NO DOUBTS IN THE MIND OF THIS BUYER
Affordability, lifestyle among key attractions at Regatta Auburn Bay
The land where Brookfield Residential’s Regatta condos would one day be built in Auburn Bay was just a pile of dirt when Stan Bradbury knocked on the door of the sales office.
The 73-year-old widower was determined to find a new home in the community, close to his only son and two grandsons. When he learned that Brookfield was preparing to launch a three-building multi-family development across from the shopping centre in Auburn Bay, he wanted to be first in line.
“I walked in and said, when this building is released, you call me. I want a top floor unit on the northwest corner,” he recalls. “There was no doubt about being anywhere else, regardless of what size the place was.”
The wraparound deck on that corner unit offered views of the city and mountains. It was Bradbury’s primary reason to nab that unit on the fourth and uppermost floor. Fortunately for him, the unit in that corner was one of the Regatta’s larger floor plans; the spacious 934-square-foot Rideau with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a huge kitchen with a starting price of $266,900 including GST.
Next to the view and the deck, Bradbury is happy with the condo’s layout and the kitchen.
“It’s a galley-type kitchen. The counter with the sink in the middle is long enough for four bar stools. There’s full cabinetry — really extensive,” he says.
Bradbury took his time moving into the condo, setting up bookshelves and planning this new phase of his life. The second bedroom, so far, is designated as the “utility room.”
“It’s my TV room with my two recliners, my exercise bike and soon, a small desk and chair. It’s got a window overlooking the mountains. What more do you want?” he asks, rhetorically.
On the wall of the second bedroom are eight paintings that Bradbury brought with him when he and his wife moved from Eastern Canada to Calgary in 1996. The series depict the waterfalls and lakes of the Rideau Canal, which connects Bradbury’s hometown of Ottawa with Kingston on Lake Ontario.
“It didn’t factor into my decision to purchase something called the Rideau. Just very coincidental,” he says.
The view, the location close to family and amenities like walking paths and the soon-to-open Brookfield Residential YMCA at Seton are fantastic perks, easing the pain of downsizing from a 2,600-square-foot walk-out bungalow on a golf course that he once shared with his wife.
His group of golf buddies live in the south end of Calgary, and he is looking forward to connecting with a seniors’ community.
“I hear there are some walking clubs down here and with Mahogany across the way and all the development, there’s got to be a lot of activity for seniors,” he says. “I’m still navigating. I don’t see myself living alone forever — I’m looking for a partner — but I see myself as being autonomous in lifestyle. Part of that is having a condo so I can lock the door and leave. This winter, I’ll go away for two or three weeks.”
Brookfield’s marketing manager says there are still some “pretty great opportunities” in Regatta.
“Building 1 is under construction, and Buildings 2 and 3 are complete. We still have another year to 18 months of sales to go,” says Justin Castelino.
There are nine floor plans at Regatta, from 544-square-foot, onebedroom units to 1,010-squarefoot, two-bedroom units, some with wrap-around decks like Bradbury’s.
Prices start at $159,900 and include titled underground parking.
“The Regatta is about affordability. To be able to get into a very spacious condo at that price point is a great opportunity for people entering the housing market or for people looking at a right-sized home,” Castelino says.
Many buyers are coming from other neighbourhoods in the southeast who have been renting or searching for a smaller home in familiar surroundings.
Castelino says Brookfield made sure the kitchens were well-appointed with quartz countertops.
“Whether you’re in a smaller unit or a larger one, the kitchens are spacious,” he says.
Several floor plans offer an optional den/technology space, one, 1 1/2 or two bathrooms, with one floor plan that incorporates a barrier-free bathroom.
The Regatta has a bocce ball court and dog wash on site, with a community green space on the southwest corner of the complex with beautiful landscaping and benches.
The location off 52nd Street S.E. has been a winning one for Brookfield, close to a future LRT line and across the street from Auburn Station with a four-season lake a “short bike ride” down the street.
“Auburn Bay is built out. What you see is what you get — construction is wrapping up and you’re moving into a community that’s virtually complete. There are a handful of estate homes still being built, other than that it’s us and another builder doing condos,” Castelino says.
There are two show suites at the Regatta, with several completed quick possession units for people to walk through.