Number of houses sold in July 2008 (in Halton Hills / Georgetown) = 83
Breakdown:
Freehold townhouses = 8
Condo apartments = 1
Condo townhouses = 5
Semi-detacheds = 1
Detacheds = 68
Other types =
Number of houses sold in July 2007 (in Halton Hills / Georgetown) = 90
Number of houses sold in Brampton in July 2008 = 716
Breakdown of Brampton sales:
Freehold townhouses = 55
Condo townhouses = 56
Condo apartments = 39
Semi-detacheds = 161
Detached houses = 400
Other type =
Number of houses sold in Brampton in July 2007 = 841
Construction is moving along on the new Joint Use Regional and Police Facility on Peel Centre Drive in Brampton, Ont.
Bondfield Construction Co. has completion of the six-storey Brampton joint facility scheduled for October 2008. Designed by WZMH Architects, the facility will be connected to the existing headquarters and will include three levels of underground parking.
Consultants are Quinn Dressel Associates (structural); The Mitchell Partnership (mechanical); and Mulvey & Banani International Inc. (electrical).
Construction was set back a year and an additional $1 million investment was required for architectural and structural design revisions to comply with stricter flood plain regulations, but site work for the erection of downtown Brampton’s first condominium in several years is now in full swing.
To be located on a one-acre site on George Street, within eyesight of the City of Brampton’s administration building, the 27-storey Renaissance is expected to kick-start a major revitalization of the historic downtown at the juncture of Main and Wellington streets.
Scheduled for completion by early 2009, the tower will provide an affordable alternative to Brampton’s predominately low-rise market and comply with provincial and city intensification policies for its downtown, says Robert Cooper, president of the Alterra Group, the Toronto-based developer/builder.
Designed by Burlington-based KNY Architects Inc. with structural design by Kalishenko Leonard & Associates Ltd., the project will consist of a stepped-back tower, and a podium with 4,800 square feet of retail space at ground level, parking on four levels and two floors of lofts.
An official opening ceremony for the condominium was held in December. But getting to that point was not an easy process, says Cooper. “We were well received,†says Cooper in a reference to the original municipal approvals it obtained a few years ago. Within a few months of the project’s grand opening in the spring of 2005 approximately 130 units were sold.
Shortly after that, however, Alterra had to go back to the drawing board after learning conservation officials were placing a much stricter emphasis on provincial flood-protection policies. As downtown Brampton is in a floodplain, the construction timetable for the Renaissance project got derailed. “We has just finished the design and were starting the working drawings,†says Alterra architectural designer technician Sara Vanderwal, who was working for the architects at the time.
Alterra convinced Toronto Region Conservation officials the tower would meet regulatory flood plain controls with design changes that included raising the elevation three feet, relocating major electrical and mechanical equipment to the second floor, plus removing a planned second underground parking garage door and other ground flooring openings.
The second door had been intended for garbage trucks, which will now enter the building through the main entrance. A column in the garage drawings had to be removed and replaced with a transfer beam, Vanderwal points out. While the residential component of the building starts at 9.5 feet above grade, a major requirement was an unhindered entranceway for emergency personnel at all times.
Fortunately, the building site abuts a property that’s above the flood plain level and Alterra was able to negotiate a deal with the owner, the Anglican Church, to permit access should such an event occur, says Vanderwal.
“We had to reconfigure the stair well [in the drawings] and will have to build up the grade at that area.†That won’t happen until much later in the construction schedule, says Alterra site superintendent Steve Matijasic. Some of the work to date has included the installation of approximately 200 concrete caissons around the perimeter of the site, plus tiebacks and lagging.
“We need this freezing,†says Matijasic, who recently was anxiously waiting for a cold snap up to remove about 200 loads of excavated soil. With one snowstorm in December, a second one New Year’s Day, followed by the traditional January thaw and rain, the fill was too wet to remove. Dump sites were also closed over the Christmas holidays, he says.
Construction of the footings will probably begin in about eight weeks, with concrete work from the foundation to the roof expected to take 16 to 18 months. The largest and most complicated component of the project will be the parking garage, which consists of two levels of underground parking and the four above-ground levels. There are numerous columns and beams to install, says Matijasic.
