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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/8/2020 (192 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A new apartment building going up at the corner of University Crescent and Pembina Highway is generating buzz for its rates and the quality of its units.
The building at 30 University Crescent, known as 30UC, is being presented as affordable luxury living by Paragon Design Build, the company behind the project.
Paragon uses higher-end finishings in the suites, yet rents will be more than 10 per cent below market value, according to Nigel Furgus, president of Paragon Design Build.
"The building is part of the CMHC (Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation) affordable housing program, which aims to keep rents affordable," Furgus said.
SOU'WESTER
30UC under construction in August, 2020.
The seven-storey, 108-unit building under construction is expected to be finished by January 2021. It’s already 25 per cent leased, with the studio units snapped up quickly.
"We’re calling it the gateway to University Crescent. The building is located five minutes from the University of Manitoba, and along the major Transit corridor, and on active living pathways," Furgus said. "It will have one- and two-bedroom suites as well, all with great views of the surrounding neighbourhood."
Paragon is using steel and concrete to ensure the building remains cool in summer and warm in winter, as well as dampening noise between the suites, and acting as a fire retardant.
The building features rooftop patios on the third and sixth floors with adjacent lounges, hotel-style, furnished guest suites for visitors, and a glass-walled lobby with an exit door to allow anyone watching for a bus to quickly run outside to catch it.
Suites on the seventh floor feature three-metre high ceilings and a view over Fort Richmond, according to Furgus. There is a mix of suites in the building, including studio, one- and two-bedrooms, the latter with either one or two bathrooms. Rent on a one-bedroom unit is $1,268 a month, with a two-bedroom, one bathroom going for $1,665 a month.
SOU'WESTER
Paragon Design Builders president Nigel Furgus inside the show suite at 30 University Crescent, which features furniture a student might choose.
Each unit comes with an in-suite washer, dryer and stainless-steel appliances. Free wi-fi is a selling feature, as are the high-end finishes in each kitchen and bathroom.
There will be 30 parking stalls in the underground parkade, and 70 outside, along with ample indoor bike parking. The architect on the project is BLDG, with Bockstael as the general contractor.
"There is a show suite in the building, but we’ve found that, due to COVID, most bookings have been done on the internet, rather than showing people through the show suite," Furgus said.
Paragon is known for being one of the most active builders of infill apartment buildings, duplexes and single-family homes in Winnipeg, Furgus said.
"Winnipeg is unique because we’ve had very little new multi-family housing built in the last few decades. The market is desperate for new rental buildings and our company is actively looking to ramp up our activity in this area," he said.
For more on 30UC, see www.30uc.ca
Susie Strachan
The Sou'wester community journalist
Susie Strachan is the community journalist for The Sou'wester. Susie got her first paying job as a journalist in the late '80s on the Free Press Weeklies, then followed that with 20 years as a reporter, photographer and specialty editor at the Winnipeg Free Press. She then spent 10 years working for WAVE magazine with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, before returning to her roots as the reporter/photographer for The Sou’wester.