424 Metcalfe/Beaver Barracks Redevelopment | Completed

[O-Town Hockey]

A patient of mine, a very nice lady with a mental illness, has been offered one of the subsidized units in this project. I think it's great that they city will have some new stock to add to their dilapidated public housing projects. As far as non-smoking goes, I wish you good luck. With subsidized units will come people with mental and physical illnesses, many of whom will be VERY heavy smokers. How will they enforce it?

[LoveBug]

Upon moving in you have to sign something that says you will not be smoking in your unit. My mother and I will be living in there together and are being subsidised. We have been living in a housing project for 13 years and it is DISGUSTING how some people live. To my understanding there is a limited amount of subsidised units in there. A credit check along with proof of insurance and a background check is done on you before you are offered a suite. I assume this is their way of weeding people out. Everyone who has applied for this living space has been informed at a manditory group session that everyone must attend before even being considered to move in that this building is a non-smoking property. You can still move in if you are a smoker but can not smoke in the building itself. We were told appropriate measures would be taken if someone is caught smoking, I would assume some sort of warning to begin with, then perhaps a fine, and eventually eviction? Thats just my guess.
I am very asthmatic and the place I currently live in is horrible for smoke. My bedroom window is just above someones balcony who smokes and I have got CO2 poisioning TWICE from the smoke. Our apartment itself smells as though there are 5 people smoking in here.
Moving into this building we are hoping to escape number 1 the smokers, 2 the filth, 3 the drugs and prositution and gangs that we are exposed to on a daily basis. I am 25 years old now and have been living in my current building since I was 13 with my single mother. Thankfully due to my upbringing I did not fall into the trap that many of the kids who grew up here fall into. Anyhoo I'm rambling now. I just can't wait to move!

Here is an article about the non-smoking. My mother was also interviewed for it and is written about in the article check it out
http://centretownnewsonline.ca/index...1934&Itemid=94

[c_speed3108]

Originally Posted by LoveBug

Upon moving in you have to sign something that says you will not be smoking in your unit. My mother and I will be living in there together and are being subsidised. We have been living in a housing project for 13 years and it is DISGUSTING how some people live. To my understanding there is a limited amount of subsidised units in there. A credit check along with proof of insurance and a background check is done on you before you are offered a suite. I assume this is their way of weeding people out. Everyone who has applied for this living space has been informed at a manditory group session that everyone must attend before even being considered to move in that this building is a non-smoking property. You can still move in if you are a smoker but can not smoke in the building itself. We were told appropriate measures would be taken if someone is caught smoking, I would assume some sort of warning to begin with, then perhaps a fine, and eventually eviction? Thats just my guess.
I am very asthmatic and the place I currently live in is horrible for smoke. My bedroom window is just above someones balcony who smokes and I have got CO2 poisioning TWICE from the smoke. Our apartment itself smells as though there are 5 people smoking in here.
Moving into this building we are hoping to escape number 1 the smokers, 2 the filth, 3 the drugs and prositution and gangs that we are exposed to on a daily basis. I am 25 years old now and have been living in my current building since I was 13 with my single mother. Thankfully due to my upbringing I did not fall into the trap that many of the kids who grew up here fall into. Anyhoo I'm rambling now. I just can't wait to move!

Here is an article about the non-smoking. My mother was also interviewed for it and is written about in the article check it out
http://centretownnewsonline.ca/index...1934&Itemid=94

Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation always appeared to me to be considerably better at managing it's buildings than Ottawa Community Housing....although I have no direct experience with either.

[Ottawan]

Thanks for posting the pictures LoveBug. Congratulations to yourself and your mother - it looks like a beautiful unit!

[RTWAP]

Originally Posted by c_speed3108

Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation always appeared to me to be considerably better at managing it's buildings than Ottawa Community Housing....although I have no direct experience with either.

I used to be a tenant back when I was a student. They were very thorough, organized and efficient landlords. I wish they'd take over all of our public housing stock.

[LoveBug]

moving date got moved up, I'll be in there on the 15th woo hoo

[c_speed3108]

Fire in the basement.

