Wonderful Waterloo Archive

This site is maintained by Sam Nabi as a record of the vibrant Wonderful Waterloo community, which was taken offline in 2014. This site is a partial archive, containing some posts from 2009-2013. To read more about the recovery effort and access the data in a machine-readable format, check out the GitHub page.

U/C Sage Condos

Post #33584 Unknown date Unknown Author	Sage Condos 8 Hickory Street West, Waterloo www.sagecondos.ca
Post #33585 10-11-2011 09:35 AM Unknown Author Town Member Waterloo, ON Joined Dec 2010 385 posts Eventually, you can't go on not caring. You realize you have a voice.	That sounds good so far. Curious what the target demographic is, if there are any mixed-retail goals (compare BPR's goal of a bakery to the reality of Waterloo Networking), what amenities are planned, if this is a buy-live or buy-rent condo. Or maybe I just want to be too clever with names.
Post #33586 10-11-2011 09:46 AM Unknown Author Hamlet Member Joined Oct 2011 15 posts	Owners will likely be a mix of buy-to-rent and buy-to-live. A combination of cash flow investors and young professionals/grad students. No goals yet for the mix-use commercial but light food services would make a lot of sense. Amenities will include a panoramic glass enclosed exercise facility on the second floor and a party/theatre room. The goal is to include some good amenities but keep the condo fees down for investors.
Post #33588 10-11-2011 10:53 AM Unknown Author Town Member Waterloo Joined Feb 2010 430 posts	Sounds like an exciting project. Really keen on the ground floor commercial mix. A word that comes to mind is "proper" but not really a great project name...
Post #33589 10-11-2011 11:07 AM Unknown Author Town Member Joined Sep 2010 342 posts	What about tying the name to the street on which it will be built (ie Hickory Hall, Larch Lofts etc). Or using the name of one of the original property owners in the vicinity (Cressman Commons). Or maybe, depending on its proximity to Laurier, something with an academic ring to it.
Post #33592 10-11-2011 01:02 PM Unknown Author Urban Issues Moderator Joined Jul 2010 1642 posts	This might be a cultural thing, but I general dislike made up building names. Here's how most of them sound to me: The Pretentious The Continental (queue in Christopher Walken offering "champagna") The Trying-to-tie-it-to-something-it-has-no-relation-to The Grand-Run-of-The-Mill Condos Exceptions are made for those named after actual valid geographic features, like the Seagram Lofts or the Kaufman lofts. They would be called that even if the developer hadn't named them thus. If there is no such connection I prefer non-descript names like The42, The Red Condominiums. I would put more emphasis on having the right design, unit mix and construction materials and then the name would quickly become a synonym with quality, with the42 being a good example of that.
Post #35123 12-12-2011 05:56 PM Unknown Author City Member Kitchener Waterloo Joined Oct 2010 603 posts Benjamin Bach \| Real Estate Sales Rep @ Cushman & Wakefield Waterloo Region Ltd. brokerage. Not intended to solicit clients or properties under contract.	This building is planned to have 3 and 5 bedroom condos for sale; the vision is to rent the units to students, with investors owning individual condos. I was told today that I will have pricing information within a few weeks if you're interested.
Post #35124 12-12-2011 06:05 PM Unknown Author Town Member Waterloo, ON Joined Dec 2010 385 posts Eventually, you can't go on not caring. You realize you have a voice.	On one hand, it has some three bedroom units, is higher density than some of the three floor buildings around, isn't completely copy/paste from previous developments, has mixed use, and is on the edge of Northdale (leaving more flexibility for the relatively open optioned center of Northdale). On the other hand, it has (likely many) five bedroom units, is less dense than the last student-oriented condo that fell through nearby (45 degrees on King), is fairly similar in look to most student developments, takes the first real mixed use of any student living and puts it next to the already amenity-filled King/University intersection and area, and continues the great wall of student living that surrounds Northdale. So yes, a bit torn.
Post #35125 12-12-2011 06:38 PM Unknown Author City Member Kitchener Waterloo Joined Oct 2010 603 posts Benjamin Bach \| Real Estate Sales Rep @ Cushman & Wakefield Waterloo Region Ltd. brokerage. Not intended to solicit clients or properties under contract.
Post #35126 12-12-2011 06:55 PM Unknown Author City Member Kitchener Joined Oct 2010 954 posts	That "Corner cafe" interestingly enough, would be at the corner of Spruce and Hickory, and would become the closest amenity for a fair number of residents of both streets.
Post #35128 12-12-2011 07:44 PM Unknown Author Town Member Joined Dec 2011 252 posts	Great looking project, but still ruined by the fact that its for students only. Why can't there be just regular apartments? If students happen to rent all of the units so be it.
Post #35129 12-12-2011 08:05 PM Unknown Author City Member Kitchener Waterloo Joined Oct 2010 603 posts Benjamin Bach \| Real Estate Sales Rep @ Cushman & Wakefield Waterloo Region Ltd. brokerage. Not intended to solicit clients or properties under contract.	Originally Posted by Lugnut Great looking project, but still ruined by the fact that its for students only. Why can't there be just regular apartments? If students happen to rent all of the units so be it. I've never heard of any of the off campus student housing buildings actively discriminating against non students by not renting to them. Generally, because of the unit configurations, when & where they're advertised, rates and locations, students fill the buildings up. If three non student friends - or five non student friends depending on the unit - wanted to rent here and pay the asking rates, I don't imagine an investor refusing them tenancy.
