Renters of luxury all-inclusives love their new communities
Accessibility was paramount when Sue Barbeau and Rick Gordon moved from a three-bedroom house in Orléans to Brigil’s 460 St-Laurent luxury rental residence in June of this year.
“I have a spinal cord injury and I’m in a wheelchair,” said Gordon. “My house was not wheelchair accessible.” They had to find a place where a wheelchair could be accommodated.
“We looked at a few places and noticed this one,” he said. “It had convenience and location, and a way of living that fitted our lifestyle. We soon decided this was the best place for us. There’s a nice restaurant, a coffee shop, a swimming pool, a gym, and it was easy for me to move around. It has everything I want, and everything I need is not very far.”
Retiring in three years, the couple wanted a place where, “we’ll probably spend the rest of our life.” They love the “amazing view and huge windows.”
“We always had houses before, and so there was always something to do,” said Barbeau. “Here we pay the rent and it includes everything. The employees do an amazing job and if something is wrong or broken, it’s fixed very fast. It’s like a family community. Rick can go almost anywhere, and it’s very, very safe.”
The friendliness and ambience of Brigil’s 460 St-Laurent community is what appealed to three-year resident Joseph Laframboise.
“I was looking for a place to live,” said the OC Transpo bus driver. “The hard sell of other places turned me off. Here, when I was looking, they instantly made me feel like home — and it’s always been the same.”
When he returns after his early morning bus shifts, he comes home to friendly greetings from his friends and neighbours. “In some other apartment buildings, people don’t want to talk to you, but here there’s no pressure on you. It’s so relaxing.
“It’s the best thing I’ve ever had. The staff is amazing, and the people are so friendly. I’ve had a lot of apartments, and this place blows my mind.”
“What makes the Brigil community special is the community aspect,” said Jessy Desjardins, Brigil’s vicepresident of conception and development. “Our managers love their communities and really want to make them flourish.”
Brigil’s luxury rental properties include 460 St-Laurent, Baseline, Center Park, Petrie’s Landing and The Dale.
“It’s been a concept that Gilles Brigil has been working on with the team for a very long time,” said Desjardins. “He realized that empty nesters didn’t really want to go into a retirement home right away after leaving their homes. The idea is to create a sense of community where people can gather and live together and have all the benefits of a very big home but with the chores of a small one.”
The concept appeals to more than empty nesters. “We hear that people appreciate the diversity in the community,” said Desjardins. “There’s a strong connection between someone who has just retired and someone who has just started their career, and they can interact and benefit from each other. It’s an exchange.
“The concept of segregating and isolating individuals results in a feeling of disconnection from the real world,” he added. “It’s the perfect lifestyle for empty nesters as well as the young professionals.”
Brigil rentals offer a wide range of amenities that complement the location. At StLaurent are a rooftop restaurant and a coffee shop on the ground floor, a big lounge space where people can play pool and watch movies, an interior gym and pool. “We also have a family doctor’s office on site and a hair salon and a massage room,” said Desjardins.
Ryan MacDougall, marketing and sales manager at Uniform Urban Developments, said that there’s “a strong market of people looking to sell their home, cash in, and move into a well-built and thoughtfully designed apartment rental.”
Luxury rentals are “a diversification in Uniform’s offering,” he said. “The market for housing is changing and as a home builder, we need to offer different forms of housing. Not just in size and scale, but also in terms of buying versus renting.
“We’ve always built quality product, and our buyers have benefited from the appreciation in value over time. Now Uniform can hold on to these assets and renters can experience our quality.”
“For Uniform’s first foray into rental in Kanata, the amenities are at a minimum — but we kept the finishes in entries and hallways in the high-end,” said Emily Meyers, marketing and communications manager at Uniform Urban Developments. “We ensured that we have very well thought out outdoor landscaping, and added an outdoor barbecue and picnic area. So far the Kanata market has responded that some people just want a well-appointed building and they don’t want the extras. It’s a very approachable scale for people transitioning into their first rental space.”
In the east end, Uniform’s Wateridge Village is located on the former Canadian Forces Rockcliffe Lands, overlooking the Ottawa River. “We’re taking that same low-rise building formula, with a smaller number of units,” said Meyers, “but we’ll be adding a community building with a common party room and possibly a small-scale gym space or meeting facility. We’re trying to feel out what people will gravitate to in the next year.”