Facebook
X
Pinterest
Copy Link
A new kind of recycling
As affordability remains an issue in Saskatoon, a vacant building in Riversdale is set to be transformed into residential housing that also has come up with a way to help subsidize costs.
525 20th Street West has notoriously held a bad reputation in Saskatoon. It previously held suites that had shared accommodation and attracted a transient type of tenant. Because of that, police were there daily and even had keys to the property.
Now that it’s been vacant for the past 4 years, and with the help of the provincial government with funding, the building is undergoing a regentrification process and will provide some much needed affordable housing to the area.
With the building already there, the thought is that it might as well be utilized. Think of it as a method of repurposing.
The facelift will convert two floors into 12 one and two bedroom rental suites. The lower floor space will become a restaurant and retail space to help offset costs and allowing the suites to become more affordable. Advocates for this project hope that this new approach will catch on which will allow the City of Saskatoon to provide more affordable housing options to the public.
Their plan is to have rents well below market rents, indicating that a one bedroom will be $700/ month and the two bedroom will be $900/ month with completion expected by next spring.
Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Fusion
Affordable housing in need
Affordable housing is in demand in Saskatoon and developers are taking note. Another new project is underway in the Riversdale area which will see the addition of several two storey condos, each with a garage. Layouts include studio, 1, or 2 bedroom units ranging up to 1,446 sq ft in size.
The project is called Mosaic and will be located at 313 Avenue D South. Prices start at $210,000 with comparable units priced at $260,000. This development is a part of the HeadStart On A Home program through the government. The program is designed to assist entry level buyers with affordable housing options by ensuring that units are priced at or below comparable MLS sale prices.
This comes just after a report was released by the Frontier Centre that rated Saskatoon’s housing market as seriously unaffordable. It ranked as the ninth least affordable city in Canada, taking in to account the median house price and the median gross annual income.
The report states that in order to ensure housing bubbles are not triggered, house prices should remain under three times the annual housing earnings. Which would mean that Saskatoon’s house prices should be under 3x $66,500 (the median gross annual earnings) or $199,500 to make housing affordable.
One other builder helping to alleviate the issue of affordable housing is North Prairie Developments. Chaparral Ridge in Martensville offers 4 different condo styles with prices ranging from $199,900-$222,900 + GST. At these prices, it’s within the recommended house price to make housing affordable. Please visit my website for more information on Chaparral Ridge.
Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Fusion
New schools set to be built in Saskatoon
An announcement recently came that Saskatchewan will see the addition of 9 new joint use schools. Because of the provinces’ remarkable growth and to meet the challenges initiated by this growth, the government is ensuring that adequate infrastructure is in place. The schools will be built in four cities across the province with four being built in Saskatoon.
Saskatoon will see new joint use (public and separate schools under one building) schools in the Evergreen, Stonebridge, Hampton Village, and Rosewood neighbourhoods. This will add to the two set to open for the following school year (2013-2014) in Willowgrove.
Martensville and Warman will also each get a new school and the remaining three will be built in Regina.
Enrolment is up 20% (4,256 students) in Saskatoon elementary schools from 2007 with Warman seeing an increase of 90% and Martensville at 52%.
Building joint use schools will allow the schools to be built quicker and will allow for shared programming opportunities and maintenance costs.
This is fantastic news for people living in the newer areas of Saskatoon and struggle with schooling options. New areas will become more attractive and Saskatoon will be able to continue to thrive and grow as a whole. If you are considering a move into one of these neighbourhoods, it may be a great time to start planning.
Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Fusion
School enrolment is at an all time high
Now that Saskatoon elementary schools are back in full session, the numbers are in and show that enrolment numbers are at a record high. After years of seeing growing numbers, the number of students has increased by almost 1,000 students across the city.
The new numbers show that Saskatoon Public Schools show a record number of 22,757 students attending schools at both the primary and secondary levels. This number was an increase of 682 students. Similarly, Saskatoon Catholic Schools saw an increase of 303 students enrolled this year.
One of the major contributing factors for the increase is the booming immigrant population in Saskatoon. The school growth also was accompanied by a growth in demand for ESL (English as a second language) programs within both school divisions. Students registered in the ESL programs in the Catholic division increased by 169 students and the public school division rose by 472 students.
