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Canada’s First All-Female ‘Dream Team’ To Develop Family-Friendly Condos On The Site Of An Etobicoke Strip Club
The team building Reina condos, from left: Jane Almey (Bluescape Construction); Heather Rolleston (Quadrangle Architects); Nataliya Tkach (EXP); Emily Reisman (Urban Strategies); Sherry Larjani (Spotlight Development); Taya Cook (Urban Capital); Stacy Meek (EXP); Fatima Shakil (Adjeleian Allen Rubeli); Tara Chisholm (WSP Group); Fung Lee (PMA Landscape Architects); Lisa Spensieri (Quadrangle Architects); and, ManLing Lau (MarketVision Research).
Credit: Riley Stewart Photography
Reina Condos Will Transform A Stretch Of The Queensway With Lowrise Building Offering Approximately 200 New Homes
Toronto - June 5, 2019
By Tracy Hanes - Special to the Star
When Taya Cook read a magazine article last fall listing Toronto’s top city builders, she became angry. Then she became inspired.
Of the 17 industry titans featured in the story, none were women. Cook, director of development at Urban Capital, reached out to Sherry Larjani, managing partner at Spotlight Developments, about working together on a project that would raise awareness of gender inequality and the roles women can play in the building industry.
The result is Reina, a family-friendly, midrise condominium created by Canada’s first all-female development team. It will be built on The Queensway in Etobicoke, on the former site of the infamous House of Lancaster Gentlemen’s Club, a strip club.
Leaders of the team that will build Reina look over materials for the condo at Grappa Restaurant, down the street from the project. From left, Taya Cook, director of development at Urban Capital, Heather Rolleston, principal at Quadrangle Architects, and Sherry Larjani, managing partner at Spotlight Developments.
Credit: Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star
“Reading that article was a huge wake-up call,” says Cook. “It got me completely fired up… there are a lot of women working in the industry and it’s discouraging that their accomplishments have not been better recognized, or that there aren’t more in top-level positions.”
The all-woman “dream team” that Cook and Larjani assembled for Reina includes: Heather Rolleston, principal, and project lead Lisa Spensieri of Quadrangle Architects; Jane Almey, managing partner at Bluescape Construction Management; Emily Reisman, partner at Urban Strategies; hydrogeological engineer Nataliya Tkach and environmental engineer Stacy Meek of EXP; structural engineer Fatima Shakil, principal at Adjeleian Allen Rubeli; Tara Chisholm, senior project manager at WSP Group, a top global consultancy firm; Fung Lee, principal at PMA Landscape Architects; and ManLing Lau, vice-president of sales at MarketVision Research. The majority of the team members have extensive experience in the building industry.
Builders Heather Rolleston, left, Taya Cook and Sherry Larjani stroll along the stretch of Etobicoke’s The Queensway where their project, Reina condos, will be constructed.
Credit: Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star
Cook says the project is “100 per cent collaborative,” and the women meet regularly to brainstorm. The sight of them all huddled around a boardroom table is “quite the spectacle,” she says, as typically, there would be more than a dozen men and only one or two women.
Cook has worked at Urban Capital for 15 years and says the company’s co-founder, David Wex, was entirely on board with her idea for an all-female team.
“David is one of the men who supports women in the industry and lifts them up,” says Larjani. “He has supported and mentored me, and given me an opportunity. Yes, we’ve seen things that aren’t positive from men in the industry, but there are many men who have supported us.”
Rolleston, who had worked with Urban Capital before, is “happy to be along for the ride.
“I’m not working with the usual suspects and there are a bunch of people I’ve never met before, and it’s really refreshing and exciting,” Rolleston says. “The design has been started, but it’s a continuing conversation. We are in the process of determining the general direction of how the building will look — and it’s coming into focus.”
“We are excited and there is great, fresh energy. It’s made me feel in love with the development industry again,” says Cook.
Although Cook and Larjani don’t live in condos, both have children and know features such as extra storage and soundproofing are important to buyers, especially those with families.
“If you’re watching TV in a small space, you don’t want to wake up a child sleeping in the next room,” says Larjani. “As mothers, as women, as people in the industry, we have all heard the stories of people who live in condos.”
On July 10, the women have planned an event with Reina’s potential purchasers, including families, downsizers, singles, couples and investors. “Most of our consultants will be there and it will be a very informal social gathering, so we can get people talking and hear what they have to say,” says Cook.
“We are trying to think outside the box. We’ve become used to ways that kitchens and bathrooms are laid out and we’re asking: Is this the best use of space? Is there bicycle storage? A place to put a stroller? Women want smart, thoughtful space.”
FUTURE: Early architects’ plans envision the 600-suite Reina midrise to be U-shaped, with a stepped-back profile.
Credit: Quadrangle Architects
Cook says other amenities might include a main-floor mini general store to pick up staples such as milk, diapers and snacks; a room for automated parcel delivery; and on-site classes (eg. gardening and art) that are included with condo fees.
The Reina website and questionnaire are also generating a lot of interest, says Larjani. “We are super excited about that. We are already hearing from people and we are happy — and somewhat shocked. We thought the industry was lacking, but didn’t realize how much was lacking. People are more and more hyped about what we’re doing.”
To conform with zoning requirements, the building will be U-shaped and stepped back, says Rolleston. There will be approximately 200 units, 5,000 square feet of indoor amenities, plus a 6,500-sq.-ft. outdoor courtyard. She says it’s gratifying to be able to bring much-needed new housing to an area that has a main street (The Queensway), schools and an established residential neighbourhood.
PAST: The former House of Lancaster strip club sat in a bustling stretch of The Queensway.
Credit: Andrew Lahodynskyj/Toronto Star File Photo
“This project is very carefully considered and crafted,” says Rolleston. “We’re starting from a place that other projects don’t. So many start from density, but we want this project to knit into the community.”
As well as redefining the way condos are designed, the women hope Reina’s example will inspire more young women to choose careers in the building industry.
Larjani says not many women come into the field on their own and she wasn’t taken seriously until she bought her first site. “We need to give women positive role models and prove that a career in development is a viable path. It’s incumbent upon all of us to change this narrative.”
About Spotlight Development
Spotlight Development is a Toronto-based real estate development company dedicated to creating innovative, inclusive, and community-driven housing solutions. Specializing in traditional market condominiums and affordable housing projects, Spotlight combines visionary design with a commitment to sustainability and community impact.
With over 10.5 million ft² of development space, representing more than $2 billion in managed assets, Spotlight Development is reshaping communities through projects that prioritize social impact and sustainability. Guided by the motto Impact Real Estate Empowering People, Spotlight is setting a new standard in the industry.
Learn more at www.spotlightdevelopment.com or connect with us on LinkedIn.
Senior Director, Marketing & Communications
Jasmine Ashfield