Brandon Donnelly — Daily insights for city builders. Published since 2013 by Toronto-based real estate developer Brandon Donnelly. — Page 1092

Friend: Ever go to Jilly’s ?

Me: No, actually.

Friend: Same.

Me: What about you? [Addressed to random guy in elevator]

Random guy in elevator: I’m from Portland. I don’t know what you’re talking about.

I went to check out the new Broadview Hotel last night in Riverdale, Toronto. ( Riverside if we’re being pedantic.)

Originally built in 1891 and most recently a boarding house with strip club at grade (Jilly’s – the best party in town!), the building was acquired in 2014 by developer Streetcar and turned into a “58-room boutique hotel and charismatic gathering spot.” The soft opening was July 27, 2017.

Official website here . Lots of interior photos here .

Besides the pink neon above the lobby bar (which is obviously great), I really like what they did in the stairwells. Credit to Supermilk Studio . Here’s a photo I snapped last night while trying to find the WC:

Each floor is painted with murals that pay tribute to the building’s history , from the early days of Dingman’s Hall to its most recent iteration as Jilly’s.

Interestingly enough, the building originally served as an important social hub for the community, though it did not initially house a hotel. On the ground floor was a bank (see, there’s a long tradition of this) and above it were offices and grand meeting halls.

It wasn’t until the original developer sold the building that it was converted to a hotel and granted a liquor license. It’s worth noting that this conversion is said to have faced stiff community opposition . A hotel that serves alcohol to people? Not in my 1906 backyard.

With the reopening of the new Broadview Hotel this summer, you could argue that east of the Don River is once again regaining its grand gathering spot. And the feeling I got when I stepped foot inside the hotel last night was that it was time. The demand was latent and, yes, condos wouldn’t have cut it.

At the same time, this is obviously bigger than the east side. There are many who don’t know this building’s infamous history. Jilly’s? What’s that? Time to go for a walk in the stairwells.

I posted the following image to Twitter this morning:

It’s a map of some of the people who support my proposed laneway house (in midtown Toronto) and have signed their name at lanewaylove.com .

To me, this is an incredible demonstration of the kind of broad-based support that exists in this city today for laneway housing/suites.

I met with some of my neighbors last week to discuss the proposal and one of them said to me: “I can tell that you’re genuinely passionate about this idea.” 

My response: “You’re absolutely right. I am. This is not just about my singular project or the money. This is about something much bigger for the city.”

Clearly, many others see that as well. 

I know that there’s been a lot of laneway talk on the blog over the past few weeks and months. It’s been on my mind as I prepare for my project’s hearing next month.

For those of you who have no interest in laneway housing/accessory dwelling units, rest assured that the laneway content should subside (a little) after the summer.

The Wall Street Journal recently asked:  Venice Beach Is a Hot Place to Live, So Why Is Its Housing Supply Shrinking?  

According to Issi Romem, chief economist at BuildZoom, it’s because Venice Beach is the toughest place in America to build housing.

Here are some numbers from the WSJ:

“The Venice Beach population is shrinking even as the local economy has boomed. The neighborhood had about 27,000 residents in 2015, about 3,800 fewer than in 2000, according to U.S. Census data. At the same time, the ZIP Code has added 4,000 new jobs, according to Jed Kolko, chief economist at employment website Indeed.”

And here is a chart that speaks to the relationship between housing prices and housing supply:

Housing supply, alone, isn’t going to solve all of our problems. But it certainly matters. Also, what’s up with Chicago?