Gibson School Lofts | ?m | 4 fl | Proposed

[thomax]

Website: gibsonlofts.com


Source


Source

Info:
- A Stinson Developments Inc. project
- Restoration of the century-old Gibson School (built in 1914)
- Addition of a fourth floor
- Conversion of the school to residential & commercial space
- Located at 601 Barton Street East

Prices:
- Studios from $129,900
- One bedrooms from $149,900
- Two & three bedrooms from $249,900
- Penthouses from $299, 900
- Townhouses from $299,900


Source

[FRM]

crappy website design, doesn't even show the address anywhere :S
another stinson project...hope this is faster...wish it was urban core, they did a great job on the project by the waterfront.

[Beedok]

So is the Grand still happening or has Stinson become obsessed with schools?

[mattgrande]

Originally Posted by Beedok

So is the Grand still happening or has Stinson become obsessed with schools?

I think the Grand died when the City told him he couldn't build up to the sidewalk, in case they ever needed to widen Main Street.

[masterwhite]

Terrible location in my opinion

[Berklon]

Well the school is where it is... can't do anything about that.
It's good to see that it's being renovated and used for something instead of it being torn down.

But yea, not exactly the area I'd choose to live.
Even though the prices are lower than the Stinson School (much lower in some cases), I suspect it'll be an even tougher sell simply due to the location.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

Re location

There were similar sentiments regarding James N only ten years ago - now look it at. A lot of people are already priced out of the area and are focusing their attention on Barton. Some feel it's at the tipping point.

[CaptainKirk]

Originally Posted by masterwhite

Terrible location in my opinion

I think that's the whole point.

In spite of all the criticism, I think Harry should be lauded for his balls and dedication.

[fizzle]

About 20% overpriced I'd think?

Harry, buy a Macbook and you can make a nicer site in freaking iWeb.

[interr0bangr]

Really excited for this one as I live in the area. Hopefully dogs will be allowed in the building so the Birch St. park gets some more traffic...there's never any other dogs there when I go!

Also, Barton will rise from the ashes in the coming years. Book it.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

^Yeah, I think it's worth a gamble.

[king10]

i have the utmost respect for Harry. Sure he has had his fair share of failed projects but you can't say its from lack of effort. Imagine if we had 5 or 10 more developers like him in the city. I think Hamilton is lucky to have him.

[thistleclub]

The Barton turnaround has been a long time coming and while there is obviously fresh interest, it's a different creature from James North. (Though if memory serves, there was actually a push in the '90s to populate Barton with artists as part of a revitalization strategy.)

King & James to LIUNA Station (1km, ~7 blocks, a third of which is JS/CC) is about a quarter of the distance from James to Ottawa (4.3km, ~50 blocks), and there isn't the easy proximity to a commercial/employment core or complementary retail/dining streets (eg. King William). With enough residential/employment intensification, however, that ceases to be a consideration.

Loads of potential as long as people take the long view.

[Berklon]

The problem with this approach (not that they have much choice anyway) is that the development is happening in isolated spots. The Gibson condo will be nice, but around it will still feel slumish.

What needs to be done is developing along Barton starting at James North and working your way down. This way the newly developed area on Barton will always be next to an already developed/up-and-coming area.

This project is good, but I think it may be years too early.

[Dr Awesomesauce]

It's true - both Barton's length and its distance from the core are certainly big issues. With some luck, we may see small vibrant clusters develop over time.

In the past, of course, Barton's success was due its proximity to the adjacent heavy industry and the beautiful leafy neighbourhoods primarily south of King.

Times have changed.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by Berklon

The problem with this approach (not that they have much choice anyway) is that the development is happening in isolated spots. The Gibson condo will be nice, but around it will still feel slumish.

What needs to be done is developing along Barton starting at James North and working your way down. This way the newly developed area on Barton will always be next to an already developed/up-and-coming area.

This project is good, but I think it may be years too early.

By the time Harry gets to completion it may be perfect timing. (I do appreciate what he's doing in the city though, and wish there were a few more like him)

I see what you're saying - but I think that would require more intervention by the city to direct development to particular blocks, and I'd rather see them just maintain the right conditions to support private investment and let it happen more organically. A few strategic investments wouldn't hurt though.

With such a long stretch, I feel like improvements at points all along might better bring more of the street condition up at the same pace. Whether it would take longer or not overall, who knows, but it might improve perceptions of most of those blocks instead of just a few at a time (and it might result in a great mix of land uses)

I'm eager to see plans for the new soccer fields near Gage, and it seems like development of new medical buildings around the General has become a fairly regular occurrence. There's been some private investment in industry going on too - the new business park getting under way between Victoria and Wentworth, and the re-use of the Siemens plant at Sanford (I seem to recall interest in finally doing something with the Westinghouse office building that has sat vacant far too long). Some of that isn't right on Barton St., but it's the closest commercial strip and more employment down there again should benefit the street. These all mean some improvement is happening at various points along the corridor, and hopefully in time the dots can be connected with more.

[interr0bangr]

541 is going to open soon in the area as well which I'm optimistic about, despite this fairly cringe-worthy, self important promo video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRLn7LEL0VI

[masterwhite]

In my opinion Barton st would have a chance if unpaid property taxes where collected or buildings auctioned off, all abandoned building where torn down, still functional buildings repaired. Area is full of unsafe illegal rental units and this must change.

[HillStreetBlues]

Cool. I agree that it would make a lot more sense for Barton Street improvement to march steadily east from James, but the market doesn’t always work that way. The one risk will be if one or more developers get really disheartened when a project doesn’t do as well as hoped because it was too far east. I’m sure these guys understand the scale of time it may take.

Re: pricing. What does a house cost near Barton and Wentworth? I know some people like condos because they’re not interested in doing yard work and all that, but if you want three bedrooms, I’m guessing you can do quite a bit with $250,000 or more in that area- aren’t people going to realize that they COULD live in Gibson School, or they could have their own detached, and get a General Contractor to do a whole whack of work on it for less money.

Likewise with a studio- pay $130,000, or rent a big apartment right around the corner for $700 or thereabouts.

[Northern Stroll]

Re: pricing. What does a house cost near Barton and Wentworth? I know some people like condos because they’re not interested in doing yard work and all that, but if you want three bedrooms, I’m guessing you can do quite a bit with $250,000 or more in that area- aren’t people going to realize that they COULD live in Gibson School, or they could have their own detached, and get a General Contractor to do a whole whack of work on it for less money.

One house on Minto was being sold for close to 300k. It was sold, but don't know final number.

Another on Bristol is being sold for close to 200K, but it is a semi. Good luck with that.

Another on Bristol was bought for 165K but was a dump... guy from TO bought it. Plans on living in it.

All the small bungalows on Bristol that have been sold in recent years have all gone for just below 200k.

So, prices are going up depending on condition.

You can rent.. but it gets you nothing in the end except for you paying for someone else's mortgage.

Kudos to Harry, only wish he would have done it for Sanford School.

Cheers,