The Lofts at 359 Water

Spring at the Lofts

2012-04-29T11:50:00.003-07:00

Spring is well on its way! Why not stroll by the Lofts during an open house or arrange a tour?

Welcome to the Lofts in Winter.

2012-02-07T16:55:00.000-08:00

Here's our view of the Summerside harbour this winter: beautiful, calm, amazing. Over the next weeks you can expect some photos from each unit, as well as some treats from the past year!

What's Your Seacoast Style?

2010-08-05T13:22:00.001-07:00

Hamptons meet the Summerside Harbour.

Owners of Loft 1 at 359 Water allowed us to take a peek into their stylish, upscale condo on the downtown Summerside waterfront. From fresh hues to the just-so complimentary stainless steel accents, this contemporary condo is the perfect example of where Summersiders can let their imaginations and creativity take them with the creation of the Lofts at 359 Water.

Here are a few shots to show the owners' early summer in review.
Storm lanterns add to the seacoast feel - and light up the main floor with warm, shimmering light at night.

The beautiful timber beam ceiling peeks up into the loft area, adding splashes of colour and light to the whole main floor. A chandelier graces everything else with a subtle touch of class.

Gorgeous corner dining area looking out upon sunlit Summerside and the harbour - still slightly a decorating project for the owners at this time.Bright, space-efficient kitchen area still under construction at this time.

A more comprehensive view of the very spacious, bright, and luxurious Loft layout.

Stairs lead to the second floor loft, to both master and second bedroom. Sunlight filters through every corner of the Lofts and bright seacoast colours are offset by deep original timber beams, giving the true loft feel.

Spacious bridge and hallway lead to the master bedroom and second bedroom upstairs...

Simplicity abounds in the master bath upstairs. The owners specifically designed an understated bath, despite plans that suggested a more luxurious and spacious layout, realizing how little they have used luxury baths in the past. Other Loft layouts include fuller spa baths.

A cozy and private nook for husband and wife in their bedroom, where they will meditate at dawn and unwind together at dusk...awaiting their comfy chairs and current reads.An upstairs bridge with metal railings leads to a teenager's room - a style all her own.

Her walls reflect her demure yet stylish personality - edgy, striking moss green paired with charcoal grey are the perfect palate for her artistic soul.

Even her ensuite bathroom reflects her chic contemporary taste.

Bedroom windows look out onto the Summerside harbour.
Top it off with the beautiful view from a bedroom window.

GUESS at IT! Week 6 - Answer: Local Developers "BAYSIDE BUILDERS" and "IPAX (Island Peace) Management"

2010-04-09T14:47:00.000-07:00

You guessed IT! It was possibly sturdily built by shipbuilders but the lovely building you now see was updated by BAYSIDE BUILDERS! The Lofts at 359 Water are designer all the way - and promise to bring a fresh new lifestyle to Summerside! Why do we boast that IT is climate conscious? Because it's been built 100% energy efficient to conserve our environment and costs to owners!

Downtown group hoping for detailed development plans in tonight’s budget

2010-04-07T18:38:00.000-07:00

Downtown group hoping for detailed development plans in tonight’s budget
MIKE CARSON
The Journal Pioneer

SUMMERSIDE - Finance chair deputy Mayor Bruce MacDougall brings down the 2010 municipal budget tonight, but he was not giving away any details beforehand.
Downtown Summerside Inc. offered observations of what they would like to see come out of Monday’s fiscal document.
Local developer and Downtown Summerside president Peter Brown said the city needs to have a stimulus package for the downtown core if it is serious about bring the area back to life.
Read the full article HERE: http://359water.blogspot.com/p/in-press.html

GUESS at IT! Week 5 - Answer: Cartoonist Wayne Wright

2010-04-06T09:45:00.001-07:00

IT does have a less glamorous recent history as the Atlantic Co-op Feed building.

Friend and cartoonist, Wayne Wright, made us all chuckle with his own rendition of our restoration project: a sow's ear has become a silk purse!

