2 ConEd Learning Hours
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Welcome to 268 Oakdale, where contemporary living and comfort intersect. Located alongside the old
Welland Canal walking trail and a short hike to downtown’s culture and entertainment, is a unique
building designed to meet both today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.
This 28-studio-unit apartment building is net-zero-ready, smart-technology-equipped, and fully loaded
with all the amenities in suite. Incorporated into the overall lifestyle design is multi-modal transit,
allowing residents to opt-out of owning a vehicle: a benefit for both cash flow and carbon emission
reduction. Located on a narrow parcel of orphaned land, this building inspires possibility to meet the
challenge of housing creation without sprawl.
This is a walking case study.
Learning Objectives
- Learn about infill and compact development.
- Experience a micro-apartment community.
- Develop an understanding of provincial and municipal policies and learn how public/private
relationships impact the creation of housing.
- Experience a successful implementation of a net-zero ready multi-unit building.
Activity Level: Moderately Active (Wear comfortable walking shoes. Bring your sun protection and dress
for the weather conditions.)
Drew Toth, Founder/President
Elevate Living
Drew is the founder/president of Elevate Living Inc, a Niagara-based developer and home builder
inspired by New Urbanism. Toth currently has more than $200 million in assets under management
throughout the region, and works closely with appointed and elected government officials and
municipal staff, engineers, planners, architects, and investors to oversee projects from vision to reality.
Toth actively believes in the power of real estate in solving today and tomorrow’s needs by creating
various housing forms from rental to home ownership options.
Drew currently sits on the Innovative Affordable Housing Committee at Niagara Regional Headquarters
and provides input and ideas from a private developer/builder viewpoint, believing that the private
sector is an important part of the solution to providing attainable housing. He is a member of Welland’s
Affordable Task Force, has an ongoing partnership with local Home for Good programs to build multi-
unit buildings for people in need of long-term housing, and is on the Niagara Regional Housing Board.