Industry Profile: GP Di Rocco of Edilcan
By on Mar 08, 2011
Recently, the Team at NewInHomes.com was invited out to meet GP Di Rocco of Edlican, where we discussed their background, One Valhalla and more.
GP Di Rocco: “The Hotel is coming down and we are making way for phase 1, which will be the tower and all the townhouses, its an exciting time”
GP Di Rocco: "Edilcan has been in business for over 30 years, previous to that my father started the company in the contracting and building industry. The First building we built was in the late 60's, and since then we have build over 10,000 units at the very least.
My dad despises the term developer, he feels it has a negative connotation to it. We are builders, we are in the business because we excel at the construction side of things.
GP Di Rocco : We have built office buildings, we have built water treatment plans, we have built the Poweraide Centre in Brampton, so we are very well diversified. However, high end Residential is our bread and butter.
"When the opportunity arose at One Valhalla we thought, what a great way to capitalize on the location and brand. There already is a street named Valhalla so everyone knows where it is. We knew we had to do something iconic, we are going to replace an old landmark with a new landmark.
GP Di Rocco: We considered four towers, but in the end we decided the townhouses would add an interesting mix and crease a lot of activity. We feel it will have a real sense of community, and it will really liven up the area. The Townhouses have been so successful that they have been sold out already.
GP Di Rocco: "We are close to everything, because of that reason we also have a shuttle service for those who maybe do not want to use the car. The Shuttle service will be meant for convince, it will be at Kipling Go station, it will be at Sherway Gardens, it will be at Cloverdale mall. Its great because we are so central to everything.
"There is no question that people are embracing the condo lifestyle, both from the idea of living in a condo and appreciating the amenities that are offered. Because of that you may not need as big of a space because you do not need to entertain inside your space. Now with a project like ours -which we think of as a resort- you have at least three amenities rooms that you can entertain in. They have all these spaces that they can entertain in. If its a good mix it does not cost a lot"
GP Di Rocco: "I think Condos are the future. We cannot build out anymore and out only alternative is to build up. I think the task is who can come up with the most creative look and avoid a cookie cutter look"
GP Di Rocco: "We just wanted to do something that was different and creative. We did the ground breaking in the middle of winter, so at 6 at night it is already dark. We are use to doing these grand openings in summer and in the spring that we cannot take advantage of those things. The thought was lets do something interesting and imaginative, and I think we did.”
"We are working on a few things in Etobicoke which are a little premature to talk about just now. We like the area because we think we can bring a lot of value. The Downtown is certainly a great place to live as well, so we have a few things that we are working on there as well. I like the idea of bringing value, it makes sense for people who need the housing, and this is an untapped area.
NewInHomes.com thanks GP Di Rocco and the Team at Edilcan for inviting us out to One Valhalla to learn about the development, and their corporate background.