Post #35130 12-12-2011 08:43 PM Unknown Author Metropolis Member DOWNTOWN Joined Mar 2010 2089 posts	Originally Posted by benjaminbach I've never heard of any of the off campus student housing buildings actively discriminating against non students by not renting to them. Generally, because of the unit configurations, when & where they're advertised, rates and locations, students fill the buildings up. If three non student friends - or five non student friends depending on the unit - wanted to rent here and pay the asking rates, I don't imagine an investor refusing them tenancy. I imagine "for the asking rates" would be the key - these places rent out at a considerable premium, do they not?
Post #35131 12-12-2011 09:01 PM Unknown Author Town Member Joined Dec 2011 252 posts	Originally Posted by benjaminbach I've never heard of any of the off campus student housing buildings actively discriminating against non students by not renting to them. Generally, because of the unit configurations, when & where they're advertised, rates and locations, students fill the buildings up. If three non student friends - or five non student friends depending on the unit - wanted to rent here and pay the asking rates, I don't imagine an investor refusing them tenancy. Can you honestly say to me that you think that anyone other than students would rent a 5 bedroom unit? This isn't appealing to most people.
Post #35134 12-12-2011 09:30 PM Unknown Author Metropolis Member West-South-West Kitchener Joined May 2010 1448 posts My Flickr - My Facebook	Wow, how did they get a mixed-use proposal on the table in Waterloo? Someone must have patience and/or friends in high places...
Post #35136 12-13-2011 12:00 AM Unknown Author Town Member Joined Sep 2010 342 posts	Originally Posted by Lugnut Can you honestly say to me that you think that anyone other than students would rent a 5 bedroom unit? This isn't appealing to most people. A bedroom is only a bedroom if there is a sleeping surface in it. More than a few 'bedrooms' are converted to other uses. Alternately, depending on the size of the bedrooms, families with young infants/kids might find it appealing. That being said, I'm not sure how many people require an en suite next to their office/library/study/whatever.
Post #35153 12-13-2011 10:19 AM Unknown Author Town Member Waterloo Joined Feb 2010 430 posts	The project looks good IMO. Need to remember that these are business people investing in a development and they seek a return. Although the not "ideal" project for a well-rounded community this is the start towards one. I think the community would be better served by a diverse population, not simply students, but the market demands student housing in this area. This project will bring the returns investors seek. It has ground floor retail (not on a major road), attention towards aesthetics (I assume it will truly be majority brick and glass, not stucco) and a mix of 3/5 bedrooms. It's a step in the right direction... a better direction.
Post #35154 12-13-2011 10:36 AM Unknown Author Town Member Joined Dec 2011 252 posts	Originally Posted by WatDot The project looks good IMO. Need to remember that these are business people investing in a development and they seek a return. Although the not "ideal" project for a well-rounded community this is the start towards one. I think the community would be better served by a diverse population, not simply students, but the market demands student housing in this area. This project will bring the returns investors seek. It has ground floor retail (not on a major road), attention towards aesthetics (I assume it will truly be majority brick and glass, not stucco) and a mix of 3/5 bedrooms. It's a step in the right direction... a better direction. Ya, let me be clear, I don't blame the developers at all. If I had the money, I'd do the same thing as it's a fantastic return on investment. I blame the city planners for letting this happen. I understand that the market says that students want to live there, my only thing is what if someone other than students want to live in this neighborhood, where do THEY live? There really aren't options. If employment in this area increases then people other than students will want to live there.
Post #36660 12-12-2011 05:17 PM Unknown Author Town Member Waterloo Joined Feb 2010 430 posts	Looks interesting. Ground floor retail:
Post #38189 10-11-2011 09:25 AM Unknown Author Hamlet Member Joined Oct 2011 15 posts	New Condo Project - Name?? We need your help. A local developer is planning a new condo project in the university area and would like to engage the community for help in naming the project. It is proposed as a 12 storey building with mixed use commercial at the ground floor. A majority of the units are 3 bedrooms and the penthouses are 2 storey lofts with private terraces. The ceilings will be a full 9 feet and each unit will have a balcony. Units will be generously sized and finishing will be dramatically upgrades from typical apartment buildings in the area. We are looking for a name and a theme that fits the area and use. Any thoughts?