[Halifax] The Roy (1650 Granville) | 71 M | 22 FL | Completed

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

But yeah, I think there's a tipping point between when the draw of a downtown from things like prestige, excitement and convenience starts to outweigh the concept of value for money as measured in terms of space (both indoor and outdoor). It would be nice to think we're there already, but I'd say even Toronto and Vancouver have only recently arrived.

It's fairly easy to support mid-range condos, because even if there's only interest from a small percentage of those who can afford them, the mid-range market is large enough that a small percentage is still significant. Much less so for the high end market. But I suppose if it's only a few condos they might just pull it off.

Yes, I'd be interested in the percentage of high-end units such as this in the building. I can't imagine that they would be putting all their eggs in that basket...

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by halifaxboyns

I asked for a price on the 3 bedroom units out of curiosity - the 3 bedroom 'bridge' suites (which are on the upper floors) are 1.389 million $.

I wandered into the sales centre out of curiosity, asked about two bedroom units... on the ninth floor, couple of 2BRs I was shown were in the $500k range. Sizes were decent, and while not comparable to my house in terms of square footage, the finishes are definitely some of the nicest I've seen anywhere. Cost/sf is pretty high... and condo fees on top make it not really realistic for me at this point (if I were able to leverage enough value out of selling my house, I might consider it, but I'd need a hefty downpayment in order to make the condo fees palatable - car elevator or not).

One thing that was particularly impressive for me - after the perceived level of finishes selected - was the size of balcony. 10'x20' is a really nice size.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by eastcoastal

I wandered into the sales centre out of curiosity, asked about two bedroom units... on the ninth floor, couple of 2BRs I was shown were in the $500k range. Sizes were decent, and while not comparable to my house in terms of square footage, the finishes are definitely some of the nicest I've seen anywhere. Cost/sf is pretty high... and condo fees on top make it not really realistic for me at this point (if I were able to leverage enough value out of selling my house, I might consider it, but I'd need a hefty downpayment in order to make the condo fees palatable - car elevator or not).

One thing that was particularly impressive for me - after the perceived level of finishes selected - was the size of balcony. 10'x20' is a really nice size.

That actually sounds really attractive. A little on the pricey side still, but then it is a luxury condo with a lot of amenities onsite. That deck size is comparable to many detached homes and would be large enough to put some good sized furniture on to host a party, for example.

[Hali87]

Originally Posted by halifaxboyns

I figured something like one I saw in Calgary - around 850k; but when I saw two comas I fell off my chair. Event the stuff in East Village that I'm looking at to buy (here in Calgary) isn't that expensive on the lower floors. Granted; this is 3 bedroom.

This is on the upper floors of what could plausibly call itself the nicest residential building built in the city this century, with ocean views. Is it really hard to believe that it would be more expensive than a run-of-the-mill lower-floor condo in a neighbourhood that only sort of exists as such at this time?

(genuinely surprised, I get that Calgary is "richer" but I thought condo prices etc. would be comparable to here, especially when comparing the East Village to the heart of Downtown.)

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by Hali87

This is on the upper floors of what could plausibly call itself the nicest residential building built in the city this century, with ocean views. Is it really hard to believe that it would be more expensive than a run-of-the-mill lower-floor condo in a neighbourhood that only sort of exists as such at this time?

I was kinda gonna say something like that, but you said it better. The Roy is literally a "city at your doorstep" kind of building, while Calgary's East Village is still a sort of unproven, under-construction district of condos, social services, and parking lots peripheral to downtown.

I don't think there's a huge market for Roy-esque condos here, and with this one building Starfish may have cornered it, but I think the city's urban regeneration has come far enough that there may indeed be a few well-off folks locally who'd rather live in a fancy condo with a big-shot view and first-class amenities, rather than live in a big house somewhere on the Arm or in the deep South End or wherever.

[curnhalio]

Originally Posted by Drybrain

I don't think there's a huge market for Roy-esque condos here, and with this one building Starfish may have cornered it, but I think the city's urban regeneration has come far enough that there may indeed be a few well-off folks locally who'd rather live in a fancy condo with a big-shot view and first-class amenities, rather than live in a big house somewhere on the Arm or in the deep South End or wherever.

Which begs the question, who is buying those big homes, that now routinely ask for $1M+?

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by curnhalio

Which begs the question, who is buying those big homes, that now routinely ask for $1M+?

Mostly middle-aged people with existing equity, I guess. There are clearly enough well-off people in the city to support the market, because the values stay that high and the houses turn over.

It doesn't seem that ridiculous to me, but that might be because I moved here from a city where a rundown rowhouse costs a million dollars.

[Hali87]

There could also be a high proportion of these $1M+ homes being bought by people from outside HRM.

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by Hali87

There could also be a high proportion of these $1M+ homes being bought by people from outside HRM.

For what purpose?

[Hali87]

Because they're moderately wealthy and want to live here?

I don't know.

[Nouvellecosse]

Oh people moving here. I thought you meant people who planned on owning in absentia.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by Hali87

Because they're moderately wealthy and want to live here?

I don't know.

If that building turns out to be as nice as it's sounding, I can see a wealthy person purchasing one of the expensive condos in order to have a personal space to stay when visiting Halifax. It happens a lot, actually, and makes sense in that they don't have to worry about maintaining it when they are away. Turn the key and go.

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

That actually sounds really attractive. A little on the pricey side still, but then it is a luxury condo with a lot of amenities onsite. That deck size is comparable to many detached homes and would be large enough to put some good sized furniture on to host a party, for example.

The size of the deck was very nice - they had set it up with a large dining table and chairs and there was still plenty of room to move around.

I haven't done an exhaustive comparison of other condos, but it strikes me as one of the nicest that I've paid attention to.

[Jonovision]

[someone123]

It's 2 floors above Barrington now. This picture gives an impression of what its scale will be like at street level. Promising so far:


https://twitter.com/TheRoyHalifax/media

I'm interested to see what this feels like compared to the old Roy. Hopefully the character of the old building will come through a bit. I am not sure what they saved from the old building or what they plan to reconstruct. It would be nice if they at least have the old stonework from around the main entrance.

I wonder if we'll ever see a Barrington Espace type redevelopment of the Colwell, Buckley, and Johnson buildings in the middle of the block.

[counterfactual]

You'd think with the Roy and Maple going up, the NFB developers would be racing to get their more simple work done to get their units on the market first.

Instead, they are proceeding at a glacial pace. Defies logic.

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by someone123

I am not sure what they saved from the old building or what they plan to reconstruct. It would be nice if they at least have the old stonework from around the main entrance.

I recalled this old post by ns_kid:

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=6672137&postcount=545

I watched for awhile today while workers continued their assault on the bottom two floors of the Roy Building. I couldn't help but notice that there was no apparent attempt to salvage any materials, including the ground level stone.

[Jonovision]

[Ziobrop]

[Keith P.]

I wonder if the Vogue Optical sign on the rear of that building will be covered for 100 years or so?