[waterloowarrior]

The Continental - Sales
15 storey residential tower
Developer: Charlesfort
Location: Richmond Rd.
Web: http://www.charlesfort.ca/continental/
Rendering:
http://charlesfort.ca/continental/images/ext-large-0.jpg


Site Plan: http://www.charlesfort.ca/continental/locations-and-elevations.pdf

[jeremy_haak]

This is a rather strange design, sort of Art Deco meets the International movement.

[cityguy]

Any Idea When Construction Wall Start?

[waterloowarrior]

updateOn Saturday I noticed that the site for the Continental has been fenced off and some heavy equipment is now on site.

[harls]

Thanks, I knew there was a thread here somewhere!

[ajldub]

Let's get this one built, if only so Charlefort can concentrate on working its magic elsewhere. Weren't some of you guys talking a while back about a building called the Orchid that was to go up next to city hall?

[waterloowarrior]

it should be interesting with this building and two more (http://www.omb.gov.on.ca/e-decisions/pl070727-May-05-2008.pdf) potentially (at the OMB right now) just across cleary. hopefully some of these buildings have a mixed use component. the continental seems to have some sort of retail/medical office on the ground floor.

[Dado]

:previous:

This isn't good... that site is one of the few remaining places that a light rail line can be easily shifted from the Parkway corridor to the Byron corridor.

If we had some actual light rail planning in this city we'd have secured the site already or at least assured ourselves of an underground easement. In fact, we should have done it for the site of the Continental. But no, we were too busy playing around for years planning to build a roller coaster line to the south end instead... and now one of the best corridors for integrating high density with light rail will likely pass through our fingers.

There's still Rochester Field, but that route is going to require tunnelling all the way to Cleary.

[adam-machiavelli]

This was never a viable route for light rail. It's bordered on all sides by other apartments, businesses and the Unitarian church and their large retirement complex.

[Dado]

Come again? That sounds about perfect... lots of sources of ridership, some of it all day as well.

The line would follow the old CPR alignment from Dominion behind all the townhouse condos and at Cleary (or rather the strip mall) it would enter a short tunnel to go under Cleary and Richmond to then emerge in the Byron tramway corridor. The routing would be better with the Continental site, but still doable with the strip mall site. The strip mall would have to go, but it would be redeveloped over the tunnel.

It makes more sense to run light rail in the Byron corridor west of Cleary than to follow the curving Parkway because it is both shorter and offers a lot more walk-on traffic and potential for intensification. East of Cleary the Byron corridor makes less sense because it is residential, there are far more crossings to deal with and there would be a much greater curve in the line where it passes through/under Rochester Field.

[Radster]

I agree 100% with Dado. We should bombard the NCC with e-mails that include this exact rationale for not building on the parkway and using the Byron corridor instead for the light rail. Perharps with enough e-mails, they will have the guts to say NO to the City of Ottawa which will then force the City to look at the Byron corridor more seriously.

[Mille Sabords]

I agree 100% with Dado. We should bombard the NCC with e-mails that include this exact rationale for not building on the parkway and using the Byron corridor instead for the light rail. Perharps with enough e-mails, they will have the guts to say NO to the City of Ottawa which will then force the City to look at the Byron corridor more seriously.

Yes.

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

I agree 100% with Dado. We should bombard the NCC with e-mails that include this exact rationale for not building on the parkway and using the Byron corridor instead for the light rail. Perharps with enough e-mails, they will have the guts to say NO to the City of Ottawa which will then force the City to look at the Byron corridor more seriously.

Done. :)

I also made light of the fact that the decision to use the parkway would affect what kind of vehicle is used and that for the cost of the entire system, what is an extra couple hundred million to get a truly effective transit system, more ridership and a more vibrant city?

[Dado]

Talk to Alex Cullen as well.

He's hosting a public meeting this evening on extending the Byron tramway park pathway from its current western terminus at Redwood all the way to Richardson. I don't dispute that this is overall a good idea, but I'm sure the sudden impetus behind the idea is to put the pathway down right in the middle where the light rail line would go as a way to prevent it from happening...

