Condominium developments popping up in Prescott-Russell communities

There was a time when condominium developments were associated mainly with more urbanized areas like Ottawa and Montreal.

That isn't the case in the west of Prescott-Russell, where condominiums have been popping up in municipalities like Clarence-Rockland, Embrun, Casselman and Limoges.

Mayors in the United Counties of Prescott-Russell (UCPR) have long discussed the needs for more housing options as more and more Ottawa residents flock to smaller communities in pursuit of a better quality of life for their families.

Francois St-Amour, mayor-elect of The Nation, noted that in September 2010, 307 building permits were issued and a total of 171 new units were created.

"About 140 to 150 of those units are in Limoges," he commented. "Our housing development is booming. We've never really had trouble in that area."

He said construction values in the municipality currently sit at $44.8 million and he expects that number to continue to grow over the coming months and years.

"We're not done growing yet, that I can say for sure," St-Amour stated.

In fact, Oligo Development Group, which specializes in multi-residential buildings such as condominiums, has converted or constructed more than 130 properties and plans to add another 80 in Embrun, Russell and Limoges.

Oligo is also building 34 condominium units (two buildings with 17 units each) in Casselman.

"There aren't any other buildings like this in Casselman at this point," confirmed Oligo president Eric Brisson. "This is very exciting for us and the municipalities."

Brisson said the project will be "quite impressive," featuring a heated underground parking garage and outdoor parking for up to two vehicles per unit. It is estimated the units will start at around $199,000, a price Brisson said "can't be beat anywhere else in town."

He said 70 per cent of buyers are people who work in Ottawa, while the other 30 per cent are retired.

"We are offering people an urban style of living in a small rural community," Brisson noted.

ALJA Real Estate is also planning to launch a 900-unit condominium project in Casselman next year.

"This is our star project," said Jean-Pierre Poulin, president and owner of ALJA, explaining the company is also planning to build 150 condominium units in Rockland.

"These types of residences are gaining in popularity," Poulin said. "Smaller municipalities are seeing more and more units of this type. It's a win-win for everyone involved. We get to build residences for people and more people can move to those smaller municipalities and have the better quality of life they want."