Options Development: The Village by High Park

The Village by High Park is a two-tower condominium complex located at Keele Street and Dundas Street West in Toronto.

The Village by High Park is home to 643 households and has 5 retail units.  Energy-saving features include energy efficient windows and appliances and Options for Cars' car-sharing program in the building.

The starting price at the Village by Main Station was $117,000.

Check out the blog next week to learn more about Cranbrooke Village. 

#carshareetiquette

Being a member of car share like Options for Cars can be a convenient and affordable way to get around.  Cutting the expense of owning a car can make a big difference each year.

As a car share member, it is important to remember that you're part of a community and not the only person using the car.  In Options for Cars' most recent video series we remind members of some of the guidelines to being a good car share member.  Check out the series below!

Options Development: Old Kennedy Village

 Old Kennedy Village is a stacked townhouse community with 140 homes and 5 retail units.

Located at Old Kennedy Road and Steeles Avenue in Markham, the projects was completed in early 2008.  Townhouses range in size from 685 sq.ft. to 1,110 sq.ft. and started at $102,402.

Below is an early rendering of the project.

Check out some purchasers and Mike Labbé discussing how Old Kennedy came to be.

Check out the blog next week to learn more about the Village by High Park.

National Housing Week kicks off with Build Day

Affordable housing providers and housing leaders coming together for Build Day.

National Housing Week kicked-off today with a Build Day at one of Habitat for Humanity’s build sites this morning.  Non-profit affordable housing providers along with housing leaders from the government, private and non-profit sectors came together for the event.

Left to right: Joe Deschenes Smith of Trillium Housing, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Hon. Ted McMeekin, Ene Underwood of Habitat for Humanity, M.P. Adam Vaughan, Heather Tremain of Options for Homes, Nancy Singer of Kehilla.

Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Hon. Ted McMeekin, and M.P. and housing advocate, Adam Vaughan, joined in the celebrations.

National Housing Week is an evolution of National Housing Strategy Day, a nationally recognized day to build awareness for housing and homelessness.  National Housing Strategy Day is November 22nd each year and was first established in 1998.

Options team members volunteering at Build Day

Today's Build Day was the first of many events in the week leading up National Housing Day on November 22nd.  The GTA Housing Action Lab has organized a series of activities and events to engage stakeholders and decision makers in the challenges of housing affordability and the lack of diversity in form and tenure of housing in our region and solutions and opportunities to address these issues.

While the week’s activities focus on a broad range of housing issues, today’s build put emphasis on models that provide a stepping stone for low income households to move out of substandard and subsidized rental housing and into the financial security that comes from home ownership.

Options CEO, Heather Tremain, volunteering at Build Day

Options CEO, Heather Tremain, summed it up nicely.  She says, “Since 2000, the average cost of housing in Canada has increased by 60 per cent while average income has only increased by 13 per cent.  National Housing Week draws necessary attention to some of Canada’s biggest and most pressing challenges and opportunities to create solutions. As providers, we know that it doesn’t have to be this way – there are solutions possible when we work together with all levels of government.”  

Thank You from Asbury and West United Church

We love hearing about how the work we do positively affects the lives of others.  Read the below letter from Asbury and West United Church to learn how Cranbrooke Village revitalized the church near Bathurst and Lawrence. 

Options Development: The Village at Guildwood

The Village at Guildwood's 36 townhouses and 9-story apartment building were completed in 2006 at the corner of Eglinton Avenue East and Kingston Road on the edge of the Guildwood area in Scarborough.

Suites range in size from 435 sq.ft. up to 1,180 sq. ft., and started at $90,400.

Check out the video below to hear Mike Labbé speak about Guildwood and hear from purchasers at the development.



Check out the blog next week to learn more about Old Kennedy Village.

Powering People Forward: The Future of Community Energy in Ontario

Register now for Powering People Forward: The Future of Community Energy in Ontario

This FREE event will take place at the Artscape Sandbox, 301 Adelaide St. W. on Wednesday November 18th! 

Register now to reserve you spot at http://powering-people-forward.eventbrite.ca

A representative from Green Timiskaming, an Options for Green Energy Solar Co-operative will sit on an expert panel with representatives from SolarShare and Ottawa Renewable Energy Co-operative and guest will have the opportunity to network with renewable energy leaders in Ontario.

