As anyone who lives in Toronto knows, the condo has taken more from the city than it's given. The economics of building, not to mention the culture of industrial development, civic planning and municipal politics, have left us more focused on minimum requirements than maximum expectations. We have carefully created a system that leads to urban and architectural ordinariness. And on those rare occasions when developers are willing to do more than they must, it's because they're chasing luxury buyers.

The idea that the approving and building of condos could be approached as an act of city-building has been all but forgotten in the rush to cash in on the boom. That's why the appearance of The Plant, a 10-storey condo at Dovercourt and Sudbury Sts., is especially interesting. It may even mark a turning point, though that's probably overly optimistic, if not downright naive.

Still, the project stands out from the competition in a number of important ways. To begin with, it takes retail seriously. In most condos, of course, the street-level shopping rarely goes beyond the standard-issue Shoppers Drug Mart, Tim Hortons or bank branch. Developers prefer these sorts of tenants not only because they can sign a lease years in advance, but also because they have the sort of deep pockets that make a banker's eyes light up.

Then there are construction concerns. The easiest — and cheapest — method is to fill the ground floor with load-bearing sheer walls that leave little room for flexibility. Because this isn't conducive to fine-grained retail, developers make spaces large to suit the needs of large global chains.

The results have been deadly; Toronto is becoming a retail desert. Lined with the usual outlets, its streets are more generic, anonymous and boring than ever.

By contrast, The Plant is designed specifically for small — read local — retailers. Focused on sustainability, healthy living and urban agriculture, this mixed-use project features relatively large units and balconies big enough to make growing your own food possible. Then there's the communal kitchen and greenhouse; clearly this is a condo aimed at people looking for something different. It may not meet everyone's tastes, but The Plant sold out in weeks.

“People want to live in a healthy place,” says Alex Spiegel, partner at Windmill Developments, which, with Curated Properties, is behind the building. “People want a comfortable, well designed place. And if it's sustainable, that's great too.”

Curated Properties has experience building in the Queen West neighbourhood; Windmill has a background in commercial development. Between them, they believe they have the ability to bring a retail mix that goes beyond the same old, same old.

“The banks tend to want you to repeat what everyone else has done,” Spiegel explains. “And most developers take the easy route with chains and banks. We bucked the trend and went with larger units. Buyers here are end-users not investors. We proved ourselves right on that one. We also want neighbourhood retail. It will be complementary to the rest of the building. We're looking for things like a food market with independent stalls, a flower shop, a bicycle store, a cafe and juice bar, gathering places. On the second floor we want health-related users.”

It adds up to a radical concept — a project designed for residents not investors. One might have thought that 30-odd years on, the Toronto condo boom would have reached a point where developers recognized that ultimately they were in the business of building places for people to live. But the lure of easy money has made the industry complacent. It's so focused on churning out 600-square-foot condo units, it sees something as basic as a family-sized apartments as a novelty.

The Plant is still several years away from completion; in other words, the vision has yet to be realized. Regardless, a project that starts with the understanding that it forms part of a neighbourhood and a city can't help but be fundamentally different, if not in appearance, certainly in its relationship to the larger community.

As Torontonians increasingly inhabit condos, it's critical we learn how to make vertical living more humane, more fulfilling. Having handed housing over to the corporate sector, the city is not in a strong position to make demands. But it isn't powerless. The time for intervention is long overdue. As The Plant makes clear, however, the industry has already started to do what the city won't.

Christopher Hume’s column appears weekly. He can be reached at jcwhume4@gmail.com

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