“Once we get to the sixth floor [where the tower starts] we’ll be doing a typical floor a week.†The overall project will take about 25 months to complete, says Matijasic.
The Brampton real estate offers very affordable housing when compared to it’s sister city Mississauga. For example, the townhouses in Brampton have sold as low as $135,000! That’s for a 3 bedroom townhouse with 2 washrooms. You can’t even find a 1 bedroom condo in Mississauga for that price.
In 2007 a total of 653 condo townhouses were sold in Brampton. The prices ranged from $135,000 to $350,000. The most affordable townhouses in Brampton were located around the Bramalea City Centre and close to Kennedy and Steeles. The most expensive townhouses were located in various neighbourhoods including Hwy 10 / County court, Hwy 410 / Sandalwood, and some areas of Castlemore.To get a decent condo townhouse in Brampton where you don’t have to pay too much maintenance fees you can expect to pay around $240,000. This will get you a 3-4 bedroom place in a family oriented neighbourhood and the maintenance fees will usually be around $70-$90 per month.
This year the Brampton townhouse market is even busier then last year. So far (up to April 20/2008) over 170 townhouses have already sold. At any time of the year there are around 130 townhouses for sale in Brampton. For those who are not yet able to afford a Semi detached or a Detached house and don’t want to live in a highrise condo a townhouse is the perfect choice. This allows you to buy land in Brampton.
Condo Townhouse Ownership
Townhouse owners hold title to their units and the land beneath them, so townhouse units cannot be stacked on top of each other. As with condos, common areas are owned jointly by all townhouse owners. A property owners’ association usually manages the townhouse complex and collects fees from all owners in order to maintain common areas.The biggest difference between townhouses and condos is ownership of ground space. Condo owners do not own the ground underneath their living area. In Brampton the townhouses are generally adjoin to each other but in general they can also be freestanding. It is important to find out what the maintenance fees will cover and what repairs you will be responsible for.
Why buy a townhouse in Brampton?
1. Low maintenance: Life is busy for everyone. Some people do not mind yard work while other people loathe it. How about snow shovelling? No one likes that! Paying a maintenance fee allows you to leave all this work to someone else. This is especially helpful is you are too busy at work.2. Affordability: It is impossible to buy a house for the same price as a condo townhouse, atleast in Brampton. Even if buying a townhouse in Brampton might not be your first choice atleast it allows you to enter the real estate market rather then renting somewhere
The Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario and the Region of Peel today celebrated the announcement of more than $17Â million in funding for affordable housing in Peel Region. The funding will help create 269 new affordable rental units in two Brampton projects.
“The Government of Canada is committed to making affordable housing available in Ontario and across Canada for those who need it most,†said Minister Solberg. “Here in Brampton, these new apartments will help low-income families and individuals, including seniors and people with special needs, access safe, affordable and quality housing, helping them to build a stronger future.â€
Today’s announcement was made at the Canadian Legion in Brampton, a future affordable rental project sponsored by Peel Housing Corporation. The $35.7 million project, which includes $11.3 million from the Canada – Ontario Affordable Housing Program, will result in 175 apartment units for low-income families and individuals, including seniors and people with special needs.
Georgetown and Halton Hills are known as district W27 in the Toronto MLS system. Here are the statistics for 2007 for W27.
Month
January = 59
February = 88
March = 100
April = 106
May = 103
June = 114
July = 90
August = 79
September = 70
October = 102
November = 96
December = 54
Total number of houses sold in Georgetown / Halton Hills in 2007 = 1061
Breakdown:
Detacheds = 780
Semi-detacheds = 65
Freehold townhouses = 59
Condo apartments = 21
Condo townhouses = 101
Other types = 35
Another strong year for the Brampton real estate market! Here is the breakdown:
Number of houses sold in Brampton in 2007 = 8,426
Detacheds = 4,702
Semi-detacheds = 1,806
Condo apartments = 432
Condo townhouses = 653
Freehold townhouses = 770
Other types =
How many sold each month in Brampton?
January = 543
February = 658
March = 739
April = 887
May = 981
June = 870
July = 841
August = 744
September = 630
October = 601
November = 573
December = 359
