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by Carrie Debrone
Kitchener Citizen
July 3, 2014
The former Notre Dame school property in Kitchener’s Rosemount neighbourhood has a new developer interested in building on it.
About 150 people attended a meeting June 11 to hear representatives from Options for Homes, a non-profit development corporation, ask local residents for their ideas about how they think the property should be developed.
The six-acre site at 142 Rosemount Ave. in Kitchener, formerly housed Notre Dame Catholic School. The school was closed in June 2010. Options for Homes representatives told the crowd that the separate school board sold the land to developer Jorge Cortes Jr. for $4-million. Cortes Jr. demolished the school in 2012 to make way for a planned 49-unit subdivision that included single family and semi-detached homes.
According to Options for Homes architect Jim Fryett, the deal with Cortes Jr. fell through and the land is now owned by a local consortium. Options for Homes is interested in developing the land and has an option to purchase the property – an option that will remain valid until 2015.
Options for Homes is currently the only developer interested in building on the lot.
Options for Homes was founded in 1993 by Michel Labbé, who remains president and CEO. A social entrepreneur, Labbé believes home ownership should be available to everyone, and to help achieve this his non-profit company offers buyers down payment loans, with the stipulation that they live in the condo they purchase until the loan is paid off.
If the development process started soon, company representatives said they expect it would take about two years to gain approval and for marketing to begin, with hopes that construction could start in 2017. They estimated the cost of the condos would be between $185,000 and $350,000, depending on their size.
“Don’t confuse us with low cost housing or subsidized housing, We’re not. We build high quality, cost-effective homes,” said Jan Ciuciura, head of Options for Homes Waterloo Region, adding that the homes include many green and environmentally-friendly features, and are constructed in partnership with several local builders, including Aberdeen Homes, Cook Homes and East Forest Homes.
Kitchener councillor Scott Davey told the crowd Options for Homes has not yet submitted any site plans for development to the city.
“Regardless of what happens, this property will be developed,” he told residents.
“I am encouraged by this developer. From the get go they wanted to meet with the neighbours,” Davey said.
Ciuciura said that over 90 per cent of the condos his company has built are owned by the people who live in them, unlike most other condo developments in this area where over half are owned by investors who then rent out their units.
He said the condos most suited to the Rosemount parcel of land would appeal to older people wanting to downsize, or to first time buyers who grew up in the local area and want to remain there.
He explained that some of the developments his company has constructed are mid-rise style condos (four or five storeys) with underground parking and an elevator, while others are similar to stacked townhouses, two storeys high with smaller condo units on the bottom and larger ones on the top storey. The representatives said the developer is only interested in building condominiums, not rental units.
“We can build bachelors to larger condo suites depending on what is needed and wanted in the neighbourhood,” Ciuciura said.
Fryett explained the property would have to be rezoned, a development plan submitted to the city, and drainage, traffic and environmental studies done, before any kind of development could be considered, but he said his company wanted to meet with neighbours to see what kind of development they would like to see there.
“We could have insisted on whatever kind of development we chose and not had this meeting and gone through the process that most developers use. They just go to the city and ram the project through, never asking any of the neighbours anything. But we’d rather not do that,” Ciuciura said.
The decision to meet with neighbours pleased some at the meeting.
“Which developer would you rather have? Someone who comes here and asks us what we want or someone who doesn’t ask?” said resident Mark Dunbar.
“You have to work with a good developer,” he said.
Others at the meeting were unsure, saying they believe the development would compromise the community and change the character of the mostly single family home area, cause traffic problems and not encourage new families to move to the area – something nearby Smithson Public School needs to ensure its future.
Some residents noted that, under provincial planning guidelines, the city is promoting higher density developments and, given a choice, would likely favour a higher density condo project over single-family homes.
Options for Homes requested that a resident group be formed to work with the developer. Several volunteers signed up to be part of the residential group at the meeting.
“You might not get all that you want, but it’s all about give and take,” Ciuciura said.
The Options for Homes representatives said they will meet with city officials to talk about possible development options. However, as of last week, no zone change applications, building permits or development plans have been filed with the city.
The company has built several condominium develop-ments including the Village at Brighton Park, 139 Brighton St. in Waterloo, which was completed in 2005. Fryette said units there originally sold for $69,000 and are currently worth about $179,000.
Other developments by Options for Homes include the Mountford Condominiums at Hadati Road and Mountford Drive in Guelph, Strassburg Garden Villas in Kitchener, Riverfront in Cambridge, The Village by Main Station at Main and Danforth in Toronto and Danforth Village in Toronto.
