383 Sorauren was unique for Clewes as he is largely known for his downtown high-rises. The architect found the challenge of designing a smaller space appealing and the end result was an aesthetically appealing, modern interpretation of an industrial building.
While many flocked to the 383 Sorauren presentation centre when the project first launched last spring, the development encountered some zoning setbacks along the way and the developers were slated to appear before the Ontario Municipal Board early in 2014.
Luckily, Gairloch and Centrestone Urban Developments, the development team behind 383 Sorauren, never made it to the full OMB hearing and were able to reach a settlement with the City only hours before the hearing was set to take place.
“We actually didn’t have a full hearing at the OMB. We came to a settlement prior to the hearing and were able to present our settlement with the City to the board,” says Bill Gairdner, the driving force behind Gairloch.
“We were quite pleased with the way everything panned out. I believe we did a good job appeasing all of the concerns raised through the process. Through multiple community consultations and working groups.”
Now, with a settlement reached, Gairdner is ready to shift focus to starting demolition on the site and breaking ground. August 1st, 2014 is the date the team has set to break ground on the development.
The presentation centre is located on the 383 Sorauren site and with construction starting in a matter of months, potential buyers don’t have much time left to visit the immaculately appointed space.
Gairdner adds the “if required” caveat because sales have been very strong recently and the project may very well be sold out by the time the presentation centre needs to be demolished to make way for the new condo building.
“We’re north of 60 per cent sold and there’s definitely been a bump in activity both traffic-wise and sales-wise since people started to hear about the approvals from the city,” says Gairdner.
The presentation centre may not be around for much longer, but Gairdner has some big plans to put the space to good use before construction starts. One event that’s currently in the works is An Evening with Johnson Chou on Tuesday, March 18th. The event will feature the renowned interior designer discussing his work on the boutique development.
“Obviously Johnson Chou’s name carries a lot of clout and people are interested in hearing what he has to say,” says Gairdner. “Some of these smaller mid-rise projects don’t have big name designers, so it’s nice to give purchasers the chance to hear him chat about his inspiration and design ideas for the building.”
We’ll have more updates on 383 Sorauren as they develop and you can bet that we’ll be on-site for the ground-breaking in the summer. In the meantime, RSVP to the upcoming event by emailing info@383sorauren.com or calling 416 588 0383.
