Saskatoon | River Landing Village | 88m-63m-50m-55m | 18-20-17-13 floors | Completed

[mitchellk12]

Originally Posted by saskatoonborn

Now all we need is a second major development nearby to raise a tower high enough to have this view. Dare to dream forum goers, dare to dream.

Stunning.

Id always wanted parcel D/E to be a high tower...even as high from a view like this.

[Dillweed]

Originally Posted by Brutopian

River Landing condo development sells out in 4 days
Developer calls response 'overwhelming'



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Read more:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/river-landing-condo-development-1.3860751[/SIZE][/FONT]

Sold out huh! Thats interesting because I don't hear of that many condo's being sold in such a short time even here in Vancouver and we're supposed to be going through a housing boom. This development being downtown I would guess, would be a primary sales driver. Safe to say I think that location, location, location is at play here. It's a growing trend everywhere you go, people want to be downtown. "The Banks" development sold out fairly quickly did it not, but no where near this fast?

You guys may or may not have heard that BC recently implemented a foreign buyers tax. Politics aside, is primarily aimed at reducing foreign demand (mainly from China) to give locals a better shot at the housing market. It's all hogwash in my view and nothing more than optics because we have an election coming up soon here. But that's a discussion for another time and place.

I have to wonder aloud if BC's foreign buyers tax and Toronto talking about doing something similar is beginning to drive foreign buyers to other parts of Canada. I wonder if there were a significant amount of foreign buyers into this development. Any opinions?

I realize there's a lot more to it than just saying "Ok let's add a few more stories here". I think if they sold out that fast and have a waiting list it's something that Victory Majors should be applying to the city to do. On the whole I think it's a great development for Saskatoon and get them shovels in the ground!

[Crisis]

Originally Posted by Dillweed

"The Banks" development sold out fairly quickly did it not, but no where near this fast?

According to their website, The Banks is "over 60% sold".

http://www.thebanks.ca/

Maybe it's just me, but I have the impression that The Banks' units haven't been moving very fast recently. Possibly some potential buyers were waiting for the River Landing units and may now look back to The Banks again.

[saskatoonborn]

The banks has sooooo many small little units. I dont think there is that much of a demand for those. Maybe if transit was better or if it was closer to the university you may get more demand from people who want to rent to students.

There are 30 more units jammed into the banks than at No1 RL but there are more floors dedicated to condos at river landing, 12 at the banks vs 14 or 15 at No1RL. That was the Banks biggest mistake probably. If they had fewer condos with more space they would probably be sold out by now too.

[EarlyByrdProductions]

Wow. Those renderings are quite spectacular indeed.
I don't mind the current height either. The glory of Saskatoon is that there's always ample sunlight downtown through the entire day, not masked by huge buildings. Not that were close to that but it's also nice our downtown is faily leveled sized and we don't have one sore thumb development sticking out like Montparnasse in Paris or something.

Some advice I've heard for the most effective way to build a downtown is to layer it so buildings closest to the ocean/river views are a bit shorter and they get taller the further you get into downtown. Ample views for everyone, the landscape as well as the buildings and downtown.

Either way, excited for these developments, high density downtown and some glass and modernity to grace Saskatoon.

[prairieguy]

What is the story on the ALT Hotel? It was my impression it was to built at the same time as condo tower....is that not the case?

[mitchellk12]

Originally Posted by prairieguy

What is the story on the ALT Hotel? It was my impression it was to built at the same time as condo tower....is that not the case?

I thought it was supposed to be going at the same time...but be completed by 2018...

[Echoes]

The hotel and condo are being constructed at once.

[prairieguy]

Ok....relieved to hear that, but it seems strange that with all the press that No1 Riverlanding has received, there has been no mention of the Alt hotel lately. Hope you sources are accurate, but as the buildings look like they are likely to be connected I cannot imagine that construction would not occur at the same time.

[SaskE30]

Originally Posted by prairieguy

Ok....relieved to hear that, but it seems strange that with all the press that No1 Riverlanding has received, there has been no mention of the Alt hotel lately. Hope you sources are accurate, but as the buildings look like they are likely to be connected I cannot imagine that construction would not occur at the same time.

Both the condo and the Hotel share a common underground parkade structure which is currently under construction; however, the design team and potentially the general contractors will be different for each tower.

[prairieguy]

Originally Posted by saskatoonborn

That was the Banks biggest mistake probably. If they had fewer condos with more space they would probably be sold out by now too.

I absolutely agree. In fact, when The Banks was being constructed and the sales office just opened, the sales agents mentioned to my wife and I that they had to "fight hard" to convince the developer not to have MORE small units (as is the custom in BC/Vancouver). They said they tried to convince him that the prairie mentality is still about space and that he needed to cut back the small units and increase the larger ones.

As it is now, you are correct in saying they still could have used larger units to bump up sales. When we were looking, we wanted something at least 1200 sq feet....only option at The BANKS were the 1300sq ft townhouses (which have condo apartments above them, which kind of defeats the purpose of looking at a townhouse). So, there was nothing that met our personal preference.

I still think The Banks is a fantastic development for downtown/Riversdale, but it may have just missed the mark a bit in understanding the Saskatoon market.

Now the city needs to jump on selling land between Farmers Market and Sid Buckwold Bridge, so a developer can get some shovels in the ground for another condo tower (maybe Urban Capital will want to build a 2nd tower right away to accommodate their waiting list!)

