Hullmark and BGO proudly introduce Beltline Yards
Hullmark and BGO proudly introduce Beltline Yards: A city-defining neighbourhood that will pave the way for future urban planning.
Toronto is a city whose character is expressed through its commitment to innovation, culture and, most of all, its architectural design. No matter where you are in the city, whether in the Distillery District, Yorkville or Little Italy, Toronto has defined itself in the world of architecture as a visionary city that reflects the souls of its communities.
Over the past 20 years, the city’s skyline has burgeoned, with most of its tall buildings hewing to an exterior-glass aesthetic. While this style of modern architecture is prominent in other global cities including New York, Chicago and Tokyo, the world-class real estate and development firms Hullmark and BentallGreenOak (BGO) have partnered to go against the tide, honouring Toronto’s Victorian roots with Beltline Yards.
The community’s master plan has been designed by Britain’s award-winning architecture and urban planning firm Allies and Morrison. Planned to be fully approved with Phase 1, at the intersection of Bowie Avenue and Caledonia Road, shovel-ready in 2026, at the intersection of Bowie Avenue and Caledonia Road, this project is very much a product of its community-driven environment. The neighbourhood’s proximity to the design district will play a pivotal role in the project’s style and function.
Beltline Yards is set to showcase transit- connected urban planning, a variety of housing tenures, including purpose-built rental housing, employment space for innovative retail and light industry, high-quality public spaces, that makers, residents and visitors can connect and access local shops, eateries, etc. and parkland connecting to the city’s most expansive linear park system.
“Toronto is a gridded city. It’s very rational, and certain aspects of the project’s composition have a sort of informality that we enjoy. The duality of the formal and informal features is central to our design approach,” says Alfredo Caraballo, partner at Allies and Morrison.
With a desire to create a standout silhouette in the project’s rigorous setting, the use of brick was inspired to create the overall architectural typology.
“We like robust buildings. Brick is a really nice material because it gets better with age, and we like to think our work will stand the test of time,” says Caraballo.
The ethos of the Beltline Yards was to utilize the space and effectively build upon what was already there. With a total of 7.3 acres (almost 320,000 square feet) of land, located adjacent to the new transit hub at Caledonia Station, connecting to the Eglinton Crosstown LRT Station, the opportunity to streamline city connectivity could not be passed over.
“The city is crying for housing,” says Ross Strowger, managing director and portfolio manager of BGO. “The best way to bring housing to the city is through institutional investment into prime areas. But it’s the community itself that dictates what the development will entail, and we intend to deliver a mix of uses and bring it all together at the Beltline Yards.”
“We have the dream team here, between Hullmark, Allies and Morrison and BGO.”
Central to this is an acre (43,000 square feet) of publicly accessible park, an open-air covered yard and over 10,000 square feet (almost 1,000 square metres) of community space, all centrally located in the heart of the site. In addition to bringing thoughtful and much-needed intensification to a key transit intersection, Beltline Yards will boast almost four acres (1.6 hectares), or over 160,000 square feet, of open space.
Jeff Hull, president of Hullmark, couldn’t be more thrilled and confident about the firm’s first master-planned community. The culmination of a series of projects that Hullmark has already completed that reflect a real community and design approach, this master plan that builds upon years of award-winning experience.
“This project is destined for success,” says Hull. Launched in 1950 by Murphy Hull, Jeff Hull’s grandfather, Hullmark quickly built a reputation by investing in suburban communities and mixed- use neighbourhoods, as seen in other projects such as Yonge and Sheppard’s Hullmark Centre. In 2008, Jeff Hull took over the business and transitioned the company to focus on its growing expertise in iconic and community-driven urban neighbourhoods. Today Hullmark has become a pillar of Toronto urban development and a major influencer of the city’s future.
“We have the dream team here, between Hullmark, Allies and Morrison and BGO,” says Hull.
For years, the three powerhouse firms shared a desire to collaborate on a special project, and now the stars have aligned. Hull recalls first meeting Caraballo after inviting him to an international design competition in which, “Allies and Morrison blew the competition out of the water,” says Hull.
Bringing Beltline Yards to life would not have been possible without the support and collective vision shared by BGO, Hull notes. “Ross is an incredible partner. He has been with us every step of the way, supporting the long-term vision we have,” he says.
The architectural brilliance of Alfredo Caraballo, the incredible support of Ross Strowger, and the eclectic expertise of Jeff Hull are sure to enhance both the potential and spirit of Beltline Yards and the wonderful neighbourhood it’s situated in.
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