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As a kid, Sundays meant two things for Chris Bratty: a big, traditional Italian family dinner and a long drive to the suburbs with Dad to scope out land prospects. Three decades later, Chris and his three brothers run The Remington Group along with dad Rudy, who at 82 is still top banana.  Chris, the second eldest and president of land development and investments, helped expand his dad's land development company into a builder; first homes, then condos, and finally commercial. Today, Remington is behind the sprawling Downtown Markham mixed-use project north of Toronto, creating a downtown core where there were just muddy fields a few years ago. (Everyone's happy except the shoe shine business.)  Here's Chris with Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti and Rudy, who we hear can still kill an adult elk with his hands. Chris tells us he's inspired by his dad, a charming, old-school businessman who makes deals on handshakes. (If that elk story is true, imagine the grip on that handshake.) Rudy's father started it all, post-Depression, building a few houses on the outskirts of Toronto, and Rudy built his first home as a teenager. He then went to law school and expanded the biz, just as Chris and his brothers would later do by launching The Remington Group. (Fun fact: Chris' brother Matthew, “the cowboy,” picked the name in reference to the popular handgun.)  We told you Matthew was a cowboy. Above, he and Chris discuss the condos, office towers, theatres, shopping, and even plans for an NHL-sized arena in Markham in hopes of possibly landing a pro team. Chris tells us that insurance giant Aviva will be anchor tenant for one of Downtown Markham's big office towers, and a hotel/condo hybrid, under the Marriott flag, is now 65% sold and breaking ground.  Here's the Bratty clan (brother Mark is top left and Michael is second from right, in the back) with the mayor and a bunch of scissor-wielding Markham city councilors (who look like they're about to make a mess of a perfectly good ribbon). The brothers and Dad still meet at the end of each day, but the camaraderie doesn't end at work: The boys play hockey together at least once a week, and Sunday dinner is still part of the routine, with 24 family members gathering around the table each week.  Here's what Downtown Markham will look like upon its 2025 completion. (Parked cars in renderings are always straighter than reality.) Now the fourth generation is starting to dream about the future. Chris says at least three of his five kids are showing interest in the family biz, sorta: One wants to be a landscape architect, the other is interested in building, and the third, he says, wants to be a pro hockey player. (So get that arena built!) |
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Lots Riding on The Connaught |
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 Next Wednesday's unveiling of the renovated Royal Connaught Hotel as Residences of The Royal Connaught is one of the great downtown renewal stories of the year. The Connaught is a 100-year-old Hamilton icon. The relaunch of the old hotel into residential real estate, plus the renovations going on in Gore Park, all have significant impact on commercial real estate values in the downtown core, says the city's manager of urban renewal Glen Norton. "The building sitting empty for so many years has been a highly visible reminder that the revitalization of our downtown core has not taken off at the speed we all want as citizens," Glen tells Bisnow. |
 "Retailers are again looking at the downtown as a potential location for new or expanded operations," he says. More and more people are living and working downtown. With expanded "pedestrian-only" areas, as well as seating, landscaping, and interpretive areas in the redeveloped Gore Park, expect "dramatic changes" to this three-block stretch of the downtown over the next two to three years, Glen says. Historical photo: Hamilton Public Library. (That reminds us—Someone take a picture of Hamilton now so in 60 years we have something to be nostalgic about.) |
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Don't Miss Our Toronto Creative Office SummitToronto new office construction is rolling along at a brisk pace, but that doesn't mean old rules apply—and that's why we're holding our Toronto Creative Office Summit on June 17 at the Shangri-La Hotel. The corner office may soon be rarer than a Maple Leaf playoff appearance (all right, we're exaggerating), but the point is this: Many tenants, led by the growth of the tech and media sector, are embracing the emergence of creative office space, with tech incubators and co-working spaces revolutionizing how new economy companies are doing business. Hear real estate leaders, including Hullmark Development's Aly Damji (image), discuss how developers are enticing tenants to their portfolios, new technologies, and more. Don't wait, sign up now. |
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Learn the ABCs of CREBisnow Education offers commercial real estate training videos for your staff, your class, or yourself. Hosted by the founding chairman of the Wharton School of Real Estate, Peter Linneman, the informal, informative videos cover complicated ground like finance and development in easy-to-understand explanations (watch a sample). Even if you're a world-weary real estate vet or investor, you'll find new angles that will invigorate your passion; newbies will be able to digest the info in bite-sized, five-minute increments that can be watched anytime. They're digital friendly too: Watch or listen on your smart phone whenever/wherever. They're great for teaching and understanding financial models and industry lingo, and they'll be a tremendous asset to your corporate training program. Group rates available. Find out more about our premiere videos (with more to come) here or reach out to Bisnow's Will Friend, will@bisnow.com. |
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