[mitchellk12]

Originally Posted by prairieguy

I absolutely agree. In fact, when The Banks was being constructed and the sales office just opened, the sales agents mentioned to my wife and I that they had to "fight hard" to convince the developer not to have MORE small units (as is the custom in BC/Vancouver). They said they tried to convince him that the prairie mentality is still about space and that he needed to cut back the small units and increase the larger ones.

As it is now, you are correct in saying they still could have used larger units to bump up sales. When we were looking, we wanted something at least 1200 sq feet....only option at The BANKS were the 1300sq ft townhouses (which have condo apartments above them, which kind of defeats the purpose of looking at a townhouse). So, there was nothing that met our personal preference.

I still think The Banks is a fantastic development for downtown/Riversdale, but it may have just missed the mark a bit in understanding the Saskatoon market.

Now the city needs to jump on selling land between Farmers Market and Sid Buckwold Bridge, so a developer can get some shovels in the ground for another condo tower (maybe Urban Capital will want to build a 2nd tower right away to accommodate their waiting list!)

i think parcel BB and D/E will be sold before the site actually says so. i cant see those parcels being empty for that long. I have a strong feeling some companies have hit the drawing board for our next condo tower with the fast sellout of No1.

If i were any developer, after watching urban capitals sales, i wouldnt wait at all to secure a spot along the river landing for the remaining parcels anyways.

[SaskScraper]

Originally Posted by saskatoonborn

The banks has sooooo many small little units. I dont think there is that much of a demand for those. Maybe if transit was better or if it was closer to the university you may get more demand from people who want to rent to students.

There are 30 more units jammed into the banks than at No1 RL but there are more floors dedicated to condos at river landing, 12 at the banks vs 14 or 15 at No1RL. That was the Banks biggest mistake probably. If they had fewer condos with more space they would probably be sold out by now too.

..That and I think the Banks got it wrong having units on four floors or less and some units fronting onto each other, you can get that in the suburbs for cheap. The entire reason Riverlanding No1 sold out in record time was because of the river views, period. not because it is a whole two blocks down 19th St from The Banks but because 90% of the units have amazing non obstructed river views. There hasn't been a highrise built downtown in over a decade!!!
Had the Banks been five times taller and optimized on it's vantage point by river instead of squeezing in units in small floor plate in low rise building, it would have sold out too. The reason the plots of land at top of University & Broadway bridges will never sell/develop & never contribute to city tax base is that those parcels of land are slated for low rise development. Hopefully the rest of parcels of land at Riverlanding optimize on the views on the river they bank.

[prairieguy]

I personally would not want to see a tower on the top of the Broadway Bridge site...perhaps an 8-12 would be ok, but I think the aesthetic of Broadway and the existing buildings there are more in line with a lower height building. I quite like the 'green roof' building that exists just south of the top of the bridge.

[SaskScraper]

and then people wonder why hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on commuter bridges and using expensive tunnel boring machines for extensions to Saskatoon's massive urban sprawl but at least don't have pesky highrises doting the skyline.

http://trenchlessonline.com/tbms-dig-saskatoon-continues-canadas-fastest-growing-city/

[prairieguy]

Don't get me wrong, I am absolutely against urban sprawl!!! Our investment in some of these new neighborhoods in the east and the cost to ALL of us for the infrastructure and subsequent service makes me burn!

But I believe there are more then enough empty lots available in our downtown core (or north downtown) to accommodate multiple condo skyscrapers. We just need some developers to bite the bullet and build!

I also support that new builds in character neighborhoods like Broadway should be sympathetic to the design elements that already exist there.

I think we are on the same team, SaskScraper!

[KoolKool]

i'm not sure if you tried to be humble or anything but Our Calgary has tons of this. and the Condo over there are tall and awsome. I guess you never visited Saskatoon before. This new project is 1 block away from the ghetto part of downtown . It might look Awsome on the render but once built it isn't going to be exactly like in the render.

Originally Posted by Chadillaccc

This looks friggin awesome. Would love to have this in Calgary! Y'all are lucky!

[casper]

Originally Posted by KoolKool

i'm not sure if you tried to be humble or anything but Our Calgary has tons of this. and the Condo over there are tall and awsome. I guess you never visited Saskatoon before. This new project is 1 block away from the ghetto part of downtown . It might look Awsome on the render but once built it isn't going to be exactly like in the render.

The "ghetto part of downtown" in Saskatoon is not bad when you compare it to certain areas of Vancouver or even Victoria. Saskatoon is quite a liveable city.

The river landing river front is fantastic. The landscaping is great, a lot of money has been spent making it a show piece. With the art gallery and other buildings in that area that block is a real show piece. I can see why it went so quickly.

[Echoes]

Based on some of KoolKool's previous remarks, I take it that the "ghetto part of downtown" is the Lighthouse and the Lighthouse only. I also gather that his/her metric for the worth of a city is based on the number of tall, sleek towers -- and that's it. Best to ignore.

[prairieguy]

Anyone else think Urban Capital is scrambling to try and put together a development package for another condo tower in Saskatoon? They would be crazy not to take advantage of the buzz around their sold out Riverlanding project. Apparently we need outside developers to see the potential of Saskatoon and act on it, as North Ridge just announced today they are delaying their City Centre tower project....sheesh...another brown parking lot in the centre of downtown!

I am curious to hear how many condo's that put down their deposit will back out after the 10 days cooling period... which I believe is around today?? We may never hear that reported, but I guess with their waiting list of 250, they should still be okay with a percentage of "withdrawls" from the initial frantic deposits!