N3 Condo success a testament to millennials’ indifference to car ownership
By Lucas on Dec 29, 2015
On site next to the iconic St. Louis Hotel (l-r) Michael Brown, President & CEO of Calgary Municipal Land Corp.; Andy Brethour, President, PMA Brethour Real Estate; Joe Starkman, President, Knightsbridge Homes; Vincent St. Pierre, representing the Hon Kent Hehr, MP Calgary Centre and Minister of Veterans Affairs; Druh Farrell, Calgary Ward 7 Councillor; Kevin Smith, representing the Hon. Joe Ceci, MLA Calgary-Fort and Minister of Finance and Provincial Treasurer; Mike Bakgaard, VP Multi-Family Construction, Knightsbridge Homes; Lisa Mundell, VP Sales, PMA Brethour Real Estate; Lirad Kligman, Development Coordinator, Metropia. Photo: Rob McMorris
In September 2014, Knightsbridge Homes and Metropia made headlines when they launched Calgary’s first car-free condo in the redeveloping East Village neighbourhood. Just two months after the grand opening, N3 Condo is now under construction!
The success of N3 Condo is a testament to how little millennials value car ownership. N3 Condo - promoting “New Attitude, New Lifestyle, New Vision” - offers only bike parking. The developers also gave each purchaser a Biria bike, as well as $500 credit to Car2Go and Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
“We are not trying to change the world, we are just responding to a world that is changing,” says Joe Starkman, President of Knightsbridge Homes. Calgary’s East Village area is undergoing a huge redevelopment and the finished product will be a transit dependent, walkable community.
“Our master plan vision for East Village was informed by over 10 years of public engagement,” explains Michael Brown, President & CEO of Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC). “This community is emerging as a new urban village within Calgary’s downtown core and will eventually be home to over 11,500 residents living in 3,900 residential units. Our entire urban plan is designed to free the public, as much as possible, from their vehicles via a dedicated pedestrian street-system, wider sidewalks and pedestrian bridges.”
Located at 8th Avenue and 4th Street East, N3 Condo is steps away from the City Hall LRT Station, which connects residents to Calgary’s downtown core, as well as Bow Valley College and the University of Calgary. Even Calgary’s downtown core is becoming more pedestrian friendly as more mixed-use buildings are being proposed for the area.
“We understood from the beginning, that for East Village to become an inclusive community, that we needed to have our multi-family partners, deliver a variety of product, which would appeal to not only the first-time home owner but also to the empty-nester who aspires to live in a full master planned community,” adds Brown.
N3 Condo features a total of 167 units with prices starting at $199,900. Targeting millennials with unique design, trendy IKEA furnishings, and a forward-thinking approach to amenity spaces and branding, Knightsbridge and Metropia have hit a homerun.
An example of appealing to a younger demographic is the developers’ decision to commission a scale model of N3 Condo comprised completely out of Lego bricks. The 7’ tall scale model took 600 man hours to complete. This made headlines and it attracted the attention of young prospective purchasers who are looking for a condo building that clicks with them.
Photo: Brian Buchsdruecker - Bookstrucker Photography
We’re not surprised at all that a car-free condo appealed to younger buyers. And we’re not surprised by the innovative strategy by Knightsbridge and Metropia either. Combined, these two developers bring a lot of experience to the table.
Metropia alone has the former CEO of Tribute Communities, Howard Sokolowski, and former Deltera/Tridel Builders President Tony Moro as principals. These two have a combined experience of 60 years on their own!
If you live in Calgary or are interested in making a move out there, you should know that N3 Condo has IKEA furnished units available, starting in the low $200,000s. You don’t need to bring any furniture or your car, just move out west and start living a more walkable lifestyle!
