In Conversation With : David Hirsh
By NextHome Staff
January 20, 2017
January 20, 2017
Seeing potential where others see problems defines Brandy Lane’s mission to transform developed urban areas into thriving communities.David Hirsh has an imaginative mind that lets him see the possibilities of transforming urban blight to urban delight.“Thinking creatively really does work,” Hirsh, 58, said over lunch in an Italian restaurant near his home in North York. “In fact, our business depends on it. For over a quarter of a century we’ve pushed the envelope to design new residential products.”Hirsh, who grew up in Downsview, initially wanted to be a doctor, a dream that was never fulfilled, mainly because his family couldn’t afford the high cost of a university education.“Now I’m a builder with a cure for urban blight,” he says with a self-deprecating laugh.It’s hard not to like David Hirsh.His mission to bring new urban life to older areas can been seen in his company’s many developments, including Loggia on The Queensway, Liberty Walk in North York and The Station at Wilson Road and The Allen.Village Mews, located at Rogers Road and Kane Avenue, certainly exemplifies Hirsh’s desire to create affordable infill projects in existing neighbourhoods.Brandy Lane’s most recent project, The Davies, is a luxury 36-suite condominium with eight penthouses at Avenue Road and Cottingham, overlooking Robertson Davies Park.“We constantly strive to find innovative ways to deliver top quality and build homes and amenities that ring true to our clients’ needs,” Hirsch said.“For instance, our communities in Collingwood appeal to active enthusiasts who want to enjoy year-round activities. It’s for that very reason that we incorporated features such as an outdoor heated pool, community trails and a skating rink that doubles as a landscaped area during the warmer months.”Hirsch explains that he sees every new community as an opportunity to create more than just a condo tower or a tract of new home.“We recognize and embrace the fact that our neighbourhoods have a snowball effect on future homeowners’ lives as the impetus for ongoing growth in an area. The key to our success is understanding how changing demographics and homeowner needs affect what we do, and responding accordingly.”
Condo Life: Tell me a little bit about your background, where you grew up and went to school. I’ve read your adoptive parents wanted you to be a doctor. How did you come to work in the development industry? David Hirsh: I grew up in North York, well, Downsview to be exact, at Keele and Wilson. I was adopted by Holocaust survivors who taught me a lot about life. I was raised to be successful, and that’s what drives me. As a kid my parents were relatively poor. My father was a carpenter and my mom stayed at home. They were ordinary people. But as a kid I was always daydreaming about how I would renovate the homes we lived in.I loved the old neighbourhood where I grew up. My friends and I used to bowl at the old York Bowl. Funny how life turns out because we tore York Bowl down in order to build The Station.After high school I bought a haberdashery franchise. But it wasn’t for me so I went and got my real estate license and started as a resale agent but it didn’t go so well; incredibly high interest rates put a real damper on the market. I think I sold one house.In 1992, I went to work for Great Gulf as a sales rep and then I moved to Senator Homes as their sales manager.But I always need new challenges, and in 1986 I was asked to become a partner in a new company, Brandy Lane. I was so ambitious and aggressive as a young man (there is a little laugh following this statement). Brandy Lane expanded rapidly and we were building an average of 200 homes a yearCL: What have been the strongest influences in your professional life? When you entered the industry, did you have someone you would consider a mentor? DH: Certainly my current partners, Zan Stern and Bill Glied; we’ve had a 30-year very partnership. They changed my life because they saw my ambition and recognized my abilities. And they’re more than just partners; they’re my friends, my family.A true mentor to me is Angelo Breda from Senator Homes. I still channel him sometimes. I learned a lot from him. He was a great man, a real builder, a carpenter by trade who knew the business from top to bottom. CL: Because of your history as both a lowrise and highrise builder, you’ve seen a lot of changes in the industry over the years. How has Brandy Lane changed with the province’s initiatives?DH: In 1985, we were a different group at Brandy Lane. But in 1997 it changed dramatically. I wanted to move the company from building subdivisions to urban infill projects, unique products emphasizing urban intensification. We wanted to change an area and create a new lifestyle for the purchasers. There was a parting of ways with some of the partners who didn’t agree with this approach. So now, the words we live by are re-urbanization and intensification; we build mostly condos, midrise and highrise, as well as townhomes.But infill renewal is not just for urban areas. We are very involved in introducing an urban form not previously built in Collingwood, which offers fabulous amenities and an opportunity for people to enjoy the incredible four-season lifestyle there. For some, a chalet or detached house isn’t always an option, and there is a better way. We’re building small buildings with condo units priced from $180,000. It’s a carefree lifestyle in a compact urban form. The city of Collingwood has been very easy to work with.CL: With the province’s Places to Grow policy and the Greenbelt restrictions, where do you see the real estate and housing market in 20 years?DH: The provincial guidelines demand compact urban growth and that is not a bad thing. I like what’s going on in GTA and I’m not wound up about the Greenbelt or Places to Grow. I believe in urban life.This is world-class city, a city of neighbourhoods, and the demographics are changing. As a population, we are moving away from the suburban lifestyle because of urban sprawl and the commute times. People don’t want to spend two to three hours a day in their cars, and young people certainly prefer city life.What we’re doing is finding sites with the potential to become great neighbourhoods, choice locations that have become neglected.CL: What has made you the proudest?DH: Loggia on The Queensway. It was the first project built under the guidelines of the City of Toronto’s Avenues and Midrise Buildings initiatives, which wanted more intensification along the city’s arterial roads, or “Avenues.” We faced a lengthy planning process but we were able to go with what the city wanted. Loggia is two midrise buildings joined by a floating podium with amenity space.Loggia made me very happy for two reasons: an end user bought every single unit — it sold slowly but steadily — and it won an urban design award from the City of Toronto.CL: What is your pet peeve? Development charges, the Greenbelt, Places to Grow, transit issues?DH: I’m pretty optimistic. I am supportive of density and I would like to see easier accessibility to transit. I just wish everybody would stop arguing about it and just do it. And that dovetails into development charges. I don’t mind them but they should be tied to transit. If the transit issues were addressed and helped, the market would work better.CL: What do you do for fun?DH: I love to explore the city; I take walks and go to the theatre and restaurants. I love to cook and entertain as well. It’s a very nice life. My friends are my family. I’m also a student of architecture and urbanism. I don’t consider myself a workaholic because I love it, I love real estate. I put a piece of me into each project.