Read up more on The Lofts at 359 Water's illustrious history HERE http://359water.blogspot.com/p/call-and-win.html

Guess at IT! Week 4 - Answer, Captain William Richards

2010-03-26T14:19:00.000-07:00

Guess at IT! Week 4: IT went from general store to warehouse - whose? You already know that it was once a general store that served locals faithfully in St. Eleanor's for many years (thank you, Mr. William Reid) and now you know that it was purchased by Hon. William Richards. In fact, its "Heritage Property Name" is "Richards Warehouse" and owned by him from 1872-1913. In his lifetime he was a renowned shipbuilder in both Summerside and Egmont bay; of course, we already mentioned he married Susan Yeo; and he even went on to serve many fruitful years in parliament - as did his sons, James and John, after him.

Find out more about Hon. William Richards and the Lofts at 359 Water history details of this week HERE http://359water.blogspot.com/p/call-and-win.html

Guess at IT! Week 3 - Answer: James Yeo

2010-03-26T14:05:00.000-07:00

Guess at IT! Week 3: ITs owner's father-in-law was PEI famous. Who was he?
Famous, famous, famous, that is! James Yeo was known to be a gruff, intelligent, demanding and business savvy man. The famous shipbuilder, store-owner and "richest man on the colony" was also stringent about who his daughters could marry. One of the Lofts at 359 Water's original owners, a captain and business partner, was privileged enough to married James Yeo's daughter...but we won't let this man's name slip yet...because his name is the answer of next week's trivia!

Captain Yeo built his famous homestead in what is now Tyne Valley area, on land he himself named "Green Park". He was one of the first to bring his shipbuilding endeavors not only to the Island, but also to Summerside. Have you been to his house? Visit his and come back to live in IT! You can read more about the Yeos HERE.

Guess at IT! Week 2 - Answer: St. Eleanor's

2010-03-16T09:58:00.000-07:00

Guess at IT! Week 2: IT once served folks WHERE before being moved closer to rail and water access? For many years - certainly from the 1870s, if not before - it was located at the St. Eleanor's corner (on the quadrant occupied by the present municipal building) where it served as a general store operated by William Reid.

More details about this historical fact HERE http://359water.blogspot.com/p/call-and-win.html

Live Freely In Order To... "Add Fun to Your Future" says Magazine

2010-03-15T12:15:00.000-07:00

We loved this article from Celebrated Living Magazine, telling us that we can be anything we want to be when we "grow up" and encouraging us to "add fun to [our] future". At the Lofts at 359 Water, begin LIVING freely so you can follow those dreams!

Quotes from the article follow. Feel free to be inspired!

A funny thing happened on the way to a lazy retirement consisting of watching grass grow for Robert and Patricia Gussin. They had done all the right things. Robert had retired as chief scientific officer of Johnson & Johnson in 2000. Patricia also retired after a long career in research-and-development positions at McNeil Consumer Products and Johnson & Johnson Consumer Pharmaceuticals. Then, in 2002, on a trip to New Zealand, Patricia asked, “Wouldn’t it be fun if we owned a vineyard?” And so they bought one. A few years later, they bought a second, and today they own about 70 acres, producing 200 tons of grapes annually, enough to make around 200,000 bottles, split among sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, and pinot noir. They now spend nearly five weeks a year in New Zealand overseeing their vineyards, and they say they would spend more time there except that in 2006, they started Oceanview Publishing, a publishing house that now releases about a book a month and has multiple authors under contract. This is clearly not your father’s retirement.

*****

“It’s not a case of retirement getting redefined. That has happened; it has been redefined,” says Dennis Niewoehner, 64, a retired Colorado real estate developer who has authored The Transition: Winning the 4th Quarter of Life. “What Baby Boomers want in retirement is life fulfillment.”

What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?
Stumped about your interests? Keep thinking. “There is something everyone wants to do once they are retired,” assures David Corbett, author ofPortfolio Life: The New Path to Work, Purpose, and Passion After Fifty. He adds that he has worked with clients who, after long corporate careers, have reinvented themselves as sheep farmers, cheese makers, nonprofit-agency executives, even world-peace advocates. The exact choice does not necessarily matter. What does matter is picking the next act that “is fulfilling to you,” says Corbett.

Another