Regent Park is a neighbourhood in
transition, with its recently razed public
housing blocks being replaced over a
12-year period
Real Estate Guide › Central
Regent Park
- Average 2007 sale price:
- $390,000
- Property crime:
- high
- Crime against people:
- high
- Neighbourhood map:
- See map
Nestled between the scenic Don and Cabbagetown (page 21), as of five years ago Regent Park was one of downtown’s truly downtrodden areas. With its ill-conceived ’50s-era housing projects and a conglomeration of aid agencies concentrated within a few sombre, troubled blocks, the area was mostly avoided by nervous potential buyers. Today it’s a neighbourhood in transition: the recently razed public housing blocks will be rebuilt over the next 12 years, resulting in lofts (Vinegar Company at River and Queen), apartments, townhouses (East Village Towns at River and Shuter) and low-cost housing (at Dundas and Sackville) to suit multiple income brackets. The area’s only commercial strip is a somnolent stretch of Queen East, though Corktown, which encompasses the southeastern part of Regent Park, could have a revitalizing effect. Until there’s any retail development, you have to go north on Parliament, east of the valley, or west of Parliament along Queen to find any density of shops, restaurants, bars or cafés.
HOUSING STOCK: It’s a mixed bag, from subsidized, brutalist rentals to new brick towns, with some old Edwardians in various states of disrepair.
BARGAIN ZONES: The entire neighbourhood is a fixer-upper, with deals to be had from Queen to Gerrard, and Parliament to the Don.
THE VERDICT: If the new glass-and-steel social housing projects turn out to be the same as the old concrete-and-steel projects of yore, there’s a good chance the area will remain undesirable, and those new $400,000-plus townhouses will take a dive in value. However, if the revitalization succeeds in turning the area around, buying here now will prove to be the deal of the decade. In the meantime, there are parts of the neighbourhood that make for happy strolling, and others you wouldn’t want to be in after dark. Spin the wheel.
NEIGHBOURHOOD HOT SPOTS:
Island Grill The tiny Jamaican place does mostly takeout, but has room to sit if it’s cold outside or you want to talk ackee futures with the cook. 119 River St., 416-368-8362.
Librairie Champlain Toronto’s only full-scale French-language bookstore is your one-stop shop for everything from policiers to Éditions Pléiades. 468 Queen St. E., 416-364-4345.
Mr. Tasty Burgers Locals consider this spot as much a community meeting place as a burger joint. 348 Queen St. E., 416-863-0633.
Peter’s Cajun Creole Pizza Wings and slices are the focus at Peter’s, a Serbian place with a New Orleans fixation. 81 Parliament St., 416-368-8099.
Sound Design A Carpenter’s Son A full-service carpenter’s shop, Sound Design is undoubtedly aimed at the folks buying those townhomes on Shuter. 400 Queen St. E., 416-365-0055.
Nearby Restaurants
Savoury Grounds Coffee Co.
A giant black roaster is the showpiece of this homey coffee house. Baked goods, sandwiches ... (0.46 km away)
Nearby Shopping and Services
Ultra Lighting
If you’re in the market for high style at a discount—and who isn’t?—Ultra is the ... (0.44 km away)
Bousada
Flooded with natural light, the spacious showroom holds one of the city’s best selections of ... (0.45 km away)
Space Furniture
Take some raw materials (steel, solid and veneered woods, acrylics, glass), add a few avant-garde ... (0.46 km away)
Commuting
- King and Bay:
- 2.1 km
- 401 and 400:
- 14.2 km
- Gardiner and 427:
- 16.1 km
- Subways:
- Castle Frank Station 1.5 km
- Broadview Station 1.7 km
- Dundas Station 1.7 km
Commuting and subway distances measured from neighbourhood centre.
