In Conversation With... Brian Brown, Principal of Lifetime Developments

Toronto boasts one of the most expansive condo markets anywhere, with an excellent location, innumerable distinct and developing neighbourhoods, strong economic fundamentals and an ever-growing population.

Catering to this demand are builders such as Lifetime Developments, which has excelled at delivering signature projects all over the city, blending perfectly within their local areas. And with some pretty cool building names, to boot.

We spoke with Brian Brown for his insights on why he’s “all in” on Toronto, some of the company’s community initiatives, and what he plans to do when the pandemic is over.

In our Outlook 2021 Special Report, you talked about how positive your outlook for Toronto in 2021 was. What, if anything, has changed from that view, positive or otherwise, in the couple months that have passed?

I am still very optimistic about 2021 and beyond. There are several factors that will help drive us in the right direction, including vaccine distribution, low interest rates, very strong immigration permissions and a general excitement for life to return to normal. It’s almost like waking the bear that has been in hibernation for the winter, but on a much grander scale. People want to get back to living life once again, and for making up for lost time as a result of the rolling lockdowns that we have had to follow. We have already seen signs of this with the first few preconstruction condo launches already happening in February and having great success.

How has the initial response been to the launch of Oscar Residences?

People are genuinely very excited for this project. We have been talking about it for a number of years already and if not for the pandemic, we would have brought it to market last year. The Annex is a highly regarded, vibrant and eclectic neighbourhood in Toronto, and this particular strip on Dupont Street between Bathurst and Spadina is undergoing some incredible changes, with several new developments already under construction. A major injection of capital by both these developments and the City will make this street even better and will be incredibly attractive for residents.

Who is the primary buyer demographic? I note there’s a good mix of suite sizes and types…

What is amazing about this project is that it is an attractive place to live for a very broad demographic. The Annex is one of the most sought-after neighbourhoods in the city, and it can be a very expensive place to live if you want to buy a home. With Oscar, we are making the Annex more accessible by offering a range of suite sizes that cater to of all ages and all stages of life. Whether you are buying to live here or as an investment to rent to someone else, Oscar will be a great opportunity.

Oscar is in the Annex, quite a special neighbourhood in Toronto. How was the development approvals process? What kind of feedback from neighbourhood residents or the City helped shape the project?

It was a very collaborative process between a group of developers, the City and the neighbourhood. This strip of Dupont Street was really master-planned, in the sense that we were all approved together, which rarely happens in Toronto. And given that it’s part of the Annex, being a very stable and attractive lowrise community, a boutique style building was the best fit. From a liveability standpoint, a nine-storey building with only 155 suites has many advantages, too, including a more intimate lifestyle.

What will be some of the signature features at Oscar… and what’s the origin of the name?

We have some very exciting strategic partnership announcements coming in the next few months that will really change our industry and set a standard of what to expect in new developments. As much as we want to say that life will be returning to the way that it was pre-pandemic, it has really forced us to pause, look at how we live and determine what is most important to us. A big part of that is prioritizing our health and fitness.
As for the Oscar name, aside from it being a name that I really like, we chose it because of our artistic partnership in this project with George Pimentel. He is a world-renowned Canadian photographer who is best known for his celebrity photography at all the major Hollywood events, including TIFF and the Oscars. Pimentel’s photography will be used throughout the common areas and amenity spaces in Oscar.

At some of your other projects underway in Toronto, you’re offering some pretty enticing incentives. Is that to address any apprehension among buyers in these still-pandemic times, or to sell remaining inventory, or…?

We consider ourselves to be very fortunate in the sense that all of our projects are 90 to 95 per cent sold. We do have some incredible incentives and it’s a great opportunity to buy in some great buildings that are nearing completion. Whitehaus started occupancies in January, and Panda and Liberty Market Tower will begin welcoming residents at the end of the year. It’s an exciting time.

How have prospective buyers responded?

From our continued sales in our projects under construction to just watching the market and seeing how new launches have garnered great attention, we believe buyer confidence is very high and will continue to be for the foreseeable future.

You recently mentioned Lifetime has been working on applications for a number of other projects to be announced shortly. What can you tell us about those?

We have an incredible pipeline of projects that are at different stages of their approval process, and they will keep us very busy in the coming years. We have always focused on finding developments in amazing locations, and I’m looking forward to bringing new developments to market in the Yonge and Eglinton, Yonge and St. Clair, River and Dundas, Portland and Wellington neighbourhoods. We also have another development immediately south of the CN Tower in Toronto and a multi-tower development in Markham at Hwy. 7 and Warden Avenue called Panda Markham.

lifetimedevelopments.com

And on a personal note...

How have you coped or managed during the COVID restrictions… taken up any new hobbies or acquired any new skills…?

It has been tough not being able to spend quality time with my extended family and closest friends. Celebrating birthdays and other important milestones has really been an emotional challenge. It certainly has not been easy, but at the same time I am very proud of our accomplishments during this same period and specifically with our charitable initiative, See You Soon Toronto. It has been a very personally rewarding experience to raise money (more than $350,000 to date) to help our struggling restaurants in Toronto, and to be able to deliver food to those most in need or who have given the most of themselves in these trying times – our frontline health care and public transit workers.

What’s the first thing you’re going to do once things return to “normal”?

Hug my parents and travel with my family. Both are long overdue.

What’s on your reading list these days?

Shoe Dog – A Memoir, by the creator of Nike, Phil Knight.