Moving to Ottawa

[highdensitysprawl]

Originally Posted by jcollins

Are the areas that different? I would have guessed they'd be relatively similar given their fairly close proximity to one another.

Quite different...on the west side of Vanier Pkwy, north of Mtl Road there a lot of SFR's that are quite different in their appearance. rue Emond is a lot of rooming/flop/crack houses of varying levels of crapiness and then at the end of the street you have a peeler joint.

[jcollins]

Originally Posted by highdensitysprawl

Quite different...on the west side of Vanier Pkwy, north of Mtl Road there a lot of SFR's that are quite different in their appearance. rue Emond is a lot of rooming/flop/crack houses of varying levels of crapiness and then at the end of the street you have a peeler joint.

Wow...soooo based on that they seem kind if different

[jcollins]

So a friend of mine is relocating to Ottawa (I gave a good sales pitch - but work helps too) and she's looking at a bunch of various locations. A couple of the apartments are in the Lincoln Fields area. She asked about it, but I really don't know much about the location, so I figured I'd seek the wisdom of SSP

It doesn't look like there's a ton to do in the direct vicinity but it's easy to get to Westboro/Downtown on the transitway, which is something she wants. Anyone know what the areas like? Hopefully I can give her some good advice.

[RTWAP]

Originally Posted by jcollins

So a friend of mine is relocating to Ottawa (I gave a good sales pitch - but work helps too) and she's looking at a bunch of various locations. A couple of the apartments are in the Lincoln Fields area. She asked about it, but I really don't know much about the location, so I figured I'd seek the wisdom of SSP

It doesn't look like there's a ton to do in the direct vicinity but it's easy to get to Westboro/Downtown on the transitway, which is something she wants. Anyone know what the areas like? Hopefully I can give her some good advice.

It's a sleepy area of town. Lots of retirees. Convenient location though for transit, bike and car.

[jcollins]

Originally Posted by RTWAP

It's a sleepy area of town. Lots of retirees. Convenient location though for transit, bike and car.

She doesn't necessarily want to live in a really busy/crazy area of town, but wants to have access to one, which she would here. Overally good location though? No major issues? I think her main thing is that it's not a sketchy neighbourhood.

[RTWAP]

Originally Posted by jcollins

She doesn't necessarily want to live in a really busy/crazy area of town, but wants to have access to one, which she would here. Overally good location though? No major issues? I think her main thing is that it's not a sketchy neighbourhood.

It should be fine. There are some sketchier neighbourhoods a couple klicks west of there, but that's Ottawa sketchy ... so not very sketchy at all.

[Kitchissippi]

The rents in Lincoln Fields are really affordable. Access to transit is as good as it gets, and there is a 24 hour Metro supermarket. I wouldn't call it sketchy, maybe just shabby in an aesthetic sense.

[ThirdEdition]

In that the rental units arent very nice?

[niwell]

I used to live in a condo on Ambleside Dr near Lincoln Fields. It's an OK area for what it's worth. Not much going on but all the amenities are within walking distance. The LCBO is a bit far being on Carling.

It was a bit of a bitch for me wanting to drink downtown every weekend but if that's not an issue it's ok. The pizza place in the plaza at the corner of Richmond and Ambleside is amazing.

[WadiRum]

I am renting in a Minto building, 1755 Riverside Drive, K1G 3T6. This location is perfect; the transit bus station is basically in front of the building so in the winter I jump in the bus and go to the Rideau centre for shopping with no worries that it is too cold . I have busses every minute and the bus station has an elevator. It takes 10 minutes to the ByMarket but at the same time I can get to the airport in 25 min by bus, direct line (97). The area is open and with the Rideau river and the Riverside park in front. The view I have is absolutely perfect. And, I do not have a car. I use public transportation and rent occasionally the car.

Minto has two buildings in this area. There are three more building for renting. I like the location better than the ones downtown because it is perfectly connected through the transit, close to the Rideau Centre and By Market area but at the same time it has green space, the park and the river.

For the one bedroom I pay $1000. The building is really nice, modern, renovated a few years ago, with gym and pool and most important it is kept spotless.

[jcollins]

Sure sounds like an ad for Minto haha.

Joking aside, I know the building you're talking about, its nice, but for what the units are, they're too expensive. They want closer to 1150 for a one bedroom now.

Riverside seems like it has even fewer amenities in the direct vicinity than Lincoln Fields does.

[AuxTown]

I lived in the Minto/Vertica highrises on Riverside for a few years and they're definately a good deal considering their proximity to downtown/UofO/recreational paths/hospitals. The only problem is that you are close to everything but not really close to anything. I would suggest to your friend that, if she enjoys urban living and vibrant neighbourhoods, she should pay the premium to live in the neighbourhood of her choice. It goes a long way for quality of life to wake up every morning in a place you want to be. She might think that Westboro is close to Lincoln Fields, but once life sets in and things get busy, I'll bet it will get harder and harder to leave her immediate surroundings on evenings/weekends when all the necessities of life are right on Carling. This is all just my opinion, but I'm loving living in Centretown now and couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

[jcollins]

You thought they were a good deal on Riverside? I was shocked when I heard some of them were well over $1100 for a one bedroom. Maybe prices in that area have gone up a lot. You're still probably 10, maybe 15 mins to downtown?

