Excavation about to begin on luxury twin apartment towers

Work is about to begin on a new luxury apartment complex aimed specifically at those ready to downsize from single-family homes.

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The two-tower compound at 141 King George Rd. in Brantford will eventually feature more than 400 new units and be dubbed the Terraces of King George.

“We’re ready to get started and will be delivering our office trailers shortly, starting to excavate the site in June,” said Michael Loewith, the president of Loewith Greenberg, who has been working on the project for four years.

The site was a former car dealership before being renovated into a huge Wacky Wings restaurant in 2014 and then a GameTime in 2017, which closed due to the pandemic.

Loewith ran into some push-back from the community upon announcing his plans for the property in 2021. Some complained the planned 13-storey towers were too high and the luxury units didn’t allow for smaller, market-rate apartments.

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Loewith said his firm and its architect has been listening to feedback from the city and from interested citizens.

“We’ve had three total redesigns during the zoning process based on feedback,” Loewith said.

“I’ve never done a project that went through so many changes.”

While the plans continue to call for some larger units of 1,700 to 1,800-square feet with one and two bedrooms, the redesign includes 22 units in the first tower that will be 500-square-foot studio units with rents projected to start close to $1,000 a month.

The most posh apartment will include two bedrooms, a den and a terrace overlooking Mayfair Park.

Loewith said the project will shine due to two main reasons.

He said his firm plans to own the building through his lifetime and that of his kids so all elements going into the towers will be high quality.

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“In a condo, a builder walks away with his profit but in apartments, we have to love, nourish and take care of the building, so quality equals to less maintenance over the life of the equipment.”

Second, Loewith said the design features amenities that will be some of the best in southwestern Ontario, including a professional-grade pickle-ball court, full-time concierge and secure package delivery room.

“There will be a professional gym overlooking Mayfair Park, a billiards room, games room, golf simulator, crafts room, dog wash station and hobby shop, along with lockers, bike storage rooms, a rooftop lounge, kitchen, library and rec room.

“It’s a real state-of-the-art building and we think it’s going to be the next level of rental living in the province.”

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Born in Brantford with family still here, Loewith said he’s excited about building “something amazing” for the community.

His firm has projects around the province, which Loewith says he visits weekly.

He said Loewith Greenberg apartments tend to draw empty nesters who sell their homes and put their funds into retirement living rather than a condo.

The buildings generally include substantial weekly programming that builds a community through euchre, karaoke, yoga and potlucks.

Work will begin on the first tower of 211 units, closest to Mayfair Park and plans call for the first four floors of the building to be occupied during the summer of 2026 with the final floors complete by the fall or winter of that year.

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@EXPSGamble

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