Monday June 1, 2009

Why move to the Hillcrest Village area?

There is a multitude of reasons why the pocket just west of Bathurst and St Clair is moving in the right direction. Soon the road construction will be over. When the dust settles more and more people will see the appeal of the neighbourhood. I live just north of St Clair with a dozen schools and 4 parks within walking distance, including the new, community oriented Wychwood Green Barns & park. This facility hosts an organic farmers market on Saturday mornings in and around the LEED certified development. Artscape made use of the old TTC streetcar barns to revitalize the area by promoting arts, culture and smart design. Hillcrest Park sits atop the Iroquois Bluff with tennis courts and a large childrens playground. Humewood Park, although smaller than the others, hosts the neighbourhoods children amongst some huge trees dating back to the days of the Humewood Estate.

Cedarvale Park to the north, sits in a ravine that would have been the Spadina expressway had the community not gathered together to fight against the project over 35 years ago. This expansive park is great for cycling, running, tobogganing, walking along the trails and many other outdoor activities.

St Clair Avenue West packs in 100s of useful, local shops providing toys (Playful Minds) Clothing (A Cappella) Eco friendly fair (Ecoexistence) fresh food markets, video shops, drugstores and so on. Restaurants include Thai, Italian, Tapas (Mezzetta), Central and South American to Hip Contemporary food (The Rushton).  The kids can do Karate at Northern Karate, swim at the pool in Hillcrest Community Centre, Take Art classes at the Wychwood Carbarns and much more.

Whats missing from the area? A sushi bar would be nice, as would a decent book store.

The subway is nearby in the Forest Hill Loblaws with Liquor Store. The TTC will have its right-of-way on St Clair once the construction finishes and you can get downtown in 10 minutes by car. It also takes 10 minutes to reach the bottom of the Allen Expressway on your way to cottage country.

The schools include Hillcrest Junior Public School, Humewood Community School, McMurrich Junior Public School, Arlington Middle School, Regal Road Public School, St Michaels College, Oakwood Collegiate Institute, Vaughan Road Academy. If youre looking for French Immersion, Brown School is a possibility. Local Catholic elementary schools in the area include St Alphonsus, Holy Rosary and St Bruno.

Hillcrest Village contains many significant houses that have been restored as well as gems that require renovations.. A number of these houses could be restored to their original architectural beauty of the early 20th century with some creativity and energy. The streets surrounding Hillcrest Park are home to houses that would be impossible to recreate. Bracondale Hill, Braemore Gardens, Hillcrest Drive, Turner Ave, Conrad Ave and Frank Crescent all contain solid houses on large lots. The patina on these buildings cannot be reproduced and builders can't or won't add the slight off-kilter aspects that are seen in century homes. Other noteworthy streets in Hillcrest are Alcina Avenue, Burlington Crescent, Burnside Drive and Tyrrel Avenue. Each has it's own character with a mixture of styles that make you feel like you're in a different city,

The Toronto Star recently rated Humewood as a neighbourhood to watch with regards to first-time homebuyers. Toronto Life also recognizes it as an area to watch. Generally, the tree-lined streets are home to modest semi-detached houses, bungalows and smaller detached houses. The southern blocks of Pinewood Ave, Humewood Drive, Rushton Road and Wychwood Ave set the standard for the neighbourhood.

If you're still unsure, come have a look. Saturday is a great day to see the changes in the area. A=Start the day off at the famers market, tour around and finish the afternoon with a walk through the enclave of Wychwood Park, a unique, storied, pocket that will inspire you. Comtact me if you would like more information.