Tribeca | 84.5m | 27 fl x 2 | Completed

[kwoldtimer]

With the money people are to shell out for new condos, I would hardly be ready to share the elevators with garbage! Hope these places have service elevators.

[nammo]

I'd vote for no chute. I used to be a chute person until I became an owner, then actually cared.

IMHO, I'd rather lower condo fees and get rid of the chute. Can't drop anything loose down the chute so you have to bag (seperately) paper, plastics and cans. No glass can go down the chute. Garbage bags can not be too large or else the chute clogs, which costs to unstuck. So, as an owner, I care about my fees and maintenance items so I in effect, am paying for extra cleaning, and unclogging, etc. maintenance of the chute by the people who don't care in the building (e.g the renters). My garbage room is on the main floor so we cross that every day going in and out. I carry down all my garbage and recycling.

To keep this post on topic, dropped into the sales centre today and was told they may start revamping some of the floors to remove some of the 2 bedrooms because they aren't selling as fast as the 1 bedrooms. Top floor, the 27th is all sold out. By far the most sought after unit is the Mansfield as its sold out on all floors and has a waiting list.

[jcollins]

Some of the people on here are against all the 1 bedroom units (and maybe 1+Dens?) I was just wondering why?

Because you think it will lead to more people renting them out?

[K-133]

Originally Posted by jcollins

Some of the people on here are against all the 1 bedroom units (and maybe 1+Dens?) I was just wondering why?

Because you think it will lead to more people renting them out?

I think that is the concern. The rational for that is still unclear.

More 1B in the building would definitely make that more difficult.

[AuxTown]

From The Centretown News
75 of 228 units sold so far. Hopefully the pace will pick up a little bit so we can see a crane up within the year.

Buyers pounce on future condos dwarfing Peace Tower
Friday, 26 March 2010
By Sasha Johnson

Construction hasn’t begun, but buyers are already signing the dotted line and claiming their spots in Ottawa’s largest condo project ever.

Not even a month has passed since Claridge Homes began taking deposits for units in its planned Tribeca condo, at 187 Metcalfe St., and already 75 units have been sold.

That’s about one-third of the 228 total units. It’s a significant number of buyers interested in a condo that still hasn’t yet been built, says Claridge Home's Shawn Malhotra.

The projects consists of two buildings, a third smaller and more ostentatious tower, as well as commercial, office and retail space. Claridge has proposed that the ground level commercial space be used as a daycare and grocery store, but Malhotra says nothing is finalized yet.

“There certainly is need for another grocery store downtown, but some public, cultural space should be the first priority,” says Somerset Ward Coun. Diane Holmes.

The original building plans included space for a National Portrait Gallery of Canada. The gallery would have been located on the first two floors of the building, and in exchange city council agreed to give Claridge the freedom to build to 20 and 24-storeys at the site – a height that greatly exceeds the 12-storey height restriction in the area.

The restriction is based on the rationale that buildings in the area should not be taller than the Peace Tower.

In 2008, the federal government cancelled plans for the gallery. In an appeal to the Ontatio Municipal Board, Claridge was granted permission to build the two 27-storey condominiums, in spite of the scrapped plans for the portrait gallery.

Construction is set to begin later this year or early 2011. The current parking lot between Lisgar and Nepean streets will be transformed into the 27-storey high rises when the project is finally completed.

Some problems with the height of the building remain, says Holmes.

It’s a narrow street and because the Place Bell building is located right behind the site there is potential for parking and entrance problems.

But Holmes stresses the benefits of more people moving downtown.

“It’s great that so many people want to move downtown and live downtown,” says Holmes. “They will support the retail and downtown businesses.”

Buyer interest in Claridge’s Tribeca comes down to location, says Johanna Ngoh, a real estate broker and specialist in the Ottawa condo market.

“We really don’t have enough condos downtown and that particular location. It’s not quite the Golden Triangle but it’s very close to it.”

Just a block from Elgin Street, the Centretown location is ideal for the ‘New York-inspired’ condo’s target group – young professionals. The ability to walk to work and to various downtown attractions is high on the list of priorities for many young first-time buyers.

Tribeca’s promoters believe they’ve hit that mark.

While living downtown is an attractive option, it’s an option that’s going to be directly tied to the prices of condos and mortgage rates, says Ngoh.

