Starlight Investments is looking to construct most of its future Canadian multi-family rental buildings through infill projects.

The Toronto-based company ranks as the largest rental-housing provider of rental housing in Canada while also owning, managing and developing properties globally.

“The vast majority of the 28,000 new rental suites we have in our pipeline will be at our existing rental communities,” said Howard Paskowitz, Toronto-based Starlight’s vice-president of development in an interview with Connect.

“We are experts at infill. We do a lot of that because we have the luxury of owning a lot of rental apartment communities across Canada. So, we look for opportunities to add new housing there.”

Starlight has adopted the strategy as part of the company’s efforts to reduce its environmental footprint and fill Canada’s so-called missing middle: A chronic shortage of housing for middle-income earners.

“As developers, we want to build housing wherever we can,” said Paskowitz. “As the largest rental-housing provider, we have the opportunities to intensify and add housing on our existing apartment communities. So, it’s not that we would target just doing infill. That’s the opportunity we’re given.

“And as a country and a society, we can no longer, and we should not, try to deliver on failed housing promises of the past. I don’t think sprawl is the way to address all of the societal issues that we have. I’m very fortunate to work for Starlight that has these great opportunities to intensify existing rental-apartment communities.”

Citing Institute of Municipal Finance and Governance statistics, Paskowitz said aggressive intensification of existing residential areas would reduce greenhouse- gas emissions by as much as 26%.

Starlight, he added, is working with its communities and all levels of government to help reduce Canada’s rental-housing housing shortage.

“Our team is positioned to commence construction on 1,200 new residential rental projects by end of this year, early next year, and an additional 1,800 new rental suites in 2025,” said Paskowitz. “We are on track to build close to 28,000 new residential rental suites in the next 10 years, with a special focus on filling the missing middle housing across Canada.”

Starlight has started leasing suites at its new Ledbury Park Towns rental-housing project in Toronto’s Bathurst and Lawrence neighbourhood. The recently completed four-block project is a 24-townhouse infill on underutilized land within one of Starlight’s multi-residential rental projects.

“We got rid of a surface parking lot and created these new homes, and now we have shared amenity spaces that are used by members of our existing apartment building, as well as the new townhouses,” said Paskowitz.

“So, we’re not really just building in the community. We’re building the community up. We are situated in the very vibrant Ledbury Park neighbourhood. I used to live close to there. This rental community is in close proximity to local services and amenities, including a hospital, schools, restaurants and cafes, and it’s walking distance to surrounding necessity-based retail.”

Paskowitz said the project reflects Starlight’s dedication to creating complete communities in which people can live, work and play. Ledbury Park a mix of well-lit two-bedroom and three-bedroom-suite layouts. Sustainable features include LED lighting, energy-efficient in-suite appliances and smart thermostats.

Amenities range from private terraces and backyard spaces to a shared barbecue area and a dog run, in addition to underground parking and bike storage areas. New townhouse residents will have access to the existing apartment building’s fitness centre.

Starlight says the project will play an important role in addressing the missing middle. The Ledbury Park Towns development is also designed to bridge the gap between between single-family-rental homes and high-density apartment buildings.

All types of housing will be needed, said Paskowitz. Starlight bases each infill project’s form on the opportunity, including its context, the needs of existing rental clients, and the surrounding neighbourhood.

“What we try to do is match up what we’re able to do with what fits,” said Paskowitz. “I don’t know that we only look to do high-rise and we don’t only look to do townhomes. I think, really, it’s what is appropriate for each individual site.

“And, I think what makes development so exciting is, it’s not just a one-size-fits-all. The fact that we’ve got high-rise sites under construction as well as townhouse projects, I think that really demonstrates our level of expertise in that we can accommodate.

“We don’t decide before we take a closer look at an opportunity as to what it needs to be.”

But Starlight views its role in reducing the missing middle as more than just a need to fill supply. As Canada’s largest provider of rental housing, the company feels that it has a responsibility “to create as much new housing as possible,” said Paskowitz.

“As someone functioning in the real estate world, I’m very mindful of the fact that we don’t have the luxury of being complacent,” he added. “How will my kids afford to live here? How will nurses and teachers and first responders be able to afford to live in the communities that they serve?

“So, that’s [Starlight’s] philosophical approach to the housing shortage.”

Starlight currently has six projects under construction, which will add 1,846 rental suites to markets across Canada. The projects include a 22-storey multi-residential tower at 555 the West Mall in Toronto’s Etobicoke district, which will deliver more than 200 new homes; a 200-unit development in Barrie, Ont.; and a venture in the Victoria suburb of Langford, B.C.

“We are active and, I think, really chipping away at this housing crisis,” said Paskowitz.

Pictured: Starlight’s recently completed Ledbury Park Towns rental-housing project in the Toronto district of Etobicoke.

Image: Courtesy of Starlight Investments