Welder sparks fire that forces evacuation of downtown Ottawa highrise


Ottawa Citizen December 8, 2010 3:30 PM


OTTAWA - A fire at a downtown highrise apartment building late Wednesday morning caused an estimated $50,000 damage.

About 10 fire vehicles were called around 11 a.m. to 464 Metcalfe St., near Catherine Street for a fire started by welding sparks.

Fire Chief Monty Malloy said the fire started in the ventilation shaft above the utility boiler room where workers were welding. Sparks set fire to pipe insulation and construction materials, causing a large amount of smoke.

The fire extended into the basement, activating the basement sprinkler system and causing a building evacuation. The building was under construction, but some units were occupied.

Malloy said all residents were able to return safely to their units by about mid-afternoon. There were no injuries, he said.

Malloy estimated the damages would be around $50,000, mostly from smoke and the replacement of water-damaged boilers.

The fire was the third Ottawa firefighters battled Wednesday, starting with one at a glass melting plant fire on the city's south side before dawn and followed by a house fire on the west side that started mid-morning.
© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen


Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Welder+...#ixzz17YTITpnW

[LoveBug]

very interesting, we were never told of this fire upon move in. Nor have any neighbours mentioned it.

[OttawaSteve]

Originally Posted by LoveBug

very interesting, we were never told of this fire upon move in. Nor have any neighbours mentioned it.

I believe this is actually the second fire to have occurred at this property. There was also one a few months ago on one of the upper floors.

[waterloowarrior]

a couple of posts (with pics) from West Side Action
http://westsideaction.wordpress.com/...elopment-news/
http://westsideaction.wordpress.com/...ore-good-news/

[BuildEng]

For anyone interested. Phase II of the redevelopment has started. The 7 story building will start after demolition of the EMS post this month.

[bus_guru]

Construction Phases:

Catherine 7 Storey Building Construction

Mar 14 - Demolition of Old Ambulance Post
Demolition crews started taking down the old ambulance post on Catherine St on Monday. Work should be complete by Friday, March 18. The ambulance post has already relocated inside of 464 Metcalfe.

Mar 21 - Shoring and Excavation
Work will begin to excavate the Catherine site and drive piles into ground for foundation support until the concrete is poured. Should be complete by the beginning of May.

Pouring of Concrete for Foundation of Catherine Building
Once the Catherine site has been excavated and shored up, the contractor will begin to pour the concrete to create the foundation and the 7 upperfloors. The basement and main floor slab are expected to be in place by the beginning of July. The Catherine Building is expected to be fully complete by August 2012

Stacked TowneHouse Construction -
Once the concrete for the foundation, basement and main floor slab are complete for the Catherine building (around the beginning of July), construction work will resume on the stacked townehouses in the middle of the site - Victory Gardens Private Lane. Framing and closing in of the two buildings will continue into the winter and final work is expected to be complete by January 2012.

Completion of the Entire Site
Once the townehouses are complete and the weather is suitable, landscaping work will begin around the townhouses and the community garden. Once the Catherine building is near completion, work will start on landscaping around that building as well. All building, construction and landscaping work, including on-surface parking will be complete by the end of August 2012


Construction Notes
Construction work for the most part will occur between 7:00 am and 5:00 pm. During the phase when the concrete is being poured for the Catherine building, it may be necessary to extend the workday past 5 pm. CCOC has promised to keep residents aprised of any work extensions and time of completion that day. The contractor will also put up green mesh over the western side of the Metcalfe building during this phase (more information will be provided to residents in late April). Balconies, yards and Victory Gardens Lane will remain open during all phases of construction. Construction vehicles will access the site via a private closed lane on Catherine St.

[m3i6]

Originally Posted by bus_guru

Construction Phases:

Catherine 7 Storey Building Construction

Mar 14 - Demolition of Old Ambulance Post
The ambulance post has already relocated inside of 464 Metcalfe.

The new ambulance depot address is actually 103 Catherine St.

[waterloowarrior]

4 april 2011 - excavation underway

http://beaverbarracks.tumblr.com/

9 april 2011 - aerial by southfacing at flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/23575605@N08/5604150433/

[bus_guru]

Now that I've been here a few months I can tell you that the building isn't nearly as great as CCOC would have you believe.