Kitchener Citizen
July 3, 2014
The former Notre Dame school property in Kitchener’s Rosemount neighbourhood has a new developer interested in building on it.
About 150 people attended a meeting June 11 to hear representatives from Options for Homes, a non-profit development corporation, ask local residents for their ideas about how they think the property should be developed.
The six-acre site at 142 Rosemount Ave. in Kitchener, formerly housed Notre Dame Catholic School. The school was closed in June 2010. Options for Homes representatives told the crowd that the separate school board sold the land to developer Jorge Cortes Jr. for $4-million. Cortes Jr. demolished the school in 2012 to make way for a planned 49-unit subdivision that included single family and semi-detached homes.
According to Options for Homes architect Jim Fryett, the deal with Cortes Jr. fell through and the land is now owned by a local consortium. Options for Homes is interested in developing the land and has an option to purchase the property – an option that will remain valid until 2015.
Options for Homes is currently the only developer interested in building on the lot.
Options for Homes was founded in 1993 by Michel Labbé, who remains president and CEO. A social entrepreneur, Labbé believes home ownership should be available to everyone, and to help achieve this his non-profit company offers buyers down payment loans, with the stipulation that they live in the condo they purchase until the loan is paid off.
If the development process started soon, company representatives said they expect it would take about two years to gain approval and for marketing to begin, with hopes that construction could start in 2017. They estimated the cost of the condos would be between $185,000 and $350,000, depending on their size.
“Don’t confuse us with low cost housing or subsidized housing, We’re not. We build high quality, cost-effective homes,” said Jan Ciuciura, head of Options for Homes Waterloo Region, adding that the homes include many green and environmentally-friendly features, and are constructed in partnership with several local builders, including Aberdeen Homes, Cook Homes and East Forest Homes.
Kitchener councillor Scott Davey told the crowd Options for Homes has not yet submitted any site plans for development to the city.
“Regardless of what happens, this property will be developed,” he told residents.
“I am encouraged by this developer. From the get go they wanted to meet with the neighbours,” Davey said.
Ciuciura said that over 90 per cent of the condos his company has built are owned by the people who live in them, unlike most other condo developments in this area where over half are owned by investors who then rent out their units.
He said the condos most suited to the Rosemount parcel of land would appeal to older people wanting to downsize, or to first time buyers who grew up in the local area and want to remain there.
He explained that some of the developments his company has constructed are mid-rise style condos (four or five storeys) with underground parking and an elevator, while others are similar to stacked townhouses, two storeys high with smaller condo units on the bottom and larger ones on the top storey. The representatives said the developer is only interested in building condominiums, not rental units.
“We can build bachelors to larger condo suites depending on what is needed and wanted in the neighbourhood,” Ciuciura said.
Fryett explained the property would have to be rezoned, a development plan submitted to the city, and drainage, traffic and environmental studies done, before any kind of development could be considered, but he said his company wanted to meet with neighbours to see what kind of development they would like to see there.
“We could have insisted on whatever kind of development we chose and not had this meeting and gone through the process that most developers use. They just go to the city and ram the project through, never asking any of the neighbours anything. But we’d rather not do that,” Ciuciura said.
The decision to meet with neighbours pleased some at the meeting.
“Which developer would you rather have? Someone who comes here and asks us what we want or someone who doesn’t ask?” said resident Mark Dunbar.
“You have to work with a good developer,” he said.
Others at the meeting were unsure, saying they believe the development would compromise the community and change the character of the mostly single family home area, cause traffic problems and not encourage new families to move to the area – something nearby Smithson Public School needs to ensure its future.
Some residents noted that, under provincial planning guidelines, the city is promoting higher density developments and, given a choice, would likely favour a higher density condo project over single-family homes.
Options for Homes requested that a resident group be formed to work with the developer. Several volunteers signed up to be part of the residential group at the meeting.
“You might not get all that you want, but it’s all about give and take,” Ciuciura said.
The Options for Homes representatives said they will meet with city officials to talk about possible development options. However, as of last week, no zone change applications, building permits or development plans have been filed with the city.
The company has built several condominium develop-ments including the Village at Brighton Park, 139 Brighton St. in Waterloo, which was completed in 2005. Fryette said units there originally sold for $69,000 and are currently worth about $179,000.
Other developments by Options for Homes include the Mountford Condominiums at Hadati Road and Mountford Drive in Guelph, Strassburg Garden Villas in Kitchener, Riverfront in Cambridge, The Village by Main Station at Main and Danforth in Toronto and Danforth Village in Toronto.
New developer wants to build condos on former Notre Dame School property