Luxe living by the Hill
By Sheila Brady, The Ottawa Citizen
Posh boutique hotel and condos are designed for the diamond and Mercedes set who value a clear view of Parliament Hil
David Choo is on a roll. Earlier this month, the president of Ashcroft Homes unwrapped plans to restore and develop the stone convent and prime Westboro property that was home to the Soeurs de la Visitation.
Now the fiery spark-plug is set to launch a posh boutique hotel and condos on Sparks Street designed for the diamonds and Mercedes crowd.
Re Hotel & Residences will become Ottawa’s priciest piece of real estate, pushing a business-residence combo that has flourished in Toronto, Vancouver and large, international cities.
A six-storey building with ground-level retail shops will front on Sparks Street Mall, while an 18-storey building will open to Queen Street. The $100-million project, which promises an intimate interior courtyard, will feature 110 hotel rooms on lower floors and 90 condos with spa bathrooms, European appliances and clear views of Parliament Hill and the Peace Tower.
Re Hotel & Residences promises to set new price records for Ottawa, starting from the low $400,000s for a 567-square-foot condo on a lower level, rising to $5 million for a 2,437-square-foot piece of urban living. Construction costs will top $1,000 per square foot, says Choo, although final prices are still being set.
These lofty prices still fall short of similar projects of $1,600-per-square-foot in Toronto and $2,000-per-square foot in Vancouver, says Choo.
Rod Lahey, the architect who has been working on the project for almost four years, says “there will be unbelievable views for anyone living above the seventh floor.
“They will be almost able to reach out and change the hands on the Peace Tower clock,” says the Ottawa architect, who adds the design has a very clean, modern esthetic that picks up colours from the surroundings in a very contemporary manner.
The building is more than price, says Choo, who initially wanted to reserve the 18th-floor penthouse for himself. “This is a marquee location. There is no other opportunity to buy a condo with these views. It is the only location with such a commanding view of Parliament and the Ottawa River.
“You have views that are important to the nation. This project is priceless — you are buying exclusivity,” says Choo, an engineer who launched Ashcroft Homes in 1992, developing condos, lofts and single homes in Central Park before moving on to condos and retirement homes across the city.
Re Hotel & Residences has been a long time in the planning, with Choo being short-listed and then winning a National Capital Commission competition to develop the Canlands site in spring 2006.
It is not a huge chunk of land, but it is prime, sitting between the old Toronto Dominion Bank and a former theatre. The site drops by 13 feet from Sparks Street, down to Queen Street.
Ashcroft has recruited a blue-chip team to design Re, starting with Lahey, a respected architect with modern sensibilities.
Light was an issue, says Lahey, who created an interior courtyard and walkways and stairs through the building linking Sparks and Queen streets. Original facades on Sparks will be maintained with new retail shops, while the condos and boutique hotel will feature a grand, two-storey foyer facing Queen Street.
Toronto’s highly regarded design team of Cecconi Simone have created designs for the condos, showcased in a luxe sales centre that will be the setting for a rocking by-invite-only launch party on April 14.
Ottawa’s real estate diva Marnie Bennett and marketing guru Karen Wood are culling an invite list of 350 “movers” and politicians in Ottawa. Star Motors, an auto dealer, estimates there are 2,500 Mercedes owners in Ottawa and many will be at the event. Holt Renfrew and Jubilee Jewellers are also on board, says Bennett, who says there are already about 200 on the registration list, including single men moving up the corporate ladder.
“About 40 per cent are single men,” she adds. “A lot are in the financial world and lawyers. There are also couples in their 40s and 50s,” says Bennett, whose office was just named the top performing Keller Williams location in the world.
She also has a short list of clients interested in condos topping $1 million and there is interest in the $5 million condo.
“We are marketing to the affluent and service is what these people want,” says Bennett, adding condo buyers will be able to access food services from the boutique hotel and concierge services by Raymond, the butler. “If someone is coming home and wants their fridge stocked, then Raymond will make it happen.”
And if there is an offer for the penthouse, Choo is ready to settle on another condo in his building.
“There is no bad condo in this building. I would live in any of them above the eighth floor. I just want to live there. It is iconic.”
Sheila Brady is the Citizen’s Homes editor. You can reach her at sbrady@thecitizen. canwest.com.
Want to know more?
Register at rehotelandresidences.com or call 613-232-1081.
The sales centre is located at 106 Sparks St. and open by appointment
© The Ottawa Citizen
