KMH
Families have been pushed to the ‘burbs in recent years – frustrated by inner city schools and a lack of healthy green-space for their young ones to flourish in.
A 2008 article in the Toronto Star heralded the beginning of the end of the suburbs: “Suburbia is showing signs of collapse. Having remade the face of North America, the tide now seems to be turning against the ‘burbs. The downfall won’t be quick, but already the unthinkable is starting to happen.”
Three years later and the urban developer is now a hot commodity. Building family homes in a city centre environment is the ideal choice for many modern families who are sick of the commute and yearning for a little green space to call their own. And if you build it – they will come. Schools, mini-village communities and brand new supermarkets have built up around these areas, with the knowledge they have a built-in clientele who’ve invested in the area and plan to stick around for the long haul.
One such developer is Domenic Staltari, President of Kingsway Manor Homes, who saw a hole in the market for beautifully crafted family homes – keeping the kids close to the heart of the city, thereby encouraging the development of communities in our cities.
Three things are important to Domenic when it comes to building city homes:
+ Quick access from your home to your business and vice versa to enable more family time
+ A larger family home, not usually seen within the city limits
+ Your own green space and easy access to public parks and facilities
Staltari says: “I’m a family man and I love the city I live in – it shouldn’t be hard to incorporate the two. I think density in a city is a good thing; we’ve been sending people who want some space out to the suburbs. How about trying to keep families, the lifeblood of any community, actually in the city. How wonderful to see city parks full of children and our city centres full of life.”
One of Domenic’s recent projects is a four plus one bedroom Georgian-style family home in the Bedford Park area, near to the prestigious Cricket Club. The fifth bedroom on the lower level, is intended for the nanny – the ultimate concession to family-life. It’s a large home (2600 square feet) – but that kind of living space, with its own outdoors, is not usually the kind of City Living accommodation you would find anywhere in Canada.
The home, like others Domenic is currently working on, is mere minutes from the centre of downtown, rather than an hour-long commute, or even longer stuck in traffic. This is the acceptable alternative to suburban life – while providing a similar style of home. And it gives you access to the buzz of the city without the drone of the strata council.
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About Kingsway Manor Homes
Established in 1995, Kingsway Manor Homes specializes in creating superior custom-built homes in areas such as the Kingsway, Lorne Park, Avenue Road, Caledon and Muskoka. More recently, President of the company Domenic Staltari has been moving into the realm of building custom-designed city homes, for business owners, company directors and those who want the convenience of living close to their job and having their families grow up around the rich cultural experience of city life.
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
