going to be this amazing ground floor piazza, where residents of the building [and] the community, are really going to be able to congregate and enjoy the active retail frontage — which we are going to install across Steeles — and grab a cup of coffee, socialize with friends within the area [and] let your kids explore the courtyard. Its really going to be a fun, active space for all residents,” he said.

This new initiative was borne out of multiple consultations with the city and local councillors, according to D’Orazio, and reflects the collaborative effort the partnership between Brixen and National are striving to achieve. 

“We learned a ton in terms of the city’s plans for growth and vision for that stretch of Steeles, for how they want this development to interact with the neighboring community, and what type of architecture they wanted to see for this community. We learned a ton from tower one, and we were really able to exploit that on future projects.”

One of the lessons learned from the meetings with local officials, was that Brampton insisted on an “active Steeles frontage” which was begun in phase one and will be completed with completion of phase two, said D’Orazio.

Family connection between Brixen, National

While Brixen initially found the site, it wanted a “to bring on a partner that really complemented our skill set,” he said, prompting the partnership with National Homes. “We really wanted to find a partner who had a very strong presence in Brampton.”

And it didn’t hurt that there is a family connection. “Full transparency: they’re cousins-in-law of mine.”

D’Ozario’s wife is first cousin to Jason Pantalone, president, CEO and managing partner with National Homes.

“They’ve been wanting to get into high-rise development. They have a phenomenal reputation within Brampton, so we thought this would be a phenomenal duo between the two companies, where we can leverage each others’ skill sets and (see) two companies really coming together and providing something great to such an undersupplied market.”

Offering something new for the condo market brings its own challenges, D’Orazio said, but he sees good potential for the future.

“Foundationally, it’s still a great time to invest into real estate, especially now when there’s deal out there to be had. But in terms of the state of the housing market with high interest rates, it’s stalled certain sales, but I think everyone will agree interest rates will come down. It’s just a matter of when and with that, we’ll see the housing market pick up as strong.”

However, high interest rates are not the only challenges facing builders. 

“I think in future years, an undersupplied market may catch up to us, [and bring] possibly higher rent rates and higher housing prices. It may be a challenge that we’ll have to face if we cannot deliver the amount of housing that the province wants to provide.”

While the future of the economy is still up in the air, the partnership with National looks bright.

“I don’t think this is the last project that we will work together in Brampton. We obviously value the partnership. We think it’s going to be a great community, once it’s built,” D’Orazio said.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was updated after being published to correct the number of condominium units in the development. RENX apologizes for the error.