Gateway: Three-storey building to have 10 units per floor
“Obviously, Mark and I are closer friends,” says Bassi. “It’s a different relationship but it’s the same relationship where he acts as the developer and I’m the builder.”
Their first project together is a 30-unit low-rise that will take over the parking lot of that rental building Farrell bought nine years ago. The two buildings will be joined to give the appearance of one cohesive project (although there will be no interior link between the two) and parking for both will move underground. It also means substantive renovations to the rental building.
“We’re proud of the creative infill,” says Farrell, noting it was clear in discussions with the community that residents wanted to see the building conform with the neighbourhood. The site is bordered by single-family homes.
“When you look at what we’ve come up with, that was the key driver of the design … it fits in well.”
The three-storey building will have 10 units per floor, most with either a terrace, balcony or solarium, in a modernist style that complements the existing building without overwhelming the neighbours.
“It’s a very challenging lot,” says architect Bob Woodman, who has also worked on projects such as Distillery Warehouse and the nearby St. Laurent Shopping Centre. The main issue was creating something that would be economically viable while dealing with the site’s many constraints. He made room for a central courtyard to soften the space between the two buildings and to provide a gateway into the development.
Layout features include some units with solariums, curved or sliding walls and several with windows on two sides. All units include contemporary kitchens, with quartz-topped islands that seat four and stainless-steel appliances, a mixture of hardwood and tile flooring and nine-foot ceilings.
“They’re going to be bright, openconcept spacious units with lots of windows,” says Farrell. “They are going to be funky, slightly modern sort of motif, but practical.”
An elevator will serve all floors, and an atrium will bring light from the courtyard to much of the common hallways. “Everybody accessing their unit will have a nice bright, glassed-in window walkway,” says Farrell.
Mostly one-bedroom units, with a smattering of two-bedrooms, they range from the 612-square-foot Glengarry ($253,400) to the two-bedroom, two-bath Georgian, which comes in at 904 square feet and $361,500.
‘They are going to be funky, slightly modern sort of motif, but practical.’
MARK FARRELL
Gateway Corp.
It’s “an entry-level product that’s high quality but priced reasonably,” says Farrell. They’re targeting both those who want to move into the area and those who want to downsize.
For buyer Jacques Dufort, being able to downsize and stay in the same area was part of the appeal. The Veterans Affairs worker, who’s in his 50s, has been living in a 2,000-square-foot freehold townhouse not far away but often feels he’s a slave to his home and is uncomfortable leaving it for any length of time.
“I’ve been looking for two years, so when my agent pointed this one out, we both knew immediately it had everything on my wish list.” That wish list includes a smaller, low-rise building to encourage a community feel, two bedrooms and bathrooms, excellent soundproofing, underground parking and convenient bus service.
And while he’ll be cutting his living space in half (he’s chosen the largest unit, the two-bedroom Georgian), he says much of his current space is unused anyway.
“I never use the basement and I have two bedrooms that are never used,” he notes.
He also likes the boulevard feel of Coronation Avenue, comparing it to the Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway without the river. It’s close to the Queensway, train station, hospitals and the St. Laurent Shopping Centre, along with being walking distance to Trainyards.
Amenities are modest — a meeting room with kitchenette, exercise room, bike repair station and car washing area — but that will help keep down condo fees, which are expected to be around 39 cents a square foot.
Seven units have been sold since the project launched in early December. Farrell and Bassi are hoping to start construction this summer or fall with occupancy in 2014.