Mid-week Mixed Bag

Some of the Google searches that have brought visitors to this blog since Labour Day:

"cathedral hill"

Mark your calendar, Windmill Developments' second Ottawa condo launches this evening at the Christ Church Cathedral Hall at 5pm. More details here.

"is soho better or tribeca?"

SOHO is, as of yet, an unproven quantity in the Ottawa condo market and near, but not quite in, Hintonburg/Wellington Village/The Arts District/whatever. That said the optics so far look good, very good in fact, perhaps not so much in terms of location, but very much so with regards to the quality of the construction and interior finishes.

By contrast, Tribeca is Claridge's latest magnum opus located in the heart of downtown. As Ottawa's most prolific condo developer, Claridge is either a sure bet or the devil you know, depending on who you talk to, and about which project.

"ecocite ottawa financial"

It hurts to even guess at this project's financial state of affairs. And with the dog's breakfast that has become Bank Street, I'd hazard to guess that things will be getting worse before they get better. My two cents, and your mileage may vary.

Tribeca Condos to Feature Sobeys Grocery Store

Good news for downtown residents as Sobeys confirms that they will be leasing the ground level retail space from Claridge Homes in the Tribeca project currently being built at the corner of Metcalfe and Nepean St.

If all goes according to plan, Sobeys could be ready for business as soon as the beginning of 2013:

Centretown News Online


The Sobeys' Urban Fresh concept was introduced in 2003, and outlets are opened in high traffic neighbourhoods with lots of condos. The target market is the urban professional living in small spaces, the idea being that condo living equals little storage hence daily shopping is a plus if possible. So far there are 11 such stores in Toronto (the CityPlace location is pictured above), but urban space of the size required is at a premium so expansion has been catch as catch can.

Despite the initial handwringing and concern that the Tribeca location is too "residential" for a retail operation of this size, one can't deny that Tribeca and Sobeys are a match made in (foodie) heaven. If the selection at the Sobeys Urban Fresh banner in downtown Toronto is anything to go by, Tribeca residents and neighbours will likely have their pick of ready made sushi, curry to go, wine, fresh seafood, fresh ground spices, dozens of different types of dried mushrooms and a hundred plus varieties of cheese, to name but a few offerings.

There is no denying that groceries are a major component of residential life which makes Tribeca an excellent fit. This Sobeys will also provide much needed competition to Hartman's on Bank St, not to mention giving residents genuine incentive to embrace a car free lifestyle.

Tribeca—ready, set, go…

I guess one of the nice things about being Ottawa's most prolific developer is that one needn't sweat the small stuff like financing to start construction.

While other projects scream "SOLD OUT" for months (and months) on end, Claridge has gone ahead and started construction on Tribeca with less than 50% of units sold. Amazing.

Given all the hype and anticipation leading up to the launch of this project, one wonders if Claridge didn't become complacent in their actual sales effort, banking on location alone to seduce buyers. The whole urban/NYC theme of this project speaks to a different style than Claridge is known for, and I for one would have liked to have seen some effort put into staging a floor model… as in "show me, I'm from Missouri".

Instead I found the recycled sales centre underwhelming, replete with tired graphics and bored staff who were all but chewing gum. Not exactly the way to convince a would-be buyer to write a cheque for $50,000 so it's just as well they've broken ground and are getting this project underway. As the saying goes: "If you build it, they will come". (Yes, a slight misquote, but close enough...)

Tribeca Launch Rescheduled

With the sales centre still not quite ready, Claridge has revised Tribeca's VIP launch to Thursday, February 25. Those interested in attending the "pre-release" must register directly with Claridge Homes (link below) to receive an invitation by email as soon as the date is confirmed:

Tribeca Registration

Tribeca Condo Update

Much ado over at Claridge that a third party website has been taking advantage of the "Tribeca" name to redirect and capture interested buyers with promises of updates and inside information.

For the record, Tribeca is not being represented by any third parties outside of Claridge Homes. In fact, Claridge has suspended its usual realtor co-broke program for the first 30 days of sales after the launch. A disappointment for realtors to be sure, but understandable given the cheap web gimmicks being used by some third parties to cash in on the development before it has even been launched.

That said, the initial release for Tribeca is slated for Thursday, February 18 and will be by invitation only to those who have registered with Claridge Homes through their website, link below:

Claridge Homes Registration

Welcome to Tribeca (the Claridge version)

With suite names like "Bowery", "Times Square" and "Broadway" over at Claridge Plaza 3, it would seem that Claridge is in a New York state of mind these days. So welcome to Tribeca, Claridge's latest ambition for downtown Ottawa slated for 187 Metcalfe St between Lisgar and Nepean:

(Architect's drawing of a bit of NYC in Ottawa)

If this location seems familiar, recall the joint bid by Claridge and the City of Ottawa for the national portrait gallery that the federal government was pretending to sponsor back in 2008.

This was an arduous and drawn out affair with much name calling and finger pointing in the media. Some councillors decried Claridge for "blackmailing" the city for permission to build 27 storeys in an area zoned for twelve. The end result? Claridge was granted permission to build 27 storeys in an area zoned for twelve, despite that the federal government cancelled plans for a portrait gallery altogether:

(Tribeca's twin towers as seen from Nepean St)

Now that the dust has cleared and the bad PR has faded, work is well underway for the February 2010 launch of Tribeca, downtown Ottawa's largest condo project to date with two 27-storey condo towers along Nepean St, office and retail space, and a bank of townhomes on Lisgar St.

In an attempt to "contribute to the fabric of the neighbourhood" (as quoted in the Centretown News in November 2009), Tribeca's commercial space calls for a grocery store and daycare centre at ground level, both of these essential services that are sorely lacking in downtown Ottawa.

Taking a cue from the name Tribeca, I note with interest that this project will be marketed as "NYC-style lofts", which is quite a departure for Claridge. Could this edgier side of Claridge be in response to Urban Capital's success with The Mondrian and Central? Certainly the curved facade of the eastern tower is some of the most risqué design Ottawa has yet to see:


Plans filed with City Hall call for 9 units per floor, larger than comparable units at The Mondrian, mostly open concept and some with exposed pillars, ranging in size from studios at 532sqft and 1-bedrooms at 645sqft, up to 1065sqft for a 2-bedroom suite:


Tribeca is due to be launched this coming month. Given Ottawa's recent thirst for urban condos and this project's choice location just a block from Elgin St, I predict that Tribeca could be Claridge's fastest selling project so far.

Claridge brings "Tribeca" to downtown Ottawa

The sales centre originally used to sell Claridge Plaza was moved to the corner of Lisgar and Metcalfe this past week, where it will be reworked into a NYC-style loft as part of Claridge's latest project, Tribeca (perhaps better known as the site of the now defunct Portrait Gallery):


No doubt buoyed by the recent feeding frenzy over Claridge Plaza 3, Claridge is now moving full steam ahead with downtown Ottawa's largest and most ambitious residential development: two 27-storey towers of NYC-style "lofts" which are set to include office space, a major grocer, daycare and townhomes fronting Lisgar Street. The sales centre is scheduled to open February 2010. More details to follow in another post.