General Update/Rumour thread [Urban Ottawa]

[kevinbottawa]

Originally Posted by phil235

Not sure if it would qualify as ambition or arrogance, but the site seems to suggest that Urban Capital is taking responsibility for ensuring the vibrancy the entire neighbourhood. Note to Brad Lamb: not sure that Shoppers and Starbucks quite do the trick.

The area is definitely ripe for development, but I'd like this idea more if Mr. Lamb could build buildings in more than one architectural style.

Although Lamb was a part of Central and other projects, he doesn't work with Urban Capital anymore according to an interview with Urban Toronto. Urban Capital's vision for South Central and Lamb's vision for SoBa (South on Bank) are separate (and competing), but they both seem to want to give the area a complete makeover.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by kevinbottawa

Although Lamb was a part of Central and other projects, he doesn't work with Urban Capital anymore according to an interview with Urban Toronto. Urban Capital's vision for South Central and Lamb's vision for SoBa (South on Bank) are separate (and competing), but they both seem to want to give the area a complete makeover.

That's interesting. Hopefully Urban Capital has a few more tricks up its sleeve.

[Proof Sheet]

Originally Posted by kevinbottawa

Although Lamb was a part of Central and other projects, he doesn't work with Urban Capital anymore according to an interview with Urban Toronto. Urban Capital's vision for South Central and Lamb's vision for SoBa (South on Bank) are separate (and competing), but they both seem to want to give the area a complete makeover.

I can't imagine Brad Lamb being unable to work with anybody. He seems so congenial and a real team player

[rakerman]

Here's the Bank & Flora sign


DSCF3157 by rakerman, on Flickr

South Central is not just advertising for Central 1, 2, 3 (which are pretty much all sold). It's for one or more new condo projects in the area.

[rakerman]

Starbucks in Central 1 joins Shoppers in opening.


IMG_1682 by rakerman, on Flickr

And it has tables on the street and some interest in its windows, unlike Shoppers (which does its usual spectacular job of turning away from the street, using its entire glassed frontage for an exit corridor filled with shopping carts).


IMG_1625 by rakerman, on Flickr

[Davis137]

http://www.ottawasun.com/2012/06/08/downtown-condo-projects-still-in-big-demand

Little article on the current fast pace of condo construction around the city.

[IntoTheCore]

Originally Posted by Davis137

http://www.ottawasun.com/2012/06/08/downtown-condo-projects-still-in-big-demand

Little article on the current fast pace of condo construction around the city.

I was absolutely confused by the caption of the image, as the article doesn't contain anything remotely close to an explanation:

Apartment construction, like this one at Bank and Gladstone, is almost entirely for condominiums, thanks to provincial rent controls and other government interference.

Am I missing something, or is this just the usual Sun garbage?

[McC]

I laughed at that non-sequitor, too. It's the editors having a laugh, I think.

[Chris-R]

Originally Posted by IntoTheCore

I was absolutely confused by the caption of the image, as the article doesn't contain anything remotely close to an explanation:



Am I missing something, or is this just the usual Sun garbage?

The usual Sun garbage in part. Although at one point, rent control did have deleterious effects on the rental market (it was difficult to see as much of that period also featured significant direct and indirect federal investment in rental accommodations), once inter-tenancy rent-decontrol was instituted by the Harris government, the pressure was alleviated.

This is not to say that there aren't other regulatory activities that make the business proposition of owning rental units marginal for too many:

The slow pace of evictions, for example, ensure that problem tenants drive away the good ones. As a good tenant that has been driven from a few units over the years, it's not only obnoxious to me, but the landlord then lost out on reliable, hassle-free revenue.

The property tax calculations are wonky and don't necessarily reflect the fact that, when compared to owners, renters are much less able to withstand increases in their monthly housing costs. This applies a higher proportional pressure to apartment owners.

Building codes and regulations tend to add costs that could be avoided in their absence. Accessibility requirements, fire suppression requirements, and I'm sure others that I'm not aware of all add to the costs.

Zoning challenges: the local NIMBY contingent make it difficult for any builders looking to have several units built. Cities have also practically zoned rooming houses out of existence, which means that those at the lowest income reaches have to use shelters or pay exorbitant percentages of their merger income for market housing.

In total, the risk/reward structure is messed up for rentals and while some of these regulations and miscellaneous "interferences" could stand to be relaxed, we also don't need to return to building fire traps, making is easy to kick people out for dubious reasons, or ensuring that the disabled have no chance to rent any unit (ramps and elevators cost money, yo), we're caught.

