How will the building help this homeowner live a more healthy life?
Midrise condominium planned for Trinity Bellwoods neighbourhood boasts bike-related amenities, including indoor repair station, wash area.
Casper Wong loves to ride his navy blue Cannondale SuperSix. He hops on the bike for early-morning weekday spins followed by the four-kilometre round-trip to work downtown. On weekend treks outside the city, the fintech entrepreneur mounts up for a “three- to six-hour day of cardio.”
“It’s an efficient mode of transport (and) a very social sport,” enthuses Wong, who’s a competitive racer. “It’s a great way to explore the city, nature and countryside.”
Come wintertime, he sets up his racing bike and cycling app to train in the living room. “My wife doesn’t like the smell or sound too much.”
Republic Developments
Washing, adjusting and fixing his velocipede can be tricky, too ….
All of which got the wheels turning in Wong’s head.
He and his wife are now purchasing a condo in a new building with all these facilities under one roof.
The 1,200-square-foot, two-bedroom suite is one of 322 residential units in Bellwoods House, planned for Strachan Ave. near King St. W. in the Trinity Bellwoods neighbourhood, where the couple lives in a home they bought last year.
The mixed-use midrise boasts a DIY bike-repair shop, wash station and parking, and is close to cycling routes. The fitness centre’s smart bikes, with built-in apps, will simplify winter workouts.
“I thought, ‘Yeah, this is amazing. Maybe it’s a good time to move back into a condo’,” says Wong, a former tower dweller who’s attracted by the location, the “really nice gym,” and designated spaces for cycle care.
The developer says Bellwoods House, a mixed-use midrise, will arrive in 2026 in a “quiet, leafy-green pocket of the city” that’s close to public transit, cycling routes and Trinity Bellwoods Park.
Republic Developments
“The cleaning part is the biggest part. A clean bike is a fast bike,” he says, recalling how he used to bathe his bike on the balcony, drenching neighbours below.
Bellwood House is the brainchild of developer Matt Young, who shares Wong’s passion for cycling and plans to live in the condominium, himself.
The two men became friends through cycling. They often ride together at 5 a.m. when there’s little traffic. Three years ago, they co-founded a racing club called United Nations of Cyclists, the 75 members of which make up one of the most diverse cycling teams in Canada, according to Wong.
Young, president and CEO of Republic Developments, caught the biking bug in 2017 as a newbie in a 220-kilometre charity bike ride, which showed his fitness level to be dismal.
“I love cycling and I believe in it,” says Young, who urges others to choose two wheels over four. The city, which now has bragging rights to a bike-riding mayor, needs to provide more safe, comfortable and well-maintained lanes and trails.
As a developer, Young believes “buildings can play a role,” too, so he’s ensuring Bellwoods House provides convenient access to the activity and amenities, while appealing to non-cyclists, too.
“Location is number one,” Young says of the 13-storey infill development’s site close to public transit in a “quiet, leafy-green pocket” three blocks south of Trinity Bellwoods Park. Suites will be a mix of sizes with 18 or 20 town homes also available.
Professionals, entrepreneurs and dog owners alike will appreciate practical amenities, such as a pet spa, varied co-working spaces and a podcast studio, Young says.
A heritage building will be restored and used for retail space in one corner of Bellwoods House, which is designed to look like an original element of the streetscape but with modern amenities.
Republic Developments
The building’s architecture and façade of brick, glass and black metal aim to animate and preserve the original character of the streetscape, says Young. A three-storey heritage building has been incorporated into the design as retail space, its red brick exterior brought back as yellow paint is removed.
Esthetics aside, anything that helps put more bums on bicycle seats is all right by cycling advocate Albert Koehl, who chides the city for its snail’s pace in recognizing the value of bikes for getting around.
Infrastructure and amenities are “complimentary elements of a good cycling city,” says Koehl, co-ordinator of Toronto Community Bikeways Coalition, a volunteer advocacy group.
Access to bicycles, parking and cycling routes must be convenient, pleasant and safe, as any bikes sit unused in the basement, balcony or dingy underground garage.
He calls Bellwood House’s amenities, in an inviting, well-lit environment, “really fabulous.
“I do think it’s going to be a trend.”
Koehl (who has no connection to the project or Republic Developments) calls it a “win-win-win” for the individual, the developer and the community.
His view of the city’s transportation challenges and priorities are echoed by Wong.
“More cars is not the answer,” says Wong, who is, himself, co-founder and president of Financeit, a consumer financing platform for big-ticket purchases and home improvement projects.
“It’s good to see that Matt’s doing this with Bellwoods House.”
Bellwoods House
Location: 111 Strachan Ave.
Building: 13-storey condominium with 322 units, including about 20 town homes. Prices start from the $500,000s, with suites available with one, two and three bedrooms, and ranging from 350 square feet to 3,218 sq. ft.
Amenities: Two-storey amenity space, including fitness centre, yoga studio, sauna. Equipped co-working spaces, podcast studio, party room. Indoor bike parking, repair and wash areas. Outdoor amenities include lounge, barbecues, dining space.
Occupancy: Spring 2026
Developer: Republic Developments
Architect: Arcadis IBI Group
Source: The Star
