One Columbia | 22 fl | Complete

[mpd618]

I can confirm that the building got partial occupancy around wednesday of last week, about a hundred students moved in

See this reddit thread about that experience.

[The85]

Interesting article in the latest UW Imprint about 1 Columbia. Apparently, Schembri is offering 1 month of free laundry as a gesture for late occupancy...

Schembri saga hits new low
UW Imprint | October 24, 2014 | LINK TO FULL ARTICLE

Student housing company offers one month free laundry as compensation for delay of occupancy.

In the latest chapter of the Columbia One fiasco, Schembri is now allegedly withholding keys from tenants unless they agree to sign a release of legal claims form. In some cases, the housing company has allegedly called the police to forcefully remove students off the property.

“[Students] told me that keys are being withheld before they can enter their unit, unless they can sign some sort of document stating that they’re willing to accept one month free laundry as reasonable compensation,” said Olivia Choi, off-campus student housing assistant.

Choi recommends students do not sign any form unless under duress, or if they believe the compensation Schembri is offering is a “fair trade-off.”...

[rangersfan]

A new low is right.

[Drake]

This is outrageous. Does this company have any other projects in the region?

[mpd618]

This is outrageous. Does this company have any other projects in the region?

It's got quite a number in Northdale, and is building another large project at Balsam St.

[Spokes]

This is outrageous. Does this company have any other projects in the region?

Picture any ugly student only project in Northdale.  It's theirs.

[REnerd]

This is outrageous. Does this company have any other projects in the region?

Picture any ugly student only project in Northdale.  It's theirs.

In fairness, KW4Rent owns at least half of the ugly student projects.  Schembri owns the other half.  

[Spokes]

Picture any ugly student only project in Northdale.  It's theirs.

In fairness, KW4Rent owns at least half of the ugly student projects.  Schembri owns the other half.  

Fair enough.

I should have said every ugly project on Columbia, and half the ugly projects in Northdale.

[rickhd]

In fairness, KW4Rent owns at least half of the ugly student projects.  Schembri owns the other half.  

Fair enough.

I should have said every ugly project on Columbia, and half the ugly projects in Northdale.

Soviet style or should I say Waterloo style Comrades 

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[Markster]

Board orders One Columbia landlord to pay Waterloo tenant $1,928
The Record

WATERLOO — The Landlord and Tenant Board ordered Schembri Property Management to return money to a tenant in a dispute over the One Columbia apartment building in Waterloo.

In a ruling released on Friday, the quasi-judicial board ruled the landlord breached the tenancy agreement and owes Tyler McFall $1,928.86.

...

"The landlord's failure to provide the rented premises to the tenant in a condition that was fit for occupancy, with no prospect of the premises becoming available within a definite or reasonable time-frame, was a fundamental breach of the tenancy agreement," Homeniuk wrote.

"Because of the landlord's fundamental breach, the tenant was entitled to consider the tenancy agreement was terminated on Sept. 4, 2014, and recover the deposits he paid. In fact, the tenant wanted to do just that but was told by an employee of the landlord that it was 'not an option.' "

Schembri Property Management called Friday's ruling a "disappointing outcome."

"Throughout this process, we did everything we could to ensure the students impacted by the delay had accommodations and were well taken care of while we pushed our subtrades to work to finish construction as quickly as possible," the company said in a statement.

"In addition to free hotels, we offered free food, laundry service, transportation, gift cards, televisions and discounted rent to help ease the impact of what were unforeseen circumstances. A majority of the tenants at One Columbia accepted these alternate arrangements until they were able to move in."

The did everything... except allow him to escape the lease agreement that they broke in the first place!

$2000 is a slap on the wrist when it comes to a development this size, but it's nice to have a little precedent set.

[Spokes]

You've got to wonder how many other people have already filed complaints, and how many more will now.

[Markster]

1 Columbia is applying to demolish the two remaining houses on King St for a surface parking lot, to support a proposed medical clinic and pharmacy on their first floor.  It's going to council on Monday the 10th.
http://www.waterloo.ca/en/business/1_col...ing_st.asp

Site plan:
   

Surface parking lot on a mixed use corridor, in the new Northdale plan are?  Lets see what the Urban Design Brief has to say:

Neighbouring properties and the urban design – The King and Columbia Corner
• heavy traffic
• lack of attractive views or vistas
• Street life: little pedestrian usage, or recreational usage due to site context
• commercial zoning to 3 of the 4 points on the corner with parking lots off the road frontage

Adjacent Commercial Zones
• McDonalds, Sleep Ezz – Sleep Country  
• adjacent parking on frontage across the road
• Parking areas with little to no buffer  
• Parking has less than 3m setback from the street

Adjacent buildings to the South.
• High Rise Residential  
• Adjacent buildings to the property currently do not conform to the Northdale Bylaw.

So basically, because the other three corners were developed decades ago to a different standard, it's totally fine to have surface parking on a main street.  Because the towers to the south don't conform to the Northdale bylaw, this plot doesn't need to either.

They mention the parkette as adding a "human scale" area.  Never mind that, like pretty much all landscaping done for the King St towers, it ignores how people are actually going to walk through the area.

Here's a closer look at the parkette.
Green: grass/trees/shrubs
Grey: concrete
Brown: trampled dirt and mud
   

[Markster]

How hard can it be to start designing greenspace by first drawing where people will want to walk, then filling in the rest with creative flourishes?

[MidTowner]

"All disturbed areas to be repaired with sod as required"? What they call "disturbed areas" are desire lines. If they can anticipate they will be "disturbed" by people trying to get somewhere, why not put a walkway there? You're right, Markster, backwards priorities.

[Markster]

I believe that the phrase "All disturbed areas to be repaired with sod as required" actually refers to repairing any existing landscaping that is disturbed (by backhoe, or other clearing) by the construction process.