Choice Properties Strives Toward Accessibility Across Portfolio, Certifying 12 Sites
With over 700 properties across Canada, Choice Properties is one of Canada’s largest landlords and long-term owner of real estate. Working to create spaces that are accessible for all is not an easy challenge with a portfolio of this size, but that hasn't stopped Choice Properties from undertaking the journey.
“By collaborating with accessibility consultants and advocacy groups, we believe we can design spaces that better serve the diverse needs of our residents at all stages of their lives, and our commercial tenants and their broad customer base,” Claudia Nemi, Vice President, National Property Management said.
In an effort to improve accessibility in the real estate space, Choice Properties became a founding member of the Accelerating Accessibility Coalition (AAC) - a first of its kind community of real-estate development and accessibility leaders that aims to create a more accessible Canada.
“The AAC will help bring the voices of Canadians living with disabilities to the forefront of shaping our built environment. We are eager to learn from and exchange ideas with other organizations in our industry who share our values of diversity, equity and inclusion,” Amy Chan, Vice President, Building Performance Design noted. “We look forward to leveraging the expertise of AAC members to evaluate and apply universal design concepts that support inclusion of people of all abilities in our retail and residential properties.”
Assessing Buildings For Accessibility
Through the AAC, Choice Properties was introduced to the Rick Hansen Foundation. With this relationship, Choice Properties learned of the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility CertificationTM (RHFAC), a national rating system that measures and certifies the level of meaningful access of buildings and sites.
“We strive for ESG leadership and view the RHFAC as a transformative initiative that raises critical awareness about accessibility,” Amy said. “The RHFAC also provides a clear, consistent methodology for evaluating the degree to which environments are inclusive looking beyond building code. We believe that this standardized, ambitious benchmark enables the real estate industry to move the conception of barrier-free environments into reality.”
Working with RHFAC Professionals Colin McCarthy, Choice Properties was able to rate and certify 29 retail and office properties last year. One of their sites, the pre-construction project of Mount Pleasant Village in Brampton, ON, achieved RHFAC Gold.
“It’s been a wonderful learning experience for us,” Claudia said. “We were able to leverage their expertise and a defined set of criteria to clearly understand how we could enhance accessibility at these sites and throughout our portfolio as a whole. The collaboration with RHFAC professionals, many of whom with lived experiences, increases the integrity of our accessibility efforts and makes this mission more personal for our colleagues.”
By assessing many sites, Choice Properties had the unique opportunity to compare their buildings and identify commonalities and differences where upgrades could be made to more than one site, improving access more rapidly.
The organization identified a few common elements that would improve access at multiple sites, including signage for accessible entrances, and painted floor lines to note changes in elevation as well as accessible parking aisles to make entering and exiting personal vehicles easier and safer.
Continuing the Accessibility Journey
According to Choice Properties, open-air commercial retail centers make up the majority of the building holdings. They would like to address access specifically in these spaces.
“Currently as a landlord, we have influence over the design of any common areas but very little over the tenanted space. Over the next few years, we plan on more meaningfully engaging with our retail tenants to emphasize our commitment to accessibility and to connect them with the Rick Hansen Foundation with the hopes that they will join us,” Choice Properties said. “We believe that creating a more welcoming environment will enhance the experience of their customers and broaden their clientele at their brick-and-mortar stores, creating value for their business. We will also continue to complete third-party accessibility evaluations for our retail properties and implement improvements.”
With such a diverse portfolio, accessibility cannot be a one size fits all approach. Creating spaces where residents, visitors, guests and tenants can thrive is important to the organization. Choice Properties is making great strides in improving access for all across the wide array of spaces.
“At Choice Properties, embracing accessibility isn't about compliance—it’s about building vibrant, inclusive environments where people of all ages and abilities can flourish. Accessibility is integral to our purpose of creating Places where People Thrive; and enhancing how our communities come together to live, work and connect,” Orit Sarfaty, Vice President, Sustainability and Placemaking said. “By prioritizing accessibility, we believe we can become catalysts for positive change, break down barriers, and foster a sense of belonging in the neighbourhoods where we operate. We have a longstanding commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and we want our portfolio to reflect these values.”