She doesn't really want to live in the urban/core area (I don't know why either hah). She's from a small town so doesn't want to be thrust into something huge, she'd rather have something a bit quieter, and have a little more space, but still have access to the core/busyness when she wants.

Do you really think that Westboro and Lincoln Fields are far, only a few minutes on the transit way. Or did you just mean it's easy to stick to your immediate surroundings?

[AuxTown]

I was paying $1020 for a 2-bedroom over 1000 square feet! That is unheard of elsewhere in the city. I'll bet prices have gone up over the past couple years, but there are still deals to be had.

Do you really think that Westboro and Lincoln Fields are far, only a few minutes on the transit way. Or did you just mean it's easy to stick to your immediate surroundings?

Exactly. She should have a look at some of the older buildings in Westboro. It's a quiet enough community (everything shuts down at 5pm) and she wouldn't be paying that much more than Lincoln Fields to live in a much nicer neighbourhood. My brother used to live in the tall building accross from Westboro Station and, though it wasn't the best building ever, it did the job and was a pretty good spot (in Westboro, right on the Transitway, adjacent to the river).

[jcollins]

Originally Posted by O-Town Hockey

I was paying $1020 for a 2-bedroom over 1000 square feet! That is unheard of elsewhere in the city. I'll bet prices have gone up over the past couple years, but there are still deals to be had.

Wow, thats a fantastic price. She'd called about a unit in the 1755 Riverside building that WadiRum mentioned above and for a 650 sq ft one bedroom unit it was $1191. That's obscene. Granted, it's the most expensive (likely) building on that strip, but they're all comparable. After that, I think that's what led her to look elsewhere, and ended up asking about L.F. where she can get a similar unit for like 850-900.

Originally Posted by O-Town Hockey

Exactly. She should have a look at some of the older buildings in Westboro. It's a quiet enough community (everything shuts down at 5pm) and she wouldn't be paying that much more than Lincoln Fields to live in a much nicer neighbourhood. My brother used to live in the tall building accross from Westboro Station and, though it wasn't the best building ever, it did the job and was a pretty good spot (in Westboro, right on the Transitway, adjacent to the river).

Thanks for the tip. I think I know the building you're talking about, I believe my old room mate lived there.

[TransitZilla]

I lived for a couple of years at the Gilboa Place apartments at Uplands Dr/Paul Anka Dr. According to the website, 1-bedroom apts are going for $850/month these days. (http://www.districtrealty.com/search...property&id=94)

It's certainly not the fanciest place nor the most central location, but I never had any issues with crime, and the bus service is good- direct and frequent service downtown on the 87.

The neighbourhood is suburban, but there are a lot of ameneties- there is a shopping mall just around the corner (with a Metro, Shoppers, Rogers, Subway, and a really good Chinese place). There is also a large park and community centre nearby. All in all, I think it is one of the more successful recent suburban neighbourhoods in Ottawa. Things should get even better in the next couple of years with the pedestrian/cycling bridge over the Airport Parkway that will make it easier to get to South Keys and the Greenboro library.

It's worth considering, especially if price is a factor.

[Kitchissippi]

Originally Posted by O-Town Hockey

My brother used to live in the tall building accross from Westboro Station and, though it wasn't the best building ever, it did the job and was a pretty good spot (in Westboro, right on the Transitway, adjacent to the river).

Don't you mean Dominion station? Westboro station is farther from the river

[jcollins]

Originally Posted by bradnixon

I lived for a couple of years at the Gilboa Place apartments at Uplands Dr/Paul Anka Dr. According to the website, 1-bedroom apts are going for $850/month these days. (http://www.districtrealty.com/search...property&id=94)

It's certainly not the fanciest place nor the most central location, but I never had any issues with crime, and the bus service is good- direct and frequent service downtown on the 87.

The neighbourhood is suburban, but there are a lot of ameneties- there is a shopping mall just around the corner (with a Metro, Shoppers, Rogers, Subway, and a really good Chinese place). There is also a large park and community centre nearby. All in all, I think it is one of the more successful recent suburban neighbourhoods in Ottawa. Things should get even better in the next couple of years with the pedestrian/cycling bridge over the Airport Parkway that will make it easier to get to South Keys and the Greenboro library.

It's worth considering, especially if price is a factor.

Thanks for the suggestion. How was District Reality as a property manager? I don't know much about them.

They have a property in LF - http://www.districtrealty.com/apartm...roperty&id=164

[jcollins]

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

Don't you mean Dominion station? Westboro station is farther from the river

I guessed he was talking about Westboro Station the development.

[AuxTown]

Originally Posted by jcollins

I guessed he was talking about Westboro Station the development.

Yes, sorry, Westboro Station the condo....phase 2 currently under construction.