How Devron Developments Plans To Spruce Up Yonge And Steeles

Devron Developments is invigorating an overlooked stretch of Yonge just north of Steeles, replacing a strip mall with a 25-storey mixed-use tower. COO Pouyan Safapour walks us through the plan.

We snapped him at the presentation centre for The Vanguard, a 230k SF tower fronting Yonge at Grandview Avenue. The building has 32k SF of commercial space: 12k SF of ground-level retail for a café or boutique grocery, and 20k SF of office on the second level. The commercial component will be a long-term hold for Devron, and Pouyan, an area resident, says they'll seek a partner to lease it out. He launched Devron in 2010 with father Ron and brother Safa. Their inaugural effort was Flo Condos, a 12-storey building at Yonge and Sheppard.

Seeking LEED Gold, The Vanguard will have 10 electric vehicle charging stations. “We’re thinking ahead,” says Pouyan, who owns an electric car. “I think they'll be more common when this is built in 2019.” (Devron's hoping plans for a subway extension to Steeles come to pass by then, too.) Units here are larger than usual—smallest is 550 SF; average is 875 SF—catering to area residents transitioning out of multimillion-dollar homes. “There’s nothing for them to move into right now." Families also will like bigger suites, plus The Vanguard's half-acre public park, 7k SF terrace with veggie garden, and kids' playroom.

Above is Flo, completed last year. “We were this little business up against giants,” recalls Pouyan, pointing to Devron’s condo-building competition at Yonge and Sheppard: Tridel, Menkes, Minto and Bazis. But his crew learned lots on the maiden voyage, and has parlayed those insights into The Vanguard, a site Devron acquired in 2014 in an off-market deal. Pouyan tells us he's looking forward to revitalizing his home turf. “There’s a great neighbourhood here, it’s just most people don’t realize because of what they see on Yonge.”