It wouldn't be the first time things were done to make a light rail alignment difficult over the years in the Dominion-Ambleside corridor:
-houses (!) built on the former CPR corridor east and west of Woodroffe, thereby blocking off the cheapest and least-impact corridor from being easily used
-infill housing project at the west end of the Byron tramway park with access onto Richmond instead of the the side streets that limits routing options for a Byron routing (even though the line could pass right beside the project by moving Richmond, the need for road access makes this more difficult)
-infill at Cleary on both sides further limiting routing options into the Byron corridor with no provision or consideration taken for light rail
-infill at the former RMOC property in Westboro (Amica) that would have provided an alternate route to Rochester Field and potential for a station closer to the west end of Westboro
-and, last, but certainly not least, no EA has been done for the West Transitway between Dominion and Lincoln Fields that would spell out the options to protect them. How is it that we have no EA for this vital part of the Transitway - where the NCC could end its agreement for the Parkway at any time - when we have them for the middle of Kanata and Barrhaven?


Anyway, the pathway should obviously be routed nearer the Byron side of the corridor where it can be used to access the stations.

http://www.alexcullen.ca/PDF/Notice_of_Meeting_18June08.pdf

[Ciemny]

Does anyone know wahts going on with this project? Every time I pass by the site there is no movement, weeds are starting to grow around the property seems like work ended in the middle of June.................and now nothing....no equipment on site either.

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

They'll probably start on this once they finish Hudson Park II.

[Tor2Ott]

They'll probably start on this once they finish Hudson Park II.

That'll be well into 2009, maybe even 2010. From their website, sales for the Continental has stalled. I guess they were expecting sales to continue to be strong once they start excavating, but I guess not.

[Mille Sabords]

Now we know what really happened. I'd be furious too if I was Doug Casey. I hope this won't require changes to the look or setbacks of the building. Take a look:

=====================

Confusion over water main location delays condo project
City 'needs to get better handle' on its infrastructure, councillor says
Cassandra Drudi
The Ottawa Citizen
Friday, August 15, 2008

Confusion about the location of a major city water main has delayed construction on a condominium project near Westboro, infuriating the developer and one of the people who'd hoped to live there.

"Frankly, the city didn't know where the water main was," said Doug Casey, president of Charlesfort Developments.

Excavation at the site of the Continental, a 15-storey, 95-unit building slated to go up at Richmond Road and Cleary Avenue, was delayed when it was discovered that the city's water main lies one metre away from the property line, Mr. Casey said. Speaking with the Citizen yesterday, Mr. Casey and Charlesfort's director of sales, Wendy Bennett, said the developer submitted plans to the city to apply for rezoning of the property and that rezoning had been approved in 2006.

But the discovery of the water main's precise location after rezoning was approved has resulted in additional planning time and means the company will have to use a construction method that will cost $1 million more than it expected to spend, Mr. Casey said.

John Moser, the city's director of planning and the person earmarked to speak on this issue, was unavailable for comment yesterday.

City councillor Christine Leadman, whose ward is home to the development, said the delays speak to a larger issue.

"The city has to get a better handle on where this infrastructure is," she said. "These are things that we need to know."

Excavation on the project had been scheduled to begin in mid-January, with a move-in date in the summer of 2009, Mr. Casey said.

Now, excavation is scheduled to begin in September, and the move-in date has been pushed to the spring of 2010.

This delay has Mae Blanchard frustrated by the unforeseen wait and she's wondering how the developer didn't known about the water main when she bought a two-bedroom condo in the project on March 3.

"I can't have my life on hold for two years at my age," said Ms. Blanchard, 73, who expected to be able to move into her condo next summer. "You are prepared for delays, but you're not expecting to be delayed a year."

She is now looking at other condos, but doesn't think she'll be able to get her $20,000 deposit back.

"The issue here is that with the condo laws, I don't know what legal action there really is," said her son, James Blanchard. "It's so far beyond buyer-beware, it's scary.

Mr. Blanchard has been speaking with the developer and the city, trying to determine what exactly is going on with the project and why his mother wasn't alerted of the issue sooner.

