A family attraction
Kids a priority at Menkes’ Harbour Plaza, offering one of the GTA’s first condo play amenities
When their son Tayo arrived nearly four years ago, Nicola Oliver and her husband were good with staying in their one-bedroom downtown condo.
“When our son was very young and wasn’t walking, it seemed OK. But as he grew, he needed additional space for his development,” says Oliver, an occupational psychologist.
The family’s priority for their next home was location: convenient to amenities and transit and within the Financial District neighbourhood.
They found what they were looking for in a two-bedroom, two-bathroom 746sq.-ft. suite at Menkes Developments’ Harbour Plaza and moved in last December.
The mixed-used development, with two towers including more than 1,300 condo suites, is in the waterfront South Core Financial District neighbourhood, on Harbour St. between Bay and York Sts.
It is directly connected to the underground PATH, making it easy for Oliver to get to the subway for work.
As well as having a 24-hour concierge, media room, fitness centre, outdoor terrace and party/co-working space, one amenity came as a surprise to Oliver: The indoor, 700-sq.-ft. Kids Room.
The children’s play space is geared to youngsters up to age 5 and adjoining it is a 2,100-sq.-ft. outdoor play area.
“We didn’t know about the playroom and it wasn’t part of our decision-making, but it sure was an added bonus,” Oliver says. “It’s such a joy knowing that when the weather’s bad, there is a space my son enjoys that we can go to.”
The multipurpose space is decorated in bright blue, orange and yellow, with equipment to climb and slide on, plenty of toys, a reading nook well stocked with books and abundant natural light.
One of the advocates for children’s amenities is Jared Menkes, executive vice-president, highrise residential, at Menkes Developments. He first recognized the need when he lived in a condo building that included families. His focus sharpened after he married and he and his wife were raising two of their three children in a condo.
He says his condo neighbours would let their young son play in the hallway because there wasn’t room in their suite.
Other parents would bring children to the yoga room or fitness centre, which Menkes says was not only disruptive but dangerous. “I realized kids have to have a separate space. They shouldn’t be running around adult-type spaces.”
Menkes was one of the first developers to introduce a children’s play room when it launched the Eglinton condo (to be occupied next year) in midtown, designed with advice from child-development experts.
It resounded positively with buyers and Jared Menkes predicts it will be more popular than some of the other Eglinton amenities, such as a theatre room. And although Harbour Plaza was already sold out, the builder decided to add indoor and outdoor amenities for children there, as well.
“We could have taken the easy approach and not done this, but we’re not a developer that takes the cookie-cutter approach,” Menkes notes.
“We look at how these buildings evolve and even during zoning or construction, we’re always thinking about innovating.”
He says raising kids in condos is a popular topic among millennials. “Many people think ‘as soon as I have kids, I’ll have to move to the suburbs,’ but I totally disagree with that.
“There are many people in world-class cities raising kids in condos or apartments and we want to create that option in Toronto. It’s a lifestyle choice. People who live downtown like to go out to dinner, to concerts and museums. If you want that, why do you only have to be single or an empty-nester?”
Menkes recently brought his 3-yearold twin girls and 2-year-old son to try out Harbour Plaza’s Kids Room and says they were excited by the space and want to return. “Whether you have 600 or 6,000 square feet to live in, you still need to get out of your home,” he says. “We want to give children the ability to interact with other children. From a development standpoint, it’s better than having kids play alone.”
Meanwhile, Oliver is impressed by the design of the Harbour Plaza play room.
“They have a variety of toys for every age group, similar to what I’d buy for Tayo, that help with child development. There is a climbing frame, a slide and padded floor. There is a brand new library with books similar to what we have at home.”
Oliver and her husband take Tayo to the playroom most weekends. “It’s not an overestimate to say we stay there longer than an hour.” She also appreciates the provided Wi-Fi so she can catch up on emails while her son plays, or she can video conference with relatives so they can see Tayo at play.
Danielle Sucher Interiors and Kyle Gordon designed the kids’ zone — both designers are mothers to young children.
“Menkes wanted a vibrant, lively space for kids of all ages to use, though it’s predominantly for young children who need a place to run around,” Danielle Sucher says. “They wanted it to be multipurpose, so there’s an area for reading, a climbing structure, an area for children to lounge and use building blocks and a magnet board. The furniture is comfortable and large enough for kids to curl up [on] with their parents.”
As well, the pair designed the Kids Room with fabrics like easy-to-wipe vinyl, there are no hard corners, the floor is padded and the selection of toys caters to developing fine and gross motor skills.