The largest jump in numbers came from the younger grades in both divisions and are facing demands for more ESL support and classroom space for the students.
Both the public and Catholic school divisions are pushing to see new schools in the Hampton Village and Stonebridge areas sooner than later. Nothing has been announced in those areas but with the opening of the schools in Willowgrove scheduled for next fall, that will hopefully help things in the meantime.
I can assist you with information regarding what neighbourhoods offer which schooling options to make your Saskatoon real estate purchase a desirable one.
Kari Calder
Saskatoon real estate agent
Century 21 Fusion
Happy Halloween
Today is Halloween and I thought I’d share with you some of the most haunted places discovered across the Canadian prairies. Read on, if you dare!
Banff Springs Hotel, Banff, Alberta
Legend has it that a family was brutally murdered in room 873 many years ago. The room has been since covered in but if you look closely next time you are at the hotel, you can still see where the room was. Guests also report seeing a vision of a bride roaming the halls of the hotel. She was reported to have accidentally lit her dress on fire with a candle as she was walking down the stairs. Her dress became engulfed and she fell down the stairs to her death.
Edmonton General Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta
Despite being closed for years, the old B wing of the hospital still smells as though there are patients in the ward. Children’s cries can be heard, an aspiration of a man who died while doing construction on the hospital has been seen as well as a mother who has been seen crying for her dead child. Creepy.
Walker Theatre, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Staff at the 100 year old theatre claim to hear constant whispers and voices as well as applause from inside the empty theatre. 200 pound steel doors have been seen moving on their own. Some believe that the activity can be explained by Laurnece Irving and Mabel Hackney who were actors at the theatre and died in 1914.
Weyburn Mental Hospital, Weyburn, Saskatchewan
Weyburn was home to one of Canada’s first mental hospitals. Investigations in the 1930’s found cruel and inhumane practices by the staff at the hospital. Within the walls was found to be home of lobotomies, electric shock therapy, and controversial LSD experiments. Before being demolished in 2009, people had heard voices and reported seeing a woman pacing through the fourth floor windows at night.
St. Louis, Saskatchewan
Just outside Prince Albert, St. Louis is known as a friendly town by day. But by night, the town is know for mysterious happenings and strange paranormal occurances. A set of train tracks was covered over after an accident on the tracks had killed an entire family. Legend has it that the engineer responsible for the accident was so plagued with guilt that he committed suicide at the scene and to this day people report seeing the engineer walking and ghost trains coming through the area where the tracks once were.
Have a safe and happy Halloween. I’ll be at the sales centre for the Chaparral Ridge condo project in Martensville tonight. Come and see what it’s all about if you’re not too busy trick or treating!
Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Fusion
More blue than P!nk
It’s just a day before the P!nk concert was scheduled to take place in Saskatoon, and it was announced late yesterday that it has now been postponed. I have to say I’m bummed about her not making an appearance on her original October 24th show date. It’s been announced that doctors have forced her to postpone 3 shows in Western Canada (Winnipeg, Saskatoon, and Edmonton) until the new year.
She was put on a four day vocal rest before her shows in Seattle and Vancouver and after those performances it was clear to the doctor’s that she needed more time to recover from laryngitis and inflamed vocal chords. A cost of doing business I suppose.
The show in Saskatoon has been rescheduled for Jan 15/14 and even though I was really looking forward to seeing her perform live tomorrow night, I will just have to wait like the rest of the eager concert goers. I’m sure it’ll be well worth the wait.
Instead, I think I’ll schedule some buyers in for tomorrow night to view some Saskatoon houses for sale. After all, my show must go on 🙂
Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Fusion
Saskatoon’s 10 year plan
The City has released a 10 year plan to help aid with traffic congestion in some of the growing Saskatoon neighbourhoods. They’ve narrowed down the priority list to include a North Commuter Bridge and arterial roads and interchanges in new suburbs to help people move easily into the rest of the city.
The target is set for the new North Commuter Bridge to open for 2016. Officials are hoping that this will alleviate congestion on the roads to Circle Drive North. There is substantial residential growth in the northeast and the North industrial area is where the majority of the employment growth is occurring.