"Surely they must have known about (the water main)," Mr. Blanchard said. "These guys knew that they couldn't deliver at the time of signing the contract."

Charlesfort did know about the water main issue by late February, before Ms. Blanchard bought her condo, but was given no indication by the city that it would take this long to address the issue, Ms. Bennett said.

"It's all in the protection of a water main that isn't even ours," she added.

After Charlesfort had spent time and money on marketing and design and had their rezoning application approved, they didn't expect to run into an issue as large as this, Mr. Casey said.

"It's not the time for them to be coming in saying, 'Oh yeah, we forgot about the water main.'"

[cityguy]

At least the project isn't cancelled.

[Davis137]

I like the way that building looks...it would also add a little bit more infill to the west end too...

I like your idea about the light rail along Byron...

[harls]

reposting Davis' post from the General discussion thread:

Updated pic of the site for the Continental on Richmond...

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y99/Drivesthebeast/DSCF1258.jpg

[Davis137]

I took a lot more pictures of that site, but they all turned out distorted...I don't know why, as I was stationary, and I had the Camera configured properly...lol

I will get some more pics of this, Westboro, 101 Richmond, and everything else in the neighbourhood once it stops friggen raining!

[Davis137]

Not many changes yet (ground is prepped and they are laying out all of the cast iron frames for the skeleton of the building for welding, and prep for the crane as well)...

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y99/Drivesthebeast/DSCF1274.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y99/Drivesthebeast/DSCF1276.jpg

Should expect to see more changes soon though (Crane, more site hoarding, etc)

L8tz

[Kitchissippi]

Richmond Road has been narrowed temporarily to accommodate the construction activity which seems to be picking up pace. They were busy driving metal piles into the ground.

[Davis137]

Not only is Richmond narrowed, but they've also built the pedestrian enclosed sidewalk, and put up the hoarding around the property on at least 2 sides...I will get some updated pics of this project soon.

[harls]

I went by here on Saturday and there is indeed a massive hole in the ground.

No pics. :dunno:

[Mille Sabords]

I went by here on Saturday and there is indeed a massive hole in the ground.

No pics. :dunno:

I went by there yesterday, it looks like they're pouring. Also saw Westboro Station I, they have the brick up almost all the way through. (no pics either)

[O-Town Hockey]

You guys suck. Just take our cell phones; it doesn't have to be a work of art. :D

[Davis137]

I will remedy this on Saturday...as well as take some pics of what's going on on Parkdale, accross from the Teron building at Tunney's (there is finally some work of some kind taking place there)...

[Davis137]

From Byron...hoarding up for pedestrian walkway...

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y99/Drivesthebeast/DSCF1324.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y99/Drivesthebeast/DSCF1323.jpg

Sorry that they are both in the rain again (seems like all of my updated pics are in the rain most of the time...lol). Didn't feel too much like leaving the car to take them...

L8tz

[Davis137]

Drove past this location this morning, and from what I caught glimpses of, they have a really deep hole dug, and support walls poured and reinfroced with rebar around the outside of the foundation. The hole looks like it's at least 3 levels below grade at the moment...

[Skipper]

does anyone know whether this project has been postponed or is currently on hold? There doesn't seem to be much activity on this site. We look forward to having this great new building on Richmond Road, along with the 3 phases of Westboro Station. Hopefully this will lead to new restaurants on this area of Richmond Road.

[Davis137]

This location seems to be stalled, don't know why/what for, but as far as I've seen, it's not been cancelled...yet...

[Tor2Ott]

I think Charlesfort screwed up with this project, in terms of its choice of location. It's not quite in Westboro, and it has minimal river view. Sales have been subpar as there has been no change for over a year, and the Charlesfort name cannot even save it.

[Sane]

Do developpers ever cut prices to sell off remaining units? Or throw in incentives such as parking? Or are the only deals to be had "pre-build"?

[deva]

I just cycled past the site and saw the crane going up.

[waterloowarrior]

No pics since April! Anyone want to go by the site and take a picture of what's happening over there?