A condo opening in Little Italy will offer additional off-campus housing space for students next year.
The 28-storey building, designed by Ashcroft Homes, is expected to open near the Carling O-Train station in time for the 2016 school year. Ashcroft also plans to open a 25-storey building in the same area in 2018.
Manny DiFilippo, chief financial officer of Ashcroft Homes, said both buildings will be operating under the “Envie” brand.
“The Envie brand is the focus of building student condos that are specifically designed for student living,” he said.
DiFilippo said the reason for constructing the condos is to address a lack of housing options closer to campus for students.
“Students have a tolerance of how much they are willing to commute,” he said. “The beautiful thing about the Envie project is that it’s right on the O-Train, which is really a four-minute ride.”
He also said there aren’t many homes close to Carleton that are “purpose-built” with students in mind.
“There is nothing there outside of converted homes or converted condos,” he said.
The University of Ottawa recently converted a former retirement home and a hotel into off-campus, university-owned residences.
DiFilippo said the only converted homes near Carleton are not directly meant for student living, and the Envie buildings will be tailored for student life.
“We have a management team that is focused on providing the right environment for students,” he said. “It’s purpose-built and purpose-managed for student lifestyle.”
The buildings will provide Wi-Fi, cleaning services, concierge services, party rooms, and plenty of nearby amenities such as coffee shops and grocery stores, he explained.
Carleton housing director Laura Storey said there is already “quite a bit of housing” near campus for students and there is no immediate shortage.
“I don’t think there’s a crisis. I think if there was a crisis, we would be hearing more from students having difficulties finding places to live, and we hear those types of concerns few and far between,” she said.
But she said if students are happy about the new buildings, so is she.
“[Students] are more likely to come to campus if they’re living close by,” she said.
DiFilippo said international students in particular will have more incentive to live in the Envie buildings so they can integrate into the community.
“We know that the university attracts a significant part of foreign students. And we also know that foreign students are more than willing to pay for proper accommodations in a place that allows them to integrate in the community,” he said.
“When they come in, they don’t have to worry about finding accommodations, they don’t have to worry about managing with the landlord [and] having a language barrier,” he said.
The first building opening in September will have one- to four-bedroom apartments.
For a four-bedroom, he said prices could range from $825-850 per tenant. Single studio suites will cost $1,150 per month.
Combined, both buildings will provide close to 1,000 rooms for students.
The first building opening in 2016 will be rented out to students, and the second building will be sold to an investor who will act as the landlord, DiFilippo noted.
Third-year film studies student Ethan Towns said he thinks gearing the condos towards student life is a good idea, but he had no trouble finding off-campus housing.
“If students are willing to pay that extra bit for nicer facilities, then I think it’s a good option,” he said. “I’ve signed a two-year lease for my third and fourth years in a home that is rented specifically to students,” he said. “The landlord is excellent.”
DiFilippo said the chief executive officer of Ashcroft Homes will be meeting with the university on Oct. 19 to help solve Carleton’s housing issues.
“It’s about making sure that Carleton benefits as much as they can from this project, as that will also benefit us,” he said.
