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

[Capital Shaun]

Originally Posted by Arcologist

Why is this thread under "Suburbs"?

We're still within the Greenbelt...

Depending on who you ask, this part of town (where I live) is either a part of "Vanier" or "Orleans".

[McC]

don't forget those who say it's part of Glaow-sester or Glue-chester

[1overcosc]

Since amalgamation most people seem to have forgotten Gloucester exists. I'm 23, and many people I've met my age, even if they grew up in Ottawa, will give you a blank look if you say you're going to Gloucester.

I guess it amounts to Gloucester being somewhat pointless. At the time of amalgamation it consisted of mostly rural land with three isolated clusters of urban development in its corners: half of Orleans, and two random addons to Ottawa. Weirdest municipality ever.

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by Arcologist

Why is this thread under "Suburbs"?

We're still within the Greenbelt...

There are a lot of threads in SSP Ottawa that need cleaning up. I would love to get mod status and do it!

[waterloowarrior]

There was some discussion of this several years ago but there didn't seem to be a consensus. If we move the inner suburban projects to the main forum, we might as well only have one projects/construction forum as there aren't too many threads for developments outside the greenbelt.
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=193186

[rocketphish]

RioCan to start Silver City Gloucester redevelopment in November

Peter Kovessy, OBJ
Published on October 26, 2016

Canadian retail leasing giant RioCan plans to start demolishing a retail plaza near Highway 174 in the coming weeks to make way for a 23-storey rental apartment building next to a light-rail station.

Officials from the country’s largest real estate investment trust announced their plans for the southern portion of the shopping area nearly a year ago and provided an update at last week’s Ottawa Real Estate Forum.

Speaking on the sidelines of the conference, Stuart Craig – RioCan’s vice-president of planning and development – told OBJ the company’s plans have been slightly modified.

Portions of the retail plaza that were originally planned to be incorporated into the new development will now be demolished. The residential tower has also been reduced by seven floors and will contain 220 units, down from more than 300 in the original concept.

Mr. Craig said he’s hoping construction on the apartment tower itself will start by next March and take slightly less than three years.

The long-term plan is to construct a total of four towers as well as community amenities such as an outdoor park area. The full build-out may take up to 20 years, Mr. Craig said.

The project is part of a national effort by RioCan to redevelop more than a dozen older, mostly suburban shopping centres across the country, including Westgate and Elmvale Acres shopping centres. Retail space and parking lots are being replaced with high-rises, many of which will also include office space and shops.

Mr. Craig said the Gloucester project, which does not include the mall or the main retail anchors, was an easy target. The retailers were struggling, he said, and a light-rail station is anticipated to make the apartments desirable to prospective residents.

“The LRT station was a great catalyst,” Mr. Craig said. “I’m not sure we would have done (this Gloucester project) without the LRT.”

http://www.obj.ca/Real-Estate/2016-10-26...y-Gloucester-redevelopment-in-November/1

[Harley613]

I wonder what will happen to the two remaining tenants, Dollar Tree and Guess. I own four rental properties in this neighbourhood that have not appreciated in years, I hope new development in the area brings up property values!

[BlueJay]

[QUOTE=Harley613;7604850]I wonder what will happen to the two remaining tenants, Dollar Tree and Guess. I own four rental properties in this neighbourhood that have not appreciated in years, I hope new development in the area brings up property values![/QUOTE

Those last two tenants are gone. Dollar Tree is now on Innes & Cyrville.

[Mr.Flintstone]

They started the demolition of the strip mall.

[waterloowarrior]

RioCan REIT and Killam Apartment REIT Create a Joint Venture to Develop a Residential Community at Gloucester City Centre
http://m.marketwired.com/press-release/-2211432.htm#

TORONTO, ONTARIO and HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA--(Marketwired - April 24, 2017) -

Editors Note: There are two photos associated with this press release.

RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust ("RioCan") (TSX:REI.UN) and Killam Apartment Real Estate Investment Trust ("Killam") (TSX:KMP.UN) are pleased to announce the formation of a joint venture to develop a rental residential community at Gloucester City Centre in Ottawa, Ontario.

On April 21, 2017, Killam acquired a 50% interest in a discrete 7.1 acre development site located adjacent to RioCan's Gloucester Silver City Shopping Centre, in the east end of Ottawa. The purchase price for Killam's 50% interest is $8 million ($16 million at 100%). RioCan and Killam each own a 50% interest in the land and will participate on the same basis in the costs to develop the project. RioCan will act as the development manager, and upon completion, Killam will act as the residential property manager.

The site has zoning approval for a total of four residential towers containing up to an aggregate of 840 units. The first phase of the development will include a 217,000 square foot, 23-storey tower containing approximately 222 units. This leading edge development will maximize efficiency with the incorporation of a geothermal energy system for the building's heating and cooling. Site work has commenced and occupancy is anticipated in mid-2019. Located adjacent to RioCan's Silver City Gloucester retail centre and Ottawa's Light Rail Transit (LRT) Blair Station on the Confederation Line East, the development is easily accessible to many retail, entertainment and transit options.

"We are very pleased to partner with Killam on our first rental residential development in Ottawa. Killam's experience and management expertise in the rental residential segment will ensure the success of this development project," said Edward Sonshine, Chief Executive Officer of RioCan. "This rental residential development along the expanding Confederation LRT line is a prime example of the opportunities that RioCan has to extract additional value and cultivate new sources of cash flow from our portfolio of transit oriented urban locations."

"This joint venture is an exciting opportunity for Killam," noted Philip Fraser, Killam's President and Chief Executive Officer. "It aligns with Killam's growth strategy of developing high-quality properties and diversifying geographically, with an emphasis on next generation operating systems and building features. Partnering with RioCan provides Killam the opportunity to participate in a four-phase apartment complex located next to both modern transit and amenities, and to grow our Ontario portfolio."

"Despite recently announced expanded rent control guidelines in Ontario to include apartments built after 1991, new apartment development continues to be a sound strategy," continued Mr. Fraser. "The all-cash yield on this project is expected to be well above the return achievable in today's acquisition market. This is expected to translate into net asset value creation for Killam's unitholders upon completion of the project. In addition, with an expected net operating margin of approximately 70%, compared to 55% to 60% for many older assets, the property's exposure to increased operating costs is limited, and its long-term net operating income growth potential is enhanced. Finally, with no deferred capital, the net cash flow from the project is expected to be stable and predictable."

About RioCan

RioCan is Canada's largest real estate investment trust with a total enterprise value of approximately $14.6 billion as at December 31, 2016. RioCan owns and manages Canada's largest portfolio of shopping centres with ownership interests in a portfolio of 300 Canadian retail and mixed use properties, including 15 properties under development, containing an aggregate net leasable area of 47 million square feet. For further information, please refer to RioCan's website at www.riocan.com.

About Killam Apartment REIT

Killam Apartment REIT, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, is one of Canada's largest residential landlords, owning, operating and developing multi-family apartments and manufactured home communities. Killam's current portfolio includes $2.0 billion in real estate assets. Killam's strategy to maximize its value and long-term profitability includes concentrating on three key areas of growth: 1) increasing the earnings from its existing portfolio, 2) expanding its portfolio and diversifying geographically through accretive acquisitions, with an emphasis on newer properties, and 3) developing high-quality properties in its core markets.

[waterloowarrior]

[waterloowarrior]

Killam is also involved with Kanata Lakes (50% I believe)

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by MoreTrains

You can see its outline in the phase one drawing... And it shows to be removed or renovated in a later phase; it looks like it will either have the rear of the building clad with residences, or torn down and turned into new retail/residential.

Seems strange to get rid of a theatre that I have never seen not busy,

Sorry for replying to an old post, but the problem with Silver City is it was built with an old model targeting Baby Boomers (and to a lesser extent, Gen X) with a sprawling, single story building in the middle of a parking lot, under the assumption that everyone has a car and will drive to the theatre. In a way they were kind of arrogant in thinking that they were important enough of a destination that the youth will do whatever it takes to get to them.

The problem is the Baby Boomers are getting old and becoming less likely to see movies. From what I have seen of the Post-Millennials/Generation Z (and to a lesser extent the Millennials), they do everything online and have no desire to get a drivers license, let alone a car. If a theatre is going to have any hope of getting them out of the house, they need to make it easy to get to by an alternative mode of transportation.

There is also a desire by RioCan to increase density to improve the value of the land. They could try and build around the existing Theatre, but it is likely easier to tear it down and build a new one that fits into their new, high-density model.

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by roger1818

....with a sprawling, single story building in the middle of a parking lot, under the assumption that everyone has a car and will drive to the theatre. In a way they were kind of arrogant in thinking that they were important enough of a destination that the youth will do whatever it takes to get to them.....

It ain't pretty but I disagree you need a car to drive to the theatre or that it is in a place that is designed solely for cars. It's very easily accessible to the neighbourhood and to mass transit. I used to live in Pineview and I would walk or bike over to Silver City and it wasn't exactly hard to get to. When it was first built I would bus down there and it took only a few minutes from downtown. All in all I don't think Silver City is that poorly located or accessed.

[Catenary]

Originally Posted by Harley613

It ain't pretty but I disagree you need a car to drive to the theatre or that it is in a place that is designed solely for cars. It's very easily accessible to the neighbourhood and to mass transit. I used to live in Pineview and I would walk or bike over to Silver City and it wasn't exactly hard to get to. When it was first built I would bus down there and it took only a few minutes from downtown. All in all I don't think Silver City is that poorly located or accessed.

The access route from Blair Station isn't bad until you get out to the street. Once there, crossing to the theatre sucks, and there are no good routes across the lot to the entrance. There are also some signs that ask pedestrians coming down the wide entrance steps to please use one narrow crosswalk, which isn't aligned with the accessible ramp and doesn't have a curb cut on the far side side. In the winter, the walk is also very cold across the windswept parking lots.

[OTSkyline]

It's accessible in the sense that it is on the LRT at Blair but what I don't like about it is that transit looks very much like it was a second thought in this location.

The station drops passengers off in the far east end of the lot behind the majority of stores, restaurants and the cinemas (yes theres an entrance to Gloucester centre but I would bet the cinema, restaurants, chapters are much more of a draw than the actual "mall". It's up to everyone to march 400-500m through parking lots to get to the movie theater or whatnot for dinner and a movie. I wish the LRT would've gone more in the middle of the development (not at the edge just cuddling the 417) - oh well...

[Kitchissippi]

Originally Posted by roger1818

Sorry for replying to an old post, but the problem with Silver City is it was built with an old model targeting Baby Boomers (and to a lesser extent, Gen X) with a sprawling, single story building in the middle of a parking lot, under the assumption that everyone has a car and will drive to the theatre. In a way they were kind of arrogant in thinking that they were important enough of a destination that the youth will do whatever it takes to get to them.

I don't think your generational stereotypes are accurate or applicable to this issue. The whole car culture is really an extension of the Silent Generation lifestyle and cheap oil. To be fair, the Baby Boomers pioneered the re-urbanizing trend, moving back into inner-city neighbourhoods (like the Glebe) and bucking the suburban movement started by their parents. GenX made loft living a thing in big cities in the 1980s when Boomer YUPPIES gentrified the better urban neighbourhoods leaving them the industrial areas to renovate.

Millennial Hipsters are really just laundered and sanitized versions of the Boomer Hippies And honestly, between being head up in a car interacting with the real world, and being head down on a smartphone obsessed with a virtual one, I think we've lost something

[eltodesukane]

Originally Posted by Capital Shaun

Depending on who you ask, this part of town (where I live) is either a part of "Vanier" or "Orleans".

Canada Post still consider 'Gloucester' as a city.
Official addresses there are in Gloucester, not in Ottawa.
Just try to find the postal code for 2385 City Park Dr :
https://www.canadapost.ca/cpo/mc/personal/postalcode/fpc.jsf

[1overcosc]

^ I believe that "Ottawa" is also a valid name to put on mail to anywhere in the present city. In my job I've definitely seen letters from Kanata where the address says "Ottawa, Ontario".

[kevinbottawa]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

^ I believe that "Ottawa" is also a valid name to put on mail to anywhere in the present city. In my job I've definitely seen letters from Kanata where the address says "Ottawa, Ontario".

I use Ottawa or Vanier interchangeably when I'm mailing stuff.