Northern Breweries site to be used for new condo (Updated)

The Northern Breweries property on Bay Street will be getting a facelift in 2012.

The site will be the new home of 200-unit condo and commercial tower.

Nirmala Singh, International Relations Manager of Gateway Properties Inc., is spearheading the process, which will see the building house condos and commercial use facilities.

Singh and her team met with acting mayor Terry Sheehan, CEO Joe Fratesi and Commissioner of Engineering and Planning Jerry Dolcetti on Wednesday and called the meeting productive.

The project is said to be the first of its kind in North America as it’s built with a twist pattern to it.

Singh said the project is currently penciled in for 32-floors of liveable units, which will include up to five floors of penthouse suites. The building will also feature five floors of underground parking.

There is no restriction on the height of the building but the group said that they were in discussions with the city to confirm how tall the building will be. They expect each floor to be roughly 11-feet in height.

Contractor Carlton Smith, who is currently working with Singh on another project in Scarborough, said the form of the building actually makes the building stronger than a typical skyscraper.

An $80-million project, groundbreaking is expected to be in 2012 though a hard date has yet to be determined. Smith, who was also on hand for the announcement, said he expects a timeframe of roughly 15 months before it will be move-in ready.

Also in attendance were project Architect Shamar Chandra, who designed the building, along with project financier Renzi Ali.

The announcement was made on Thursday morning at Dock’s Restaurant, across from the Northern Breweries site.

Financing for the project is already in place while the design is being finalized with the intention of marketing it, not only locally, but internationally as well. The prices have not been set, but realtor Tom Feifel, who is working with the group locally, said they will be determined by the local market. Ownership and leasing options will be available as well.