Accessibility was paramount when Sue Barbeau and Rick Gordon moved from a three-bedroom house in Orléans to Brigil’s 460 St-Laurent luxury rental residence in June of this year.
« I have a spinal cord injury and I’m in a wheelchair, » said Gordon. « My house was not wheelchair accessible. » They had to find a place where a wheelchair could be accommodated.
« We looked at a few places and noticed this one, » he said. « It had convenience and location, and a way of living that fitted our lifestyle. We soon decided this was the best place for us. There’s a nice restaurant, a coffee shop, a swimming pool, a gym, and it was easy for me to move around. It has everything I want, and everything I need is not very far. » Retiring in three years, the couple wanted a place where, « we’ll probably spend the rest of our life. » They love the « amazing view and huge windows. »
« We always had houses before, and so there was always something to do, » said Barbeau. « Here we pay the rent and it includes everything. The employees do an amazing job and if something is wrong or broken, it’s fixed very fast. It’s like a family community. Rick can go almost anywhere, and it’s very, very safe. »
The friendliness and ambience of Brigil’s 460 St-Laurent community is what appealed to three-year resident Joseph Laframboise.
« I was looking for a place to live, » said the OC Transpo bus driver. « The hard sell of other places turned me off. Here, when I was looking, they instantly made me feel like home – and it’s always been the same. »
When he returns after his early morning bus shifts, he comes home to friendly greetings from his friends and neighbours. « In some other apartment buildings, people don’t want to talk to you, but here there’s no pressure on you. It’s so relaxing.
« It’s the best thing I’ve ever had. The staff is amazing, and the people are so friendly. I’ve had a lot of apartments, and this place blows my mind. »
« What makes the Brigil community special is the community aspect, » said Jessy Desjardins, Brigil’s vice-president of conception and development. « Our managers love their communities and really want to make them flourish. »
Brigil’s luxury rental properties include 460 St-Laurent, Baseline, Center Park, Petrie’s Landing and The Dale.
« It’s been a concept that Gilles Brigil has been working on with the team for a very long time, » said Desjardins. « He realized that empty nesters didn’t really want to go into a retirement home right away after leaving their homes. The idea is to create a sense of community where people can gather and live together and have all the benefits of a very big home but with the chores of a small one. »
The concept appeals to more than empty nesters. « We hear that people appreciate the diversity in the community, » said Desjardins. « There’s a strong connection between someone who has just retired and someone who has just started their career, and they can interact and benefit from each other. It’s an exchange.
« The concept of segregating and isolating individuals results in a feeling of disconnection from the real world, » he added. « It’s the perfect lifestyle for empty nesters as well as the young professionals. »
Brigil rentals offer a wide range of amenities that complement the location. At St- Laurent are a rooftop restaurant and a coffee shop on the ground floor, a big lounge space where people can play pool and watch movies, an interior gym and pool. « We also have a family doctor’s office on site and a hair salon and a massage room, » said Desjardins.
Ryan MacDougall, marketing and sales manager at Uniform Urban Developments, said that there’s « a strong market of people looking to sell their home, cash in, and move into a well-built and thoughtfully designed apartment rental. » Luxury rentals are « a diversification in Uniform’s offering, » he said. « The market for housing is changing and as a home builder, we need to offer different forms of housing. Not just in size and scale, but also in terms of buying versus renting.
« We’ve always built quality product, and our buyers have benefited from the appreciation in value over time. Now Uniform can hold on to these assets and renters can experience our quality. »
« For Uniform’s first foray into rental in Kanata, the amenities are at a minimum – but we kept the finishes in entries and hallways in the high-end, » said Emily Meyers, marketing and communications manager at Uniform Urban Developments. « We ensured that we have very well thought out outdoor landscaping, and added an outdoor barbecue and picnic area. So far the Kanata market has responded that some people just want a well-appointed building and they don’t want the extras. It’s a very approachable scale for people transitioning into their first rental space. »
In the east end, Uniform’s Wateridge Village is located on the former Canadian Forces Rockcliffe Lands, overlooking the Ottawa River. « We’re taking that same low-rise building formula, with a smaller number of units, » said Meyers, « but we’ll be adding a community building with a common party room and possibly a small-scale gym space or meeting facility. We’re trying to feel out what people will gravitate to in the next year. »
