The Bowery Condos [255 Bay St] | ?m | 17f | Completed

waterloowarrior · #1 Posted **Oct 27, 2007, 4:15 AM**

Bay Street
249-259 Bay St. - Proposed (application on hold)
16 storey residential tower
Developer: Richcraft
Location: 249-259 Bay St.
Web: http://www.yourfuturecommunity.com/baystreet.htm

Rendering: Not available

Picture by harls

Not too much info yet, but always good to see another downtown residential development

Jamaican-Phoenix · #2 Posted **Oct 27, 2007, 4:21 AM**

Hopefully it will make a positive impact on the skyline.

cityguy · #3 Posted **Oct 27, 2007, 11:53 AM**

I can't see a 16 storey building at that location having much of an impact on the skyline.

harls · #4 Posted **Oct 30, 2007, 7:45 PM**

^ me neither. it's got to be at least 30 storeys to have any impact.

waterloowarrior · #5 Posted **Nov 6, 2007, 5:57 PM**

Richcraft has applied for demolition permits for buildings on the site, but apparantly the 16 storey building is 'on hold' b/c of market conditions
http://ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/cit...E-APR-0189.htm

Quote:

The subject properties are located on the east side of Bay Street and the north side of Nepean Street, in the Centretown neighbourhood. The properties are developed with brick and vinyl dwellings, ranging in height from two to three storeys. The two-storey brick dwelling at 363 Nepean Street and the two-storey brick and vinyl sided building at 267 Bay Street do not form part of this application. The subject lands are surrounded by educational, commercial and residential uses.

The five buildings that are the subject of this application are unoccupied and have fallen into a state of disrepair. These vacant buildings have become a target for vandalism, trespassing, and loitering.

The purpose of this application is to demolish the buildings, and to remove the risk to public safety, pending the outcome of a Site Plan Control application of a 16-storey condominium building on the site. This application is currently "on hold" as a result of a change in market conditions.

harls · #6 Posted **Nov 6, 2007, 7:58 PM**

It's a shame those houses on Bay are abandoned. They're turn-of-the-century brick homes not unlike those found on other Centretown streets. How did they fall into such a state of disrepair?

Lyon street seems to be an imaginary barrier.. homes on the west side have this depressing skid-row kind of feel to them while to the east everything is expensive as hell. What gives?

AuxTown · #7 Posted **Nov 7, 2007, 4:16 AM**

That's an interesting observation, I've noticed the same in the past. It's like that on all East-West streets downtown from Slater to Catherine. It's only a matter of time before the rest of Centretown rubs off on those areas so it would be smart to gobble up some property there soon. Some of those houses are just frustratingly ugly and they all seem to have disproportionately run-down front porches.

rodionx · #8 Posted **Nov 7, 2007, 6:18 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by harls

It's a shame those houses on Bay are abandoned. They're turn-of-the-century brick homes not unlike those found on other Centretown streets. How did they fall into such a state of disrepair?

Lyon street seems to be an imaginary barrier.. homes on the west side have this depressing skid-row kind of feel to them while to the east everything is expensive as hell. What gives?

Those houses came to be abandoned because Richcraft bought them up in 2004 with the intention of building condos, and then put the project on hold indefinitely. One of them was a traveller's hostel and the others were rentals, I think. They've been empty for a long time now. I'll be happy to see a couple of those buildings go, but it's a pity about the others.

I own a house on Bay street myself, so I'm more than a little biased, but I never noticed any change in the nature of the neighbourhood east of Lyon. However, back when I rented an apartment by the canal, I used to notice that the areas west of Bank were distinctly less salubrious than those east. That was before all these infill townhouses started popping up. Anyway, I'd agree that it's a neighbourhood in development and relatively cheap for being so central. My relatives in B.C. were really surprised that I could afford to own property so close to Parliament. Another perk of the area is that you can rent out your parking spaces to office workers.

Now if they would just put a new library or gallery or museum on the Technical High School site, I'll be like this dancing banana here...

cityguy · #9 Posted **Nov 7, 2007, 12:28 PM**

I saw on cjoh-tv last week that a discision on the libary should be made in the next few weeks.

rodionx · #10 Posted **Nov 7, 2007, 11:48 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by cityguy

I saw on cjoh-tv last week that a discision on the libary should be made in the next few weeks.

Cool. Thanks for the info. I thought they weren't going to make a decision until the spring. A public institution of some sort would really lift this side of Bank Street. Elgin and the Market have lots of good stuff already.

