Yahoo! Canada – Toronto Office

I had the pleasure of meeting Joanne Acri (@joanneacri) and Sarah Bradley (@sbradley) last week to tour the Yahoo! Canada Toronto office at 207 Queens Quay.  We sat down to discuss the building, the landlord and why Yahoo! decided to move their offices from Front Street down to the lake front.

It doesn’t take much to make a good impression with me when I meet clients for a first time so when I walked into reception and was offered candy and coffee it was off to a great start.  Joanne and Sarah lead me into the lunchroom where we chatted about the corporate culture at Yahoo! (conclusion awesome!).  The lounge / lunchroom we were in was outfitted with a Foosball table and arcade game and was surrounded by flat screens tuned in to the latest news from CP24.  If you are interested in hearing more about the corporate culture or Yahoo’s space you can reach out to Joanne or Sarah directly via Twitter, I’m sure they’d be happy to help you out!

From a commercial real estate / building perspective, here are some of the things you should think about before you consider 207 Queens Quay as a tenant.

The Good
The lobby show’s very well, as do the common areas.  The building is occupied by tenant’s like Bell Canada and Wind Mobile, so you’re in great company.  The building is run by Brookfield, one of the top property managers in Canada (if not the world).  What really blew me away was the views over the lake and the incredible natural light.  This was the feature that Joanne and Sarah suggested was was their favorite too.

The Tough
The most problematic thing with 207 Queens Quay was getting there.  A quick 10 minute walk from the Financial Core can feel a lot longer in winter.  On the flip side, in the summer, the area can become inundated with tourists which can drive up prices at local restaurants.  The volume of people and traffic can be hectic and get frustrating if you need to leave the office quickly to get to a meeting.  That being said, it’s located right smack in the middle of Toronto’s waterfront and the boardwalk offers incredible outdoor opportunities, particularly in the warmer months.

Overall, I was encouraged with the building and can see tenants overcoming the difficulties of the location to get an A+ landlord and into a great building with some of the coolest tenants and views a building can offer.

Thanks for the tour guys!

PS. Does your company have cool office space you would like to show off or do you have complaints / complements about your building you are in, please let me know.  Nothing like bad or good press to get a Landlord to smarten up and take notice!  Here is a quick survey to help you structure your input – Building Questionnaire

Click on the image below for a larger version of the picture.

Featured Client – Chick Advisor – 96 Spadina Avenue

I had the pleasure of meeting Alex and Ali de Bold at a number of tech related networking events.  As an up and coming start-up with lots of influence in the industry I was eager to help them out.  It took some patience to find the right premises as there were not a lot of vacancies at the time and both Ali and Alex had a solid vision on the type of space that would suit the company.  Further, it wasn’t the smoothest transaction trying to deal with Allied Properties and getting all of the construction covered and amortized into the rental rate.  However, at the end of the day we secured a lease, had the space built out to their specs and moved in on schedule.  If you would like to know more about ChickAdvisor.com you can check them out here!

If you want guidance on how to find your new office space contact me!

About ChickAdvisor

Nothing beats a good recommendation and that’s what ChickAdvisor is all about! We are a social media platform for women with user-generated reviews on the best products and local services in North America. In addition to our online presence, we host local events a Product Review Club and videos!

Our goal is to help women make better purchasing decisions by getting advice first on a wide range of topics from electronics to electrolysis. Our members determine the hottest trends, the best local services, and the coolest products, and we deliver the location and purchase information to make getting what you want faster and more affordable.

ChickAdvisor launched in September 2006 by husband and wife duo Ali and Alex de Bold as a solution for Ali’s constant search for the perfect hair salon. The company has been profiled in many major on and offline publications including CBC Newsworld, GlobalTV, The Toronto Star, CBC Radio, Canadian Business, Media in Canada, Slice.ca and Rogers Media.

Green Roofed London Hotel is Buried Underground

by Evelyn Lee, 12/23/09

This five star hotel is going under – underground that is! Designed by ReardonSmith Architects for a proposed development at Hersham Golf Club in Surrey, London, this new subterranean hotel will pay its ultimate respects to London’s Green Belt by placing all 200+ guest rooms underneath it! The entire scheme is covered with a plush green roof that takes its cue from the surrounding countryside.

