First Stadium Yards building on target for January rentals
A new community is starting to take shape just steps away from Stadium LRT Station.
Stadium Yards, the highly-anticipated transit-oriented housing and commercial development northeast of downtown, opened a show suite in its first residential building on Friday. The first building — a six-storey, 84-unit apartment complex — is expected to be complete and renting to tenants by Jan. 1. A restaurant and the second rental building, which will be six storeys and has 202 units, should be complete by spring.
Marty Pawlina, Rohit Group of Companies marketing manager, said there is already unprecedented demand. The company received more than 200 rental applications within the last month. Thirty-two tours were booked for the first day of showings on Friday, and a handful of leases had already been signed.
“We're building something that Edmonton needs ... places to connect with neighbours, places to have a variety of transportation options, and places to be close to nature with the River Valley being right there,” he said Friday.
With downtown just a quick LRT ride away, he said it's an opportunity to live a less car-dependent lifestyle and join a new community.
“(There is) this opportunity to connect and reduce urban isolation by meeting your neighbours: having a barbecue on the rooftop, being able to do rooftop yoga with the best view in the entire building. ... That's what we offer the community here, and we're also building a new community here.”
The first building appears nearly complete from the outside.
The facade is contemporary with brick at the base, and contrasting white and grey surfaces mixed with wood elements.
The top floor includes two rooftop patios with views of downtown Edmonton, and a workout space.
Inside the show suite, the finishings are clean and contemporary, with wood-grained laminate tiles on the living room and bedroom floors, and white quartz countertops with stainless-steel appliances in the kitchen. There are some surprising design elements as well, like square drains and hexagonal backsplash in the kitchen, and a white textured feature wall in the living room.
“We want to position ourselves as a unique urban development for people using transit,” Pawlina said. “Why do we have square drains? Because they're cool, and how can we make a space more welcoming and inviting, and I think higher level of competition.”
Jack's Burger Shack previously won a $125,000-contest put on by the developers to help run the commercial space between the two residential towers, but the company pulled out after the COVID-19 pandemic began. A contest runner-up has received the prize and the new operators will be announced within the next few weeks, Pawlina said.
Once complete, the massive 2.8-hectare development on the site of the former Muttart lumber yard, will have 720 units of housing and a commercial main street along Muttart Crossing.
Stadium Station is being upgraded as part of the redevelopment.
Sidewalks and multi-use paths and a new LRT crossing have been added to make it more user-friendly for transit riders and pedestrians. There is also a small park along the intersections of 85 and 84 Streets.
Brookfield Residential collaborated in the development's design, and funding was provided by the City of Edmonton and the provincial government.