Musician and producer Pharrell Williams is collaborating with Reserve Properties and Westdale Properties to build the Untitled condos near Yonge and Eglinton in Toronto. The Grammy winner’s involvement was announced during a media event at Yonge-Dundas Square. (Steve McLean RENX)

Collaborations between developers on condominiums aren’t uncommon, but Toronto’s Untitled will be unique due to the involvement of Pharrell Williams.

“It’s Untitled because we wanted to leave space for you,” the Grammy Award-winning music artist and producer said in a brief video message shown on the large advertising screens that surround Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square, where the development was announced by Reserve Properties and Westdale Properties.

“Our new two-tower residential project will contain 750 one-, two- and three-bedroom units and 30,000 square feet of amazing amenity space,” said Reserve president and chief executive officer Sheldon Fenton while speaking in front of one of three buses, covered with the Untitled logo, that delivered guests.

Untitled collaborators

The developers and representatives of Toronto-headquartered architectural firm IBI Group and interior designer U31 met with Williams to discuss Untitled’s design several times over the past year in New York, Los Angeles and London.

Fenton said Williams was involved in all aspects of designing the exteriors, interiors, amenity spaces and furniture.

Williams has been involved with fashion design and previously collaborated with brands including Chanel, Adidas and Human Made.

Other collaborative projects include an upcoming youth centre in Virginia Beach with Oppenheim Architecture + Design, work with Zaha Hadid Architects, and the creation of the Something in the Water festival.

Untitled will be the first time Williams has been actively involved in a multifamily residential development.

“This partnership has evolved from a desire to do something really unique for Toronto, and architecture and design as a whole,” said Fenton.

“We believe that by bringing in a cultural icon with a vision and ideation from outside the realm of real estate will allow us to break the mold in terms of what has been traditionally done.”

Untitled location

Untitled will be located at 110 Broadway Ave., one block east of Yonge Street and two blocks north of Eglinton Avenue. Its two towers will share a podium.

Reserve chief operating officer Shane Fenton told RENX during a short interview following the presentation the developers acquired the site about three years ago from an undisclosed private group.

It’s occupied by low-rise apartment buildings that will be removed to make room for Untitled.

Westdale chief operating officer Mitch Cohen said during the presentation his company was “the first developer to realize that Yonge and Eglinton was destined to be the centre of Toronto” when it began work on The 88 on Broadway in 2005.

Cohen said the area is “in the midst of a mega-transformation” and Untitled’s site will be easily accessible to public transit via the Eglinton subway station and the Eglinton Crosstown light rail transit line which is now under construction.

It’s also close to a variety of employment, culture, recreation and dining opportunities.

Untitled suite sizes, sales launch

An artist’s rendering of the twin-tower, Untitled condominium project near Yonge and Eglinton in Toronto. Musician Pharrell Williams is collaborating on the project, with Westdale Properties and Reserve Properties. (Courtesy Westdale/Reserve)

While few details were released about Untitled, Shane Fenton told RENX zoning is in place for the site and units will range in size from 350-square-foot studios to 1,500-square-foot, three-bedroom suites. Pricing is still being decided, he said.

More information about Untitled will be announced in the coming weeks and months. Williams is expected to be in Toronto for the condo’s official sales launch in January.

“We expect that it will be a fast sales process because of the excitement surrounding the project and the quality of what we’re doing,” Shane Fenton said. “We hope we’ll be in a position to start construction sometime late in 2020.”

Reserve and Westdale

Sheldon Fenton and Westdale director Ron Kimel have a longstanding relationship, and Untitled will be the two companies’ sixth collaboration.

Reserve’s executive team has more than three decades of experience. It has been involved in more than 125 projects encompassing more than 12,500 homes and two million square feet of commercial and retail space across North America.

The Toronto-headquartered company’s multifamily residential developments include Line 5 Condos (with Westdale), Rise Condominiums and Bellefair Kew Beach Residences, as well as retail spaces for tenants including Starbucks, LCBO and Shoppers Drug Mart.

Westdale has owned, managed and developed real estate across North America for more than 60 years.

The Toronto-based, family-run company’s Canadian portfolio includes close to 7,000 residential units and more than 2.5 million square feet of retail, commercial and industrial space. Westdale’s food and hospitality portfolio includes Toronto restaurants The Chase, Kasa Moto, Planta and Palm Lane.

Westdale owns and manages close to 47,000 residential units in 200 properties and 30 cities, as well as 1.8 million square feet of retail and commercial space, in the United States.