Incidentally, has anyone noticed that the Pinnacle on Lyon Street, which is practically around the corner from Richcraft's development, doesn't seem to be selling? It was finished nearly a year ago and they've been reduced to advertising on kijiji. Wonder if that might be making Richcraft hesitate.

harls · #11 Posted **Nov 8, 2007, 12:02 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by rodionx

Incidentally, has anyone noticed that the Pinnacle on Lyon Street, which is practically around the corner from Richcraft's development, doesn't seem to be selling? It was finished nearly a year ago and they've been reduced to advertising on kijiji. Wonder if that might be making Richcraft hesitate.

really? I work kitty-corner from the Pinnacle, I thought for sure it'd sell out quick - it's not like it's that far from the action. Maybe being on the periphery of downtown is more psychological than anything.. Bank St, which is arguably "where the action is", is only two blocks to the east.

Mille Sabords · #12 Posted **Nov 8, 2007, 1:30 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by rodionx

Incidentally, has anyone noticed that the Pinnacle on Lyon Street, which is practically around the corner from Richcraft's development, doesn't seem to be selling? It was finished nearly a year ago and they've been reduced to advertising on kijiji. Wonder if that might be making Richcraft hesitate.

Actually, according to my sources they are comfortably sold (over 90%). The sales person in the kijiji ad might be doing some creative advertisement to close out the building, which has been on the market for quite a while and therefore has probably dropped out of most people's radar. That's probably the reason for those ads. I do notice that condo projects tend to have a bitch of a time closing out, though. The Montmartre, which is a brilliant little mixed-use infill on Dalhousie, has been stuck with one unsold unit since last spring. To say nothing of 1277 Wellington (Routeburn), also stuck with one unsold penthouse and that project was started about 5 years ago. The guys at Routeburn must be pretty steamed.

rodionx · #13 Posted **Nov 8, 2007, 4:47 AM**

So that explains it. It's a few fugly units that won't budge. I walk past there all the time, and I kept expecting the 'condo units for sale' sign to come down, month after month. When I saw that ad on kijiji I assumed they were truly screwed. People sell old tires on kijiji. Maybe it's a marketing issue. Even in this forum, that place never seemed to get much of a buzz going.

Jamaican-Phoenix · #14 Posted **Nov 8, 2007, 4:53 AM**

Dude, that's because it's Claridge.

AuxTown · #15 Posted **Nov 8, 2007, 5:16 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by rodionx

So that explains it. It's a few fugly units that won't budge. I walk past there all the time, and I kept expecting the 'condo units for sale' sign to come down, month after month. When I saw that ad on kijiji I assumed they were truly screwed. People sell old tires on kijiji. Maybe it's a marketing issue. Even in this forum, that place never seemed to get much of a buzz going.

It may be because of the Pinnacle's proximaty to The Glue Pot Pub and arguably the most unsightly parking lot in the CBD. That lot needs to be develped before the areas West of Lyon can really take off.

rodionx · #16 Posted **Nov 10, 2007, 6:11 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by O-Town Hockey

It may be because of the Pinnacle's proximaty to The Glue Pot Pub and arguably the most unsightly parking lot in the CBD. That lot needs to be develped before the areas West of Lyon can really take off.

The Glue Pot sure is lonely at the end of that parking lot. It's been like that for ages. Strange that no one wants to build anything there. Good spot for a subway station, though.

Deez · #17 Posted **Nov 10, 2007, 5:22 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by O-Town Hockey

It may be because of the Pinnacle's proximaty to The Glue Pot Pub and arguably the most unsightly parking lot in the CBD. That lot needs to be develped before the areas West of Lyon can really take off.

I've been hoping to see a development notice for that lot ever since I joined this forum. Not only is the lot itself unslightly, but a sizeable tower at that location would do a lot to block the ugliness of Place de Ville III from some western vantage points. I wonder who owns it/what's holding them back from doing anything with it...

Jamaican-Phoenix · #18 Posted **Nov 10, 2007, 5:31 PM**

The parking lot I believe is owned by a parking lot company, so they have no interest in a nice new tower going up there. It's the perfect spot for a 40-45 storey signature tower...

harls · #19 Posted **Nov 11, 2007, 2:11 AM**

as long as they don't touch Barbarella's, I'll be okay.

rodionx · #20 Posted **Nov 20, 2007, 7:37 PM**

There's a brief update on this property in the Centretown Buzz: city staff are going to recommend demolishing the buildings at the site, after which Richcraft will have five years (!) to think of something to put there. Apparently they bought the buildings in 2002 and not 2004 as I'd thought. That's a long time to be growing weeds.

There's another article in the Buzz about five abandoned and recently demolished houses on Cambridge street in Chinatown. It's a similar case - a developer bought up a group of residential properties with big plans for developing them, then dropped the plans and inexplicably held onto the property, leaving the buildings to rot. Here's the article. What are the taxes on a vacant lot, anyway? They must be low.