Positive government participation in the rental housing market never did recover after the cuts (and outright eliminations of programs) of the 1990s either. The CMHC [via MURB and ARM], the province, and the former Ministry of Urban Affairs were all actively involved in the rental market during the 1960s and 1970s (also why there are so many of those towers-in-the-park and towers downtown - that wasn't a free and open market building those). They also had significant support for housing cooperatives at that point. It certainly wasn't all perfect and bureaucratic decisions weren't always optimal, but we've thrown out the baby with the bathwater.

Attention was shifted once more to owner-occupied housing.

Outside of regulations, land in cities is just plain expensive. How many land sales have we seen where a condo developer pays $99/sf for a lot? Plenty. Given what stands against would-be builders of rental units, it's little wonder why the supply is constrained in most parts of the country.

[S-Man]

Everyone saw this coming - Dow Honda will be done within two years:

http://www.obj.ca/Real-Estate/Non-reside...lership-selling-land-for-redevelopment/1

That means whatever is built will be opening next to an 'every-8-minutes' rail line, probably as LRT nears completion. Cue Diane Holmes...

[kevinbottawa]

Insurer's ByWard Market real estate up for sale

Published on June 13, 2012
Peter Kovessy

The breakup of Union of Canada is leading to what's expected to be one of Ottawa's most unique real estate deals of the year.

The Ottawa-based company's assets included a 10-storey ByWard Market office building immediately adjacent to the Whiskey Bar and a development site that's currently a surface parking lot. The three properties up for sale collectively sit on 33,000 square feet of land at the corner of Dalhousie and York streets.

The assets are being sold as a portfolio, as the liquidator does not want to sell the properties as individual parcels, said David Lees, an Ottawa-based vice-president at brokerage firm Colliers International who is handling the sale. Furthermore, he added, the development lot currently provides parking for the office building.

The nature of the different assets means a would-be purchaser is expected to have an interest in both development - likely residential condominiums - and owning office space, said Mr. Lees.

"We're going to see a couple of players joining up," he said.

Mr. Lees suggested a residential developer could excavate the parking lot, creating underground parking for both future condominiums and the existing office building. A heritage overlay of the area prevents high-density developments on the York Street side, but city zoning maps appear to show that development of up to 50 metres - approximately 12 to 14 storeys - is currently permitted on the George Street side of the property.

Mr. Lees said it is unlikely the 45-year-old office building will be torn down. Much of the mechanical equipment, such as the boilers and chillers, was replaced in 2009.

He noted interest in the properties - which are coming to the market unpriced - has been "very, very strong." Mr. Lees said institutional and private investors from Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver have all inquired about the assets.

"It is a very unique opportunity. There is a retail component, an office component and a (potential) condo/multi-res (component)," he said.

"We really haven't seen an offer like that in quite some time."

Mr. Lees said bids are being accepted until June 22, with an anticipated closing date of Aug. 22.

Properties

325 Dalhousie St.

-10-storey office building

- 72,000 square feet rentable office space

- Ground-level retail

- Built: 1968



110 York St.

-Current tenant is the Whiskey Bar

-9,000 square feet over two floors



137 George St.

-Surface parking lot

-11,500 square feet



Source: BOMA Commercial Space Directory

http://www.obj.ca/Real-Estate/Non-reside...-ByWard-Market-real-estate-up-for-sale/1

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by kevinbottawa

http://www.obj.ca/Real-Estate/Non-reside...-ByWard-Market-real-estate-up-for-sale/1

Le Germain perhaps?

[gjhall]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Le Germain perhaps?

That would be a great conversion project for sure.

[Harley613]

york street entertainment has been planning to tear down Cornerstone bar and grill and build their first hotel on the site...maybe they will look into this property as well....they already own Whiskey bar on the site, so this would be as good or better a site for their hotel then cornerstone.

[McC]

Former Wally Becker garage in Hintonburg could become six-storey development: HCA

Posted by Trevor Pritchard on Friday, June 15, 2012

Hintonburg's former Ideal Motors garage is being eyed by developers who worked on the tower housing the Great Canadian Theatre Company, according to the president of the neighbourhood's community association.

Jeff Leiper recently told OpenFile Ottawa that there have been talks between the Windmill Development Group and the Hintonburg Community Association over a possible six-storey mixed-use condo building on the site of the garage, located at the intersection of Wellington Street West and Irving Avenue. Former owner Wally Becker died "a couple of years ago," and the property is now in the hands of his sons, said Leiper.

