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Fourteen Princess | ? m | 7 fl | Complete
#31
Any updates on the Princess project? Has anyone been there recently? Is there construction progress? Is there any signage for sales?
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#32
(11-03-2015, 12:03 PM)tomh009 Wrote: Any updates on the Princess project?  Has anyone been there recently?  Is there construction progress? Is there any signage for sales?

I live very close, so I see construction progress every day - I'll take some photos next time. No signs for sales because these will be luxury rental units, and it is owned/built by the Marsland family (who actually live across the street).
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#33
Ahh, luxury rentals -- it's what I had suspected a rental building earlier in this thread.  Thanks for confirming!

Any indication of an expected occupation date?
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#34
The western frontage has much of the brick up.

I find that there's a reasonable amount of rental stock a good walk from UpTown for ~$800 for a two bedroom, and then a reasonable stock for ~$1600-2500 for a two bedroom, but very little reliable supply of things in the middle, which is frustrating.
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#35
(11-04-2015, 08:08 AM)Viewfromthe42 Wrote: The western frontage has much of the brick up.

I find that there's a reasonable amount of rental stock a good walk from UpTown for ~$800 for a two bedroom, and then a reasonable stock for ~$1600-2500 for a two bedroom, but very little reliable supply of things in the middle, which is frustrating.

I have an amazing 2 bedroom with a huge balcony overlooking Silver Lake for $1100, it's a steal!
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#36
Like I said, they're in short supply haha.
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#37
(11-04-2015, 12:11 PM)Viewfromthe42 Wrote: Like I said, they're in short supply haha.

True. It's all about how old the building is... it's very different when rents have been increasing steadily year after year for 40 years than a new construction (Barrelyards at $2000/month...)
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#38
They're making really good progress. Photos from last week:

[Image: kXhbQTH.jpg]

[Image: 7VQOOYP.jpg]
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#39
Every time someone brings up the "4 storey height limit in Uptown", I need to link them to this thread.
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#40
(11-18-2015, 04:37 PM)Markster Wrote: Every time someone brings up the "4 storey height limit in Uptown", I need to link them to this thread.

It's three stories, not four and it applies to the street wall on King St. only, so this building is as relevant to the discussion as One Victoria. But aside from that everything you said is A-Ok.
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#41
(11-18-2015, 05:17 PM)BuildingScout Wrote:
(11-18-2015, 04:37 PM)Markster Wrote: Every time someone brings up the "4 storey height limit in Uptown", I need to link them to this thread.

It's three stories, not four and it applies to the street wall on King St. only, so this building is as relevant to the discussion as One Victoria. But aside from that everything you said is A-Ok.

Which is funny considering one of the oldest and most prized buildings on the street - the Huether Hotel - is actually four storeys. Really detracts from the whole argument about maintaining a historically consistent facade. 

But sorry, off topic. Back to Princess Condos. I like how they're shaping up. Should be a great addition to uptown.
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#42
The limit is 3-4 storeys, depending on the height of the storeys. I'm sure Huether would predate this limit, but it basically means that you have to keep to 3 storeys if you want higher floor heights, or 4 storeys for shorter floor heights.

Yes, Princess Condominiums proves you can build in UpTown. But it's also a rarity. It works in large part because it hides behind the tallest part of the street frontage, because it's the highest point above the water table. Propose five storeys that could somehow fit on the back half of a shorter lot that can't accommodate underground parking and would sit behind a 2-storey building, and see how far it gets.
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#43
(11-19-2015, 09:12 AM)Viewfromthe42 Wrote: The limit is 3-4 storeys, depending on the height of the storeys. I'm sure Huether would predate this limit, but it basically means that you have to keep to 3 storeys if you want higher floor heights, or 4 storeys for shorter floor heights.

Yes, Princess Condominiums proves you can build in UpTown. But it's also a rarity. It works in large part because it hides behind the tallest part of the street frontage, because it's the highest point above the water table. Propose five storeys that could somehow fit on the back half of a shorter lot that can't accommodate underground parking and would sit behind a 2-storey building, and see how far it gets.

Well, no, it's not quite so simple.  Uptown is a mishmash of different commercial zonings, and the height limits vary.  For example, the Huether property is zoned C8-25, which allows up to a 75m tall building with 25 (!) storeys.  The Princess apartments property is the same.  The post office property across King street is C9-6, which maxes out at 18m and 6 storeys.  While there are some -4 and -6 zones in uptown, most of it is -12 (36m maximum) or -25 (75m).

Of course if the developer is looking for variances, the city can push back on these limits.  But if you build strictly within the zoning bylaw, you are certainly not limited to four storeys.

The zoning map and the zone definitions are all here:
http://www.waterloo.ca/en/government/zoning.asp
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#44
Fourteen Princess website is now live - see www.fourteenprincess.com  The building is purely rental, not a condo.

Re the discussion on zoning above - while 25 storeys may technically be permitted, you are still capped by the Floor Area Ratio aka Floor Space ratio -
The FAR or FSR is the building floor area of all buildings on a lot divided by the lot area.  While we could have built 14 Princess higher, we would have had to reduce the floorplate size to do so.
The building is coming along very nicely at this point, drywall is underway inside.  Most of the orange tarped areas have windows already installed behind but balcony railings haven't been installed yet.
Happy to take anyone through on a hardhat tour if interested. Best, Brad
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#45
(08-22-2015, 03:00 PM)MidTowner Wrote: This close to King in Uptown, ground-floor commercial is a must.

You know what might be nice to have UpTown: a bowling alley! Big Grin
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