Plans also call for road construction and development across Saskatoon’s northeast swale, north of the Evergreen subdivision. The swale is an ecologically sensitive area which houses wetlands and diverse habitat for plants and animals. Preserving the ecological areas is a priority to the City and specific crossing points and guidelines will be followed to minimize impact.
Currently there isn’t funding in place for most of these projects. The City of Saskatoon is just identifying what areas are a priority so that they will know how much funding is needed and beginning the planning phases.
Long term, this construction will provide better access in and out of Saskatoon’s expanding neighbourhoods. If you are considering a move to one of these Saskatoon neighbourhoods, contact me for more information regarding area specific construction plans.
Kari Calder
Saskatoon real estate agent
Century 21 Fusion
Saskatoon’s skyline is about to change
The corner of 22nd Street and 3rd Avenue is changing very soon. It has been announced that North Prairie Developments has purchased the lot of the Affinity Credit Union and is planning on building a 27 storey tower in it’s place. This City Centre Tower will possibly become Saskatchewan’s largest building.
The Tower will be a condo/hotel mix complex with close to 200 condo units available. Included in the complex will be underground parking, an attached parkade, fitness centre, meeting facilities, and restaurant. It will also attach to Discover Plaza, the home of BHP Billiton.
With downtown Saskatoon becoming one of the it places to be, this building will only add to the attraction and continue to spark the activity drawn to the area.
Construction is set to begin in March 2014 once the Affinity Credit Union has moved, city council approval is not needed. The Tower is expected to reach a cost of $80-$100 Million and rise to almost 90 metres in height. Currently, the tallest building in Saskatchewan is in Regina; the Mosaic Potash Tower measures in at 84.5 metres.
I believe that this will become a very popular condo project once complete. Downtown Saskatoon has limited options for housing in the city centre area and more recently has noted the conversion of warehouses/retail space into residential condo units. This area hasn’t seen a new residential condo building in a number of years and with the vibrancy and rejuvenation of the area well underway, this will be a very attractive place to call home.
If you are interested in this project and have any questions regarding the future sales of the units, please contact me and I’d be happy to find out more information.
Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Fusion
Saskatoon Real Estate Market Update for September 2013
The September Saskatoon real estate market is in full swing and with an increase of 9.1 per cent 359 houses for sale in Saskatoon sold. This year we saw the market acheive it’s sales with 329 houses in Saskatoon selling for the month of September.
The average home price in Saskatoon didn’t see significant changes with the average house price at $342,983 for 2013. This is up 6.7% from last year’s $321,564 in August.
Currently, the average time to sell a house in Saskatoon is 39 days and has remained near that average for many months.
By the end of September, homebuyers in Saskatoon had 1328 homes to choose from with 397 of those being condos for sale in Saskatoon.
Listing inventory in Saskatoon has increased with 740 new house listings in Saskatoon in 2013 while in 2012 we saw 582 new units placed on the market, signifying a change of 27.1%.
If you are looking for a qualified and experienced Saskatoon real estate agent, contact me for more information or to set up a meeting to discuss the current market and all your real estate needs.
Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Fusion
Welcome to The Banks
Artist rendering of The Banks project in Riversdale. Courtesy: Le Fevre Group.
The Riversdale area has been undergoing some rejuvenation recently and there’s an exciting new condo and commercial project underway. The Banks project, constructed by the Le Fevre Group, is offering affordable, quality constructed residential condominiums as well as commercial space in the River Landing area – also known as Parcel A. There will be 160 residential condos offered in 4 creative buildings available in configurations of studio, 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom, and townhomes starting at under $200,000. The ground floor will be host to 10 commercial spaces and flow into the Farmer’s Market and internal courtyards on the property.
The Le Fevre Group is owned by Chris Le Fevre, a developer from B.C., and is known for it’s inner city renewal developments in Victoria as well as numerous creative developments on Vancouver Island and more recently in Tofino, B.C. The group’s website describes them as “Winners of numerous awards, Le Fevre and Company re-constitutes century-old buildings into innovative living and working spaces and also creates new, modern, eye-catching, “green” buildings as the world adapts to the reality of the “global village”.” Sounds intriguing and something that will fit perfectly into the urban renewal plan of the Riversdale/River Landing area.
Construction is set to commence in March 2014 with possessions beginning in late 2016.
Kari Calder
Saskatoon Real Estate Agent
Century 21 Fusion
