Frontier [2280 City Park Dr] | 64/73m | 20/24f | U/C

[Kitchissippi]

Originally Posted by waterloowarrior

Phase 2 rezoning.
http://ottwatch.ca/devapps/D02-02-18-0078

Looking at the site plan, it's hard to think of a name for the driveway loop in this development that is as boring as "Settlement Drive".

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

Looking at the site plan, it's hard to think of a name for the driveway loop in this development that is as boring as "Settlement Drive".

Well at least it wasn't Davy Crockett Drive (King of the wild Frontier)

[J.OT13]

City staff endorse 20-storey second phase of RioCan’s Blair project

OBJ Staff
February 6, 2019



The second phase of RioCan REIT and Killam REIT's east-end development is highlighted here.

Municipal staff are recommending that the city’s planning committee approve a proposed zoning change that would allow a new east-end apartment project near Blair Station, calling the transit-oriented development “good planning.”

The second phase of RioCan REIT’s 2280 City Park Dr. development – the former site of the southern portion of the Gloucester Silver City Shopping Centre – would see a 20-storey residential building added to the site next to a 23-storey tower already in progress. Future phases of the project would see three more towers fill the 7.1-acre site, ranging in heights between 16 storeys and 18 storeys.

The second phase tower, which requires a five-metre zoning amendment to allow heights up to 65 metres, would feature 208 units. When finished, the development will see 840 total residential units as well as commercial space.

RioCan sold a 50-percent stake in the Gloucester development in 2017 to Halifax’s Killam REIT, which will take over the residential project as property manager when it’s complete.

https://obj.ca/article/city-staff-endorse-20-storey-second-phase-riocans-blair-project

[Dundas]

When is the second tower going up? I can see some activity going around the bottom of the condo with a mobile office unit at the base.

[CityTech]

Leasing has started. 1 bedrooms go for $1550 and 2 bedrooms for $1950. Not bad considering its new and the building is full of amenities, but its still Gloucester. I wouldn't pay that.

[Capital Shaun]

Originally Posted by CityTech

Leasing has started. 1 bedrooms go for $1550 and 2 bedrooms for $1950. Not bad considering its new and the building is full of amenities, but its still Gloucester. I wouldn't pay that.

Ouch. You can buy a house in the area for that kind of rent money.

[Nowhere]

Already 55.5% leased. Riocan website says that phase 2 is actively under construction.

[Arcologist]

Originally Posted by CityTech

Leasing has started. 1 bedrooms go for $1550 and 2 bedrooms for $1950. Not bad considering its new and the building is full of amenities, but its still Gloucester. I wouldn't pay that.

That's still a far cry from downtown rents in new buildings. For example, my buddy rented a 2-bedroom unit in Tribeca for $2750/mo (including parking).

[CityTech]

I don't understand how or why someone would rent in a new building... If you have that kind of money to drop on rent you can easily buy something. But these buildings clearly have no problem leasing and thanks to market filtering they'll take price pressure away from older more affordable buildings, so let RioCan et al build away.

[daud]

Originally Posted by CityTech

I don't understand how or why someone would rent in a new building... If you have that kind of money to drop on rent you can easily buy something. But these buildings clearly have no problem leasing and thanks to market filtering they'll take price pressure away from older more affordable buildings, so let RioCan et al build away.

1. Students
2. Temporary residents
3. Divorcees
4. Contract workers

Lots of reasons. Some people are very transient but also middle class or affluent.

[J.OT13]

Watson and Tierney visited the site on Friday. They posted a few pictures on Twitter. The building(s) will be heated and cooled though geothermic energy. No affordable housing of course.








https://twitter.com/JimWatsonOttawa/status/1131978806909186053








https://twitter.com/TimTierney/status/1131990247133331456

[Arcologist]

I love seeing new towers going in on that site, but man that's an ugly tower!

[Multi-modal]

Originally Posted by Arcologist

I love seeing new towers going in on that site, but man that's an ugly tower!

Doesn't seem so bad to me... doesn't stand out in any way, but does it need to?

[Harley613]

I don't mind this tower at all. It looks a hell of a lot better than anything Claridge is building, and it's not a neighbourhood that demands excellence in design.

[J.OT13]

I agree with Harley. I would not be thrilled if it was downtown (though I would replace certain downtown Claridge projects for this one), but it's fine for Blair.

[J.OT13]

Anyone know why they built the first tower lower than originally proposed?

Sideline: they've started the coffered casing around the podium windows. Makes a big difference.

[J.OT13]

Killam Apartment REIT CEO Philip Fraser bullish on Ottawa market

David Sali, OBJ
August 15, 2019

Despite a rise in transit-oriented development, Ottawa remains a car city.

So while the CEO of Killam Apartment REIT, RioCan’s partner in a new multi-tower apartment complex being built near Gloucester’s Blair LRT station, says he sees a bright future for the project, he’s not ready to forecast a massive wave of similar developments just yet.

“The pickup will depend on where the car goes for the average Ottawa citizen,” says Philip Fraser, whose company owns a 50 per cent stake in the Frontier development.

“It’s not like Toronto, where you do want to ditch your car because it’s so hard to drive around that city. This city is not much ahead of Calgary or Edmonton in terms of (residents) giving up their cars. Those cities, they’re not giving them up any time soon.”

Halifax-based Killam already had a significant presence in the capital even before the 23-storey, 228-unit first phase of the Gloucester project opened in June.

Last fall, the REIT bought a new 60-suite apartment building at the corner of Greenbank Road and Craig Henry Drive for $20.7 million, boosting the number of units it owns in Ottawa to about 1,300.

Fraser says he expects Killam to continue expanding its footprint in the capital region, praising its stable, government-driven economy and steady influx of new residents that recently pushed Ottawa past the one-million population milestone.

“In this business, population growth and job growth are the two best ingredients for the multi-family (apartment) business,” he explains.

Frontier is part of a new generation of apartment buildings that feature amenities such as fitness centres, meeting rooms and even small guest suites for visitors ​– offerings that were unheard of just a couple of decades ago.

Noting the industry is in a state of “constant evolution,” Fraser says builders are simply responding to market demands. Today’s tenants, he says, want to live close to transit and have access to “collaboration rooms” where they can open their laptops and relax or do a bit of work in a social environment.

When Killam started building apartments a decade ago, theatre rooms with tiered seating were all the rage in upscale developments, Fraser recalls. Netflix and other TV and movie streaming platforms quickly put an end to that trend.

“That lasted about three or four years. You don’t do that anymore,” he says. “That whole amenity package will continue to evolve. This is what it looks like today.”

The first phase of Frontier is about 60 per cent leased so far, Fraser says, adding that’s a “very good” ratio for a newly opened building. He estimates about 70 per cent of its tenants are “young, urban” residents, with the rest empty-nesters who have sold their homes and decided to downsize.

Phase two of Frontier is already under construction, with at least two more towers and possibly a third coming down the road. Fraser says Killam might look downtown for its next property.

“It’s just a good market, period,” he says of Ottawa.

https://obj.ca/article/killam-apartment-reit-ceo-philip-fraser-bullish-ottawa-market

[hwy418]

Crane for tower 2 going up today.

[Jayday23]

Phase 2 of the Rio Can developments will be known as the " Latitude Apartments"

[Harley613]

I noticed a development application sign at Gloucester Centre today for a 30 story tower. Hopefully phase 3?