About the future of Community Energy in Ontario

Since 2009, Ontario's Feed-in-Tariff program has helped to make the province a leader in Community and Aboriginal Power - that's renewable energy owned and produced by people, with local social, environmental, and economic benefits.

As the sector grows and matures, and as policy changes, we are left with some questions: What's next? How do we grow our work and share our experiences to keep our energy systems local?

Don't miss this event celebrating our accomplishments, featuring community and sector leaders from Ontario, networking and information tables from renewable energy trailblazers, and a panel where you get to ask the questions to find out what's in store for the future of local renewable energy ownership!

DON'T MISS THIS AMAZING EVENT. REGISTER NOW! 

http://powering-people-forward.eventbrite.ca

Options Development: Liberty at Discovery Place

Liberty at Discovery Place in Pickering was completed in 2006.

Located just east of Pickering Town Centre, Liberty at Discovery Place is a 219-suite apartment style condominium and is the third phase in Tridel's Discovery Place community.  Prices started as low as $90,400 for bachelor units.

The condominium won the Canadian Condominium Institute Toronto & Area Chapter Condo of the Year Award in 2013, an accomplishment many residents are very proud of.



Check out the blog next week to learn more about The Village at Guildwood.

Guest Blog from Gemma Brian

The Social Benefits of Homeownership
Article by Gemma Brian

When people talk about the benefits of homeownership, they inevitably focus on the financial benefits of homeownership. The housing sector is vitally important to the economy and the financial benefits are easier to focus on because they are tangible, measurable, and it is generally easier to process facts and figures in this way. However home ownership also has substantial societal benefits: these benefits affect families, communities, and our country as a whole. It is because of these societal benefits, as well as because of the financial benefits, that so many policy makers here in Canada promote homeownership, and encourage this to be the ultimate long term goal for both families and young people. Here are just some of the social benefits of homeownerships, and the reasons that these benefits are so important: 

Homeownership Provides Stable Environments for Children

It is important that children are raised in environments of stability, and that they feel grounded and safe in their homes. Research has shown that having a secure family financial situation and housing tenure during both childhood and early adulthood has a huge impact on both an individual’s perceived health and sense of self. In addition to this, children raised in socioeconomically disadvantaged environments grow into adults who are less able to save money and therefore less able to purchase their own homes and provide a stable home environment for their own children.  By providing access to affordable homeownership to families from lower financial demographics, what we are actually doing is breaking this cycle and enabling families to provide stable environments in which to raise their children, in turn teaching them the importance of financial management and providing a stable home environment for their own children. Children living in owned homes show lower likeliness to succumb to teenage delinquency, are less likely to have teenage pregnancies, and obtain higher test scores throughout their school years. For the youngest members of our society, therefore, it is clear that homeownership is important for their social development.

Homeowners Are Less Likely to Be Victims of Crime

Research on the social benefits of home ownership shows time and again that homeowners are far less likely to be victims of household related crimes than home renters: this is thought to be because when you are a homeowner any crime committed in your home has a direct financial implication to you, meaning that homeowners are more likely to employ devices in their home that will deter crime. Joining their local neighbourhood watch program, ensuring that they have a high level of home insurance for extra protection should the worst happen, and fitting external home security systems, for example, will all help to deter crime in properties that are owned rather than rented.

Homeownership Improves Neighbourhoods

In much the same way that homeowners are less likely to be victims of crime, because they are more likely to take extra efforts to protect and secure their property, homeownership improves neighbourhoods because homeowners are more likely to focus on home maintenance and ensuring that the structural quality of housing in their neighbourhood is improved. Research has found that owner-occupied homes are significantly better maintained than renter-occupied properties: this is because home owners are more likely to take pride in their homes and want to protect the financial investment that they have made in purchasing their property. Of course, income will always impact the level of maintenance that a home owner is able to make to their property, but the desire to focus on maintenance will be stronger amongst those who own their own homes.                            

There are a myriad of other social benefits of home ownership, which is the reason why the desire to own one’s own property has been an integral part of the Canadian Dream for decades. As well as the financial implications of owning your own home, including the potential wealth gains to be had from selling your property under normal housing market conditions, you will also find that your family are happier, healthier, and will be better equipped to succeed in life as a result of owning their own home.

Disclaimer: The views & opinions expressed in any guest blog featured on our site are those of the guest author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions & views of the Options Group of Companies community as a whole.