While the proposal is in the early stages—Windmill hasn't purchased the land yet— there are some intriguing ideas being considered for the former garage, which has been empty for the past few months. According to Leiper, Windmill is contemplating a 45–50 unit development with fewer parking spots than condos—a relative rarity in Ottawa development circles.

"They're assuming they're selling to people who don't own cars. That's fairly forward looking of them," said Leiper. The proposal, which would also include retail at ground level, fits within the community development plan and sets off "no alarm bells," he added.

OpenFile contacted Jonathan Westeinde, Windmill's founder, in late May about the project, but our email went unanswered. A second email sent today hasn't been answered yet, either—although if it is, we'll update our post. Windmill was involved with building The Currents, an upscale, environmentally friendly highrise at Wellington Street and Holland Avenue that houses the Great Canadian Theatre Company at street level.

According to the HCA's page on neighbourhood developments, there will be a public meeting if the plans are formalized. Based on this Ottawa Citizen story from a couple of years ago, the Wally Becker garage has been a part of the Hintonburg landscape since at least the early 1970s.

http://www.openfile.ca/ottawa/blog/2012/...-could-become-six-storey-development-hca

I was very surprised when the house on Irving immediately behind the Wally Baker/Ideal Motors lot was sold recently in pretty run-down shape, and it seems to have gone to someone who's fixing it up (as a single-family home), and not to the garage's owners or a developer to assemble into a bigger footprint to play with. (this lot is not that big, and has a funny shape that could make for a striking building, but that I imagine would pose some challenges for both designing and constructing a 6-storey building on the site)

Anyway, I would be thrilled to see a new mid-rise in Hintonburg (the first on new one on Wellington*!). I believe that all of the adjoining and nearly-vacant lots facing this one from the north side of Wellington St are owned by the same person/family, and these have the plus of being much deeper lots than Wally Baker; a Windmill Wally Baker project would help to quickly ripen these lots for fine developments of the same scale, IMO.

Funny/ironic for me to read that Windmill would be targeting car-free buyers, because I always imagined that if I was building on this lot, I would pay tribute to the automotive history of the street and give it a 1950s auto racing theme: it would be called "1000 Wellington" with the type used for the thousand number "borrowing" from the Audi logo, mod artwork and furniture in the lobby and hallways would evoke 1950s European racers, etc. It's ironic, because I try to live relatively car-free. ;-)



*I think that the Currents is too tall and the one at Wellington-Sherbrooke is too short to count.

[J.OT13]

Apparently the City of Ottawa is expropriating part of Arnon's site near the Carling
O-Train station for train yards (I guess for the Carling Streetcar).

Either above, at grade or underground.

The fact that they're building it on that end of the line where we have prime land considered by some to be "downtown", right next to the main rapid transit line is somewhat questinanable. We have plenty of decrepit buildings/parking lots along Carling for rail yards.

That being said, if it has to be at that site, I would like to see the city work with Arnon to integrate the rail yards in a new development’s basement (or something Montrealesk).


Look for 855 Carling under land plans;

http://www.obj.ca/Real%20Estate/2012-06-26/article-3017435/Big-Italy/1

[McC]

I would have opted for this spot I think (the Potemkin warehouse was recently demolished, exposing the parking lot behind)
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=carling+a...a&t=h&z=17&panoid=UXbgIH8LSsVepckE-4DTYQ

[Dado]

I think this is about securing enough land for a decent radius connection between Carling and the O-Train corridor. The City probably doesn't want to have to depend on getting NCC land across the road...

The stuff about the maintenance yard seems out to lunch, unless what is meant is to access the main LRT line at Bayview which will have access to the yard on Belfast. There really isn't enough room for a maintenance yard anywhere nearby other than at Bayview itself.

[gjhall]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Apparently the City of Ottawa is expropriating part of Arnon's site near the Carling
O-Train station for train yards (I guess for the Carling Streetcar).

Either above, at grade or underground.

The fact that they're building it on that end of the line where we have prime land considered by some to be "downtown", right next to the main rapid transit line is somewhat questinanable. We have plenty of decrepit buildings/parking lots along Carling for rail yards.

That being said, if it has to be at that site, I would like to see the city work with Arnon to integrate the rail yards in a new development’s basement (or something Montrealesk).


Look for 855 Carling under land plans;

http://www.obj.ca/Real%20Estate/2012-06-26/article-3017435/Big-Italy/1

The article is poorly worded, but indeed it means only the turning radius in order to get a train onto the O-Train tracks to be sent to the Belfast yard.

[waterloowarrior]

see http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=5645118&postcount=39