BOUNDARIES

Rideau Street, Rideau Canal, Nicholas Street, Queensway, Rideau River (OREB 4003 and 4004) How do you feel about lottery tickets? That may determine your willingness to buy in Sandy Hill. On the one hand, the ’ hood has heritage homes at competitive prices, great Transitway access, Strathcona Park, and easy access to the ByWard Market.

On the other hand, there’s the mixed blessing of the University of Ottawa. Its proximity is wonderful if you enjoy such perks as a big library and an excellent athletic centre. It’s not quite so wonderful if you’re living next to a gang of partyloving students. However, the university has been working for several years to educate students on their responsibilities as residents, and bylaw officers — who recently gained greater authority to issue tickets — have been cracking down. Noise complaints have dropped.

You could compare it to Old Ottawa South in the 1990s. Efforts to educate Carleton students succeeded, the O-Train dispersed students around the city, and property values rose. Will U of O’s education initiative and the LRT pay the same dividends in Sandy Hill?

Then there’s the issue of the high concentration of drop-in centres, shelters, and rooming houses, particularly on the western edge. The city has been tweaking bylaws to ensure everyone can live together peacefully, but sometimes tensions do flare.

Price range early 2015: $225,000 to $1,680,000.