BRANDY LANE PORTFOLIO• The Davies, Toronto• The Station, Toronto• Village Mews, Toronto• Wyldewood Cove, CollingwoodBrandyLaneHomes.comBrandyLaneHomes.com/blog/
Condo Life: Tell me a little bit about your background, where you grew up and went to school. I’ve read your adoptive parents wanted you to be a doctor. How did you come to work in the development industry? David Hirsh: I grew up in North York, well, Downsview to be exact, at Keele and Wilson. I was adopted by Holocaust survivors who taught me a lot about life. I was raised to be successful, and that’s what drives me. As a kid my parents were relatively poor. My father was a carpenter and my mom stayed at home. They were ordinary people. But as a kid I was always daydreaming about how I would renovate the homes we lived in.I loved the old neighbourhood where I grew up. My friends and I used to bowl at the old York Bowl. Funny how life turns out because we tore York Bowl down in order to build The Station.After high school I bought a haberdashery franchise. But it wasn’t for me so I went and got my real estate license and started as a resale agent but it didn’t go so well; incredibly high interest rates put a real damper on the market. I think I sold one house.In 1992, I went to work for Great Gulf as a sales rep and then I moved to Senator Homes as their sales manager.But I always need new challenges, and in 1986 I was asked to become a partner in a new company, Brandy Lane. I was so ambitious and aggressive as a young man (there is a little laugh following this statement). Brandy Lane expanded rapidly and we were building an average of 200 homes a yearCL: What have been the strongest influences in your professional life? When you entered the industry, did you have someone you would consider a mentor? DH: Certainly my current partners, Zan Stern and Bill Glied; we’ve had a 30-year very partnership. They changed my life because they saw my ambition and recognized my abilities. And they’re more than just partners; they’re my friends, my family.A true mentor to me is Angelo Breda from Senator Homes. I still channel him sometimes. I learned a lot from him. He was a great man, a real builder, a carpenter by trade who knew the business from top to bottom. CL: Because of your history as both a lowrise and highrise builder, you’ve seen a lot of changes in the industry over the years. How has Brandy Lane changed with the province’s initiatives?DH: In 1985, we were a different group at Brandy Lane. But in 1997 it changed dramatically. I wanted to move the company from building subdivisions to urban infill projects, unique products emphasizing urban intensification. We wanted to change an area and create a new lifestyle for the purchasers. There was a parting of ways with some of the partners who didn’t agree with this approach. So now, the words we live by are re-urbanization and intensification; we build mostly condos, midrise and highrise, as well as townhomes.But infill renewal is not just for urban areas. We are very involved in introducing an urban form not previously built in Collingwood, which offers fabulous amenities and an opportunity for people to enjoy the incredible four-season lifestyle there. For some, a chalet or detached house isn’t always an option, and there is a better way. We’re building small buildings with condo units priced from $180,000. It’s a carefree lifestyle in a compact urban form. The city of Collingwood has been very easy to work with.CL: With the province’s Places to Grow policy and the Greenbelt restrictions, where do you see the real estate and housing market in 20 years?DH: The provincial guidelines demand compact urban growth and that is not a bad thing. I like what’s going on in GTA and I’m not wound up about the Greenbelt or Places to Grow. I believe in urban life.This is world-class city, a city of neighbourhoods, and the demographics are changing. As a population, we are moving away from the suburban lifestyle because of urban sprawl and the commute times. People don’t want to spend two to three hours a day in their cars, and young people certainly prefer city life.What we’re doing is finding sites with the potential to become great neighbourhoods, choice locations that have become neglected.CL: What has made you the proudest?DH: Loggia on The Queensway. It was the first project built under the guidelines of the City of Toronto’s Avenues and Midrise Buildings initiatives, which wanted more intensification along the city’s arterial roads, or “Avenues.” We faced a lengthy planning process but we were able to go with what the city wanted. Loggia is two midrise buildings joined by a floating podium with amenity space.Loggia made me very happy for two reasons: an end user bought every single unit — it sold slowly but steadily — and it won an urban design award from the City of Toronto.CL: What is your pet peeve? Development charges, the Greenbelt, Places to Grow, transit issues?DH: I’m pretty optimistic. I am supportive of density and I would like to see easier accessibility to transit. I just wish everybody would stop arguing about it and just do it. And that dovetails into development charges. I don’t mind them but they should be tied to transit. If the transit issues were addressed and helped, the market would work better.CL: What do you do for fun?DH: I love to explore the city; I take walks and go to the theatre and restaurants. I love to cook and entertain as well. It’s a very nice life. My friends are my family. I’m also a student of architecture and urbanism. I don’t consider myself a workaholic because I love it, I love real estate. I put a piece of me into each project.BRANDY LANE PORTFOLIO• The Davies, Toronto• The Station, Toronto• Village Mews, Toronto• Wyldewood Cove, CollingwoodBrandyLaneHomes.comBrandyLaneHomes.com/blog/