Air Temperature: Since the beginning there have been non-stop problems with the heating/cooling geothermal system. Maintenance has quietly told me that the system is not working properly and hasn't for some time now. The cooling system is not working at all at this point and the temperature in the building and some units has surpassed 26 degrees celsius. What's worse is that you pay a flat monthly fee regardless of consumption amount or whether the system is working. CCOC was adamant that no tenant would subsidy the cost of another but that is clearly false.

CCOC maintenance: Don't expect a return phone call. In the 4 months I have lived here I have had to call the maintenance dept as many times and not once has anyone returned my call. It took me going into the office to have anyone address my concerns - not easily done if you work a 9-5 job.

Bathroom Exhaust: This is yet another system that does not work as designed. There are no exhaust fans in the individual units. Instead, all the vents are interconnected with one exhaust fan at the end of the system pulling air. Unfortunately, it's not effective and humidity in the units has been somewhat of a problem. Additionally, the system often pushes bad smelling air back into units. Being that the system should never push air into a unit and CCOC has not addressed this concern, I would say this is a definitive drawback to living here.

That smell in the lobby: Yet another exhaust system that doesn't function properly. The garbage room is located through one single door in the lobby and the smell is nearly intolerable. What an embarrassment when company comes calling. CCOC has done some repairs to the exhaust system so it isn't nearly as bad as it was in the first 3 months however, the smell is still there and still noticeable.

For Profit Hydro Metering Company: Why would a non-profit choose a for profit sub-metering company? I don't know why CCOC chose Stratacon to bill hydro consumption but what I can tell is you is that based on the per kw/hr pricing, I pay slightly more for hydro here than I did at the same price/consumption with Ottawa Hydro (this is the result of fees charged by Stratacon that Ottawa Hydro does not charge).

Tree killers: At least once a week there is some type of notice on my door. I understand not everyone may have e-mail and some notices must be written however, many of the notes left on the doors are unnecessary and the flyers end up all over the hallways/elevator etc.

Notice to Enter: Another glaring example of the incompetence of the maintenance dept. 24 hr written notice is required under the Residential Tendencies Act of Ontario (barring an emergency) however, there have been 2 times for me personally where notice for entry was provided with less than 24 hours. Additionally, CCOC has felt the need to enter my apartment 5 times in the 4 months I have lived here (I feel this amount is far too high and on the verge of harassment). Only 3 of those times were necessary and one one occasion, less than 24 hours notice was provided, my name, unit # and reason for entering were missing from the notice clearly in contradiction to Ontario Law.

Solicitors in the Building: Besides the fact there is little security to prevent solicitors from entering the building and no notification on the doors barring solicitors from entering, CCOC actually endorsed BELL CANADA to set up a booth in the lobby to solicit new customers. And these guys were aggressive. Very few people like solicitors coming to their door nevermind bombarding you as you come home from a stressful day at work. Appalling!

There are a lot of positive reasons to live here: affordable rent, convenient location (downtown close to the queensway, grocery, elgin street, banking liquor and beer etc), fully accessible units and entranceways, brand new beautiful units never lived in before or only lived in by one other person/family, underground parking, paramedics in the building with police across the street and fire within a very short distance, a non-smoking environment. One should be aware of all the pros and cons before making a decision to move somewhere. If the above mentioned drawbacks are too much for you then this might not be the best place for you!

[bus_guru]

Originally Posted by m3i6

The new ambulance depot address is actually 103 Catherine St.

I was not aware that the Ambulance Post had a different address than the rest of the building. Thanks for the update!

[O-Town Hockey]

Welcome to a new development bus guru. Most people who move into new condo developments will have similar stories of growing pains while the building is newly occupied. They put up with this in exchange for the significant profits from buying pre-construction. As a renter, I can imagine this may be very frustrating for you. All I can suggest to you is to keep your cool (no pun intended) and continue to give constructive feedback to the property manager via the proper channels.

[waterloowarrior]

10 oct 2011 by southfacing
http://www.flickr.com/photos/2357560...in/photostream

[rocketphish]

from southfacing, Jan 7, 2012:

[S-Man]

Well, say what you will about the views - or lack thereof - by they got a fair bit of density out of that land.