Real Estate Development Insights

(55) How to Unlock More Mid-Rise Housing in Toronto - Richard Witt - BDP Quadrangle

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2364063/fan_mail/new] How to Unlock More Mid-Rise Housing in Toronto -  Richard Witt  In this episode of the Real Estate Development Insights Podcast, Richard Witt, Global Head of Housing at BDP Quadrangle, discusses Toronto and the GTA’s housing trajectory, comparing global approaches and emphasizing housing as a commoditized product shaped by culture, human scale, and social interaction. He argues Toronto’s recent decade was distorted by speculation and investor-driven condo product, and says the city needs a broader mix—workforce, student, seniors, family, and end-user housing. Reflecting on Toronto’s 2007–08 midrise guidelines, he explains how outdated zoning, lack of density caps, required site-specific zoning bylaw amendments, and lengthy approvals fueled land speculation and slowed delivery. Whitt advises prioritizing certainty and speed, better subsurface information, and more pragmatic approaches to trees and heritage. He also explores modern methods of construction, including mass timber and prefabrication, citing 80 Atlantic’s quiet, fast installation and urging system-based, repeatable midrise strategies.   -          How does Toronto compare to Global Cities? -          Speculation and Housing Needs -          Midrise Guidelines Origins -          Avenues and Built Form Rules -          No Density Cap Problems -          Zoning Amendments Slowdown -          Toronto’s Patchwork Streets -          Incentives Over Penalties -          Midrise Developer Pitfalls -          Systems First Construction -          Modern Methods Explained -          Mass Timber Lessons For more information, please refer to RealEstateDevelopmentInsights.com [https://mid-rise.ca/real-estate-development-insights-podcast/] Take our Free Assessment at: DevelopmentReadinessAssessment.com [https://payam-r2msvd05.scoreapp.com]

(54) How Institutional Capital Thinks About Real Estate Development Risk - Jeff Thomas - KingSett Capital

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2364063/fan_mail/new] In this episode, Jeff Thomas, Group Head of Development at KingSett Capital, explains how the Canadian private equity firm invests in Canadian commercial real estate through development, joint ventures, and lending. He describes transitioning from brokerage (co-founding and selling Ashler Urban to Cushman & Wakefield) to development, emphasizing that long-term relationships, trust, transparency, and early delivery of bad news are critical to managing risk across KingSett’s roughly 55 projects with a small internal team. Thomas discusses “premium risk-weighted returns” as achieving strong returns relative to managed, less volatile risk. He details Toronto’s 50 Wilson Heights affordable-housing project (about 750 units in phase one, half affordable) on a prepaid ground lease, involving over 50 initial agreements, CMHC financing, and geothermal sustainability, and notes construction is in early structural work. He says Toronto condos are “dead” due to a large gap between resale and new-launch pricing, with development charges and HST seen as key barriers. He advises smaller builders to get close to customers and highlights modular/precast delivery at West Square as a path to speed, standardization, and affordability, while wishing policymakers would truly prioritize housing. 00:00 Meet Jeff Thomas 00:56 From Brokerage to KingSett 03:17 Relationships and Trust 06:55 Picking Deals and Pricing Risk 10:06 Transparency Builds Trust 13:14 Risk-Weighted Returns Explained 15:30 Inside 50 Wilson Heights 20:52 Construction Progress Update 22:17 Lessons From 50 Agreements 24:51 Condo Market Reality Check 26:22 Costs Fees And Taxes 29:36 Midrise Developer Playbook 30:57 Know Your Customer First 33:27 Modular Project Deep Dive 35:04 Standardization Versus Red Tape 41:44 Partnering With KingSett 44:43 Trends To Be Optimistic 48:22 Magic Wand Policy Wish #RealEstateDevelopment #PurposeBuiltRental #DevelopmentRisk #AffordableHousing #TorontoRealEstate  For more information, please refer to RealEstateDevelopmentInsights.com [https://mid-rise.ca/real-estate-development-insights-podcast/] Take our Free Assessment at: DevelopmentReadinessAssessment.com [https://payam-r2msvd05.scoreapp.com]

(53) Why Better Buildings Start With Structure, Not Finishes - Stuart Wilson - Alterra Development

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2364063/fan_mail/new] In this episode of the Real Estate Development Insights Podcast, Stuart Wilson, President of Alterra Developments, shares his path from Scotland (quantity surveying and construction management) to Hong Kong civil projects and then Canada, where he joined Alterra about 10 years ago after planning a move into development. He explains that value engineering should focus on structural efficiency rather than cutting visible finishes, arguing that buyers and renters value tactile elements like flooring, kitchens, and fixtures. Stuart discusses Alterra’s emphasis on integrity, design quality, and “city building,” and contrasts condos—often driven by investors and characterized by shrinking unit sizes—with purpose-built rentals, where long-term ownership demands greater attention to operations, layouts, and livability. He details Alterra’s CreateTO partnership and advises developers to approach CreateTO with a social lens, meticulous diligence, and strong legal support. He reflects on the challenges of building the Ace Hotel during COVID, stresses rigorous proforma knowledge, calm problem-solving, and partner selection based on trust, then calls for more predictable costs and criticizes escalating fees and development charges that undermine project viability. * Why Become a Developer * Optimism Versus Risk * Spend on What Matters * Alterra Values and Integrity * Rentals Versus Condos * CreateTO Affordable Housing * Bidding and RFP Advice * Unlocking Nonprofit Projects * Choosing the Right Partners * ACE Hotel Challenge * Framework for Daily Crises * Optimism and Better Homes  #RealEstateDevelopment #TorontoRealEstate #GTARealEstate #HousingDevelopment  #UrbanDevelopment  #PurposeBuiltRental  #AffordableHousing #RentalHousing  #HousingSupply #MixedIncomeHousing #RentControlledHousing  #CreateTO  For more information, please refer to RealEstateDevelopmentInsights.com [https://mid-rise.ca/real-estate-development-insights-podcast/] Take our Free Assessment at: DevelopmentReadinessAssessment.com [https://payam-r2msvd05.scoreapp.com]

(52) Single-Stair in Canada: What’s Actually Changed and What Still Has to Happen - Conrad Speckert & Jack Keays

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2364063/fan_mail/new] In this episode, Payam interviews building code consultants Conrad and Jack about the push to allow single-stair residential buildings in Canada, especially in Ontario and Toronto. Conrad defines single-stair missing-middle apartments as small 3–6 storey buildings with short corridors and fewer units per floor, contrasting them with typical North American double-stair, long-corridor layouts, and explains how this affects design efficiency and project viability.  Jack says Canada’s long-standing two-exit requirement (codified in 1941) persists despite major improvements in sprinklers, alarms, materials, and firefighting, and argues that single-stair can be made as safe through compensating measures and risk assessment.  They review past attempts (1984 CMHC report, 1990s Ontario recommendations, 2010 sprinkler requirements), BC’s 2024 code change, Vancouver guidance, and Toronto’s slow alternative-solution approvals, noting a Delaware Avenue project took about a year. They highlight Edmonton’s advanced, metrics-based review process and advocate for codifying a clear Part 9 pathway similar to the U.S. model codes. 00:00 Welcome and Introductions 01:13 What Single Stair Means 03:48 Design Benefits and Efficiency 05:01 Why Codes Still Block It 08:47 How Reform Started Moving 11:51 Toronto Approvals and Lessons 16:38 Global and US Comparisons 19:29 Developer Path and Tradeoffs 21:31 Edmonton and Peer Review Model 29:02 What Needs to Change Next 31:37 Final Thoughts and Resources For more information, please refer to RealEstateDevelopmentInsights.com [https://mid-rise.ca/real-estate-development-insights-podcast/] Take our Free Assessment at: DevelopmentReadinessAssessment.com [https://payam-r2msvd05.scoreapp.com]

(51) Part Two - Why do some projects fail while others succeed? - The 6 Pillars of Development Success

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2364063/fan_mail/new] Lessons Learned: The Development Readiness Framework for Managing Real Estate Risk   Payam, hosts part two of a “lessons learned” series on Real Estate Development Insights, reframing real estate development as risk management requiring timely, effective decision-making. He introduces a six-pillar “development readiness” framework: (1) local market fundamentals—build what you should, not just what you can, considering rents, vacancy, long-term demand for purpose-built rentals, parking policy shifts in Toronto, transit timing risk, product-market fit, and site constraints like utilities, easements, and construction logistics; (2) capital structure and feasibility—projects rise or fall on the pro forma, investor scrutiny, realistic costs, equity reliability, financing mechanics, and clear exit plans; (3) ownership, tax, and liability—wrong legal/tax structuring can unravel deals, with risk handled by eliminating, transferring, mitigating, or accepting; (4) design and approvals—choose “slide vs push,” set targets, pursue risk-adjusted highest and best use, and build an experienced team; (5) execution—construction is highest risk, requiring strong preconstruction, realistic pricing, and careful procurement; (6) mindset—developers “bring the weather,” treat problems as inherent, and stay obsessively engaged (the “4-6-7-10” pattern).   00:00 Welcome and Setup 00:43 Recap Risk and Decisions 02:44 Six Pillars Overview 03:35 Local Market Fundamentals 08:44 Site Constraints and Logistics 10:41 Capital and Feasibility 15:40 Ownership Tax and Liability 19:57 Design and Approvals Strategy 27:25 Execution and Construction Risk 31:13 Mindset and Closing Thoughts For more information, please refer to RealEstateDevelopmentInsights.com [https://mid-rise.ca/real-estate-development-insights-podcast/] Take our Free Assessment at: DevelopmentReadinessAssessment.com [https://payam-r2msvd05.scoreapp.com]