In addition to the green integrated into the building, the proposal includes the addition of extensive on-site re-vegetation and re-organization of existing spaces (such as parking) that will actually leave the site even more eco-friendly than it is now.

Matthew Guy, ReardonSmith’s project designer, states “Our concept integrates hotel, spa, and golf facilities into a single architecturally exciting and organic composition below and above ground. The design fulfills the requirements of the brief for a bespoke five star hotel while returning hard standing to the Green Belt and improving the physical layout and visual attraction of the entire site. It represents a commercially viable solution to developing in the Green Belt and is, we believe, a world-first.”

http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/12/23/5-star-underground-hotel-in-london

2 Carlton St

WEBSITE – http://www.2carlton.com

Located in Downtown Toronto on the North East corner of Yonge and College Streets, close to the former Maple Leaf Gardens, 2 Carlton Street offers great office space for small or large tenants alike. With amenities that include on-site public and private parking, after hours security and a location adjacent to the College Subway station office space rarely stays vacant for long.

Available space:

Suite 602	614 sf	$1,640	2 offices and open area.
Suite 801	2,004 sf	$5,350	2 offices, reception, kitchen, storage room and large open area.
Suite 1307	984 sf	$2,625	Built out.
Suite 1503	1,926 sf	$5,140	Built out with 3 offices, boardroom, kitchen and open area.
Suite 1508	990 sf	$2,640	Built out with 1 large office, 2 storage areas and open area.
Suite 1820	1,714 sf	$4,570	4 offices, meeting room, office/storage room & reception.

Design your own floor plan here!

Regular floor plans click here.

Allen Park

http://www.allenpark.ca/

Design build – up to 240,000 square feet available for lease or purchase

At the Wilson TTC subway station, employees and clients can travel to downtown in under half an hour, or drive along the 401, 400 and 407 highways to the airport, York University, Mississauga, Vaughan or Scarborough in under half an hour. The Spadina-University TTC subway line is the fastest way to get from North York to Downtown Toronto. No need to drive downtown – end short office commutes from the suburbs at Allen Park Business Centre, and avoid the heavy gridlock driving south of the 401 towards downtown.

Download brochure.

For floor plans:
http://www.allenpark.ca/floorplans.html

Office Search

Here are some fantastic deals on office space.
2 Carlton Street
Suite Sq. Ft. Price
Ste. 801 2,004 $5,100
Ste. 1422 626 $1,600
Ste. 1522 940 $2,400
For floor plans
Located in Downtown Toronto on the North East corner of Yonge and College Streets, close to the former Maple Leaf Gardens, 2 Carlton Street offers great office space for small or large tenants alike. With amenities that include on-site public and private parking, after hours security and a location adjacent to the College Subway station office space rarely stays vacant for long.

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174 Spadina Avenue
1,785 sf – May 30, 2012
Asking $4,000 per month – Negotiable!
Link to Video
Fantastic brick and beam space – open concept – corner of Spadina and Queen!

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Sublease – 8 King Street East – to June 29, 2012
Suite 1704 – 1,075 sf – $3,225 per month
Suite 1705 – 1,714 sf – $5,150 per month
Suites can be combined to one unit of 2,789 sf
Link to video
This building has been renovated to a art deco style. Feels like a comfortable condo building and offers a great “feeling” to your office in the downtown core. Hardwood floors and a number of units with a loft style ceiling. These suites offer great views and three offices in each. Call for floor plans and pictures.

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Sublease – 180 Bloor Street West
3,175 sf – December 30, 2009
Link to Video
Rent is Negotiable – Individual offices available to share at a great rate!

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543 Richmond Street West
Suite 217 – 3,686 sf – $6,000 per month
A fantastic and cheap alternative in the downtown area.

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Allen Park – 525 Wilson Avenue
AllenPark.ca
Up to 240,000 sf available for lease or purchase
Design build – up to 240,000 square feet available for lease or purchase
At the Wilson TTC subway station, employees and clients can travel to downtown in under half an hour, or drive along the 401, 400 and 407 highways to the airport, York University, Mississauga, Vaughan or Scarborough in under half an hour. The Spadina-University TTC subway line is the fastest way to get from North York to Downtown Toronto. No need to drive downtown – end short office commutes from the suburbs at Allen Park Business Centre, and avoid the heavy gridlock driving south of the 401 towards downtown.