A spot in the Tribeca high-rise isn’t exactly cheap: $650,000 is what it will cost for the largest unit – a 1,145-square-foot penthouse. The smallest unit, a 551-square-foot studio, is the most affordable of the Tribeca units at almost a third the cost of the penthouse at $241,000.

But at least one real estate seller – and a future Tribeca condo owner – says she thinks that those prices are a steal given the good location.

“Where else in the world can you buy a condo for $300,000, six blocks from the Parliament Buildings? You couldn’t do it in Rome, you couldn’t do it in London from Downing Street, you couldn’t do it anywhere else,” says Anna Kiefl, sales representative for Royal Lepage Performance Reality.

Kiefl purchased a unit in the Tribeca condo as an investment purchase, she says.

When construction is complete in 2013 she plans to rent out her unit, one that boasts a view of Parliament.

[kmcma076]

Originally Posted by O-Town Hockey

“Where else in the world can you buy a condo for $300,000, six blocks from the Parliament Buildings? You couldn’t do it in Rome, you couldn’t do it in London from Downing Street, you couldn’t do it anywhere else,”

Are we really comparing Ottawa to Rome and London? An underground parking spot in london can sell for upwards of 200k CDN.
I believe you can purchase a very nice condo blocks away from the White House for under 300k.

[kwoldtimer]

“......Where else in the world can you buy a condo for $300,000, six blocks from the Parliament Buildings? You couldn’t do it in Rome, you couldn’t do it in London from Downing Street, you couldn’t do it anywhere else,” says Anna Kiefl, sales representative for Royal Lepage Performance Reality. ......

Even after the shock wears off, it is hard to know where to begin ...

[eemy]

Considering the Parliament Buildings (at least the ones they refer to) are located in Ottawa, the only other place in the world you could buy a condo for $300000 roughly six blocks away is possibly in Gatineau.

[Davis137]

I think it'll be great to have more buildings that are this tall, and add some more density to the southern portion of the CBD...

[waterloowarrior]

Appealed to the OMB (likely for failure to make a decision on the rezoning application within 120 days) .. the Board is going to get to know the Lisgar Street corridor quite well - that's four major projects currently under appeal.

http://www.omb.gov.on.ca/ecs/CaseDetail.aspx?n=PL100300

[waterloowarrior]

Confirmed... Claridge is the the applicant/appellant.

[waterloowarrior]

rezoning going to PEC 27 April (they will take this position to OMB hearing)

[Uhuniau]

“There certainly is need for another grocery store downtown, but some public, cultural space should be the first priority,” says Somerset Ward Coun. Diane Holmes.

Groceries? Meh. How about a freakin' HARDWARE store?

[Davis137]

Yeah, I agree, the downtown needs more stuff like hardware stores and grocery stores...

[harls]

and an Sh... no wait, I don't want to jinx it.

[Davis137]

Sh...as in Shimmering new Rexall?

[waterloowarrior]

Site plan and rezoning staff report - recommended for approval
http://www.ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa...alfe%20St..htm

It is not normal for site plans to go before Council, but local councillors sometimes lift delegated authority from staff for more controversial projects.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by waterloowarrior

Site plan and rezoning staff report - recommended for approval
http://www.ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa...alfe%20St..htm

It is not normal for site plans to go before Council, but local councillors sometimes lift delegated authority from staff for more controversial projects.

One last chance for Mme Holmes et al to grind on Claridge for their perceived sins?

[Davis137]

From what I can read from all of that stuff (and no, I didn't take the time to read all of it because it read like the same material was explained several times), it sounds like they will allow the developer to make this proposal happen, pending they meet conditions laid out by the city, and submit an ammended proposal for the site. It seems like they are going to be ok with towers of this height, they are just concerned about traffic generated by the complex, making modifications to the roadways around it at the developers expense, and the type of retail in the podium as to be beneficial to the area. Ummm, how does having a grocery store and other such ammenities a hinderance to the surrounding area?

Anyways, let's see if this can move forward, because if it does, it'll be one of the biggest projects in the city in a while, and it will be of great interest to follow the progress of on this forum!

[jcollins]

I thought the zoning was already ok for the towers, I would have guessed it would have been taken care of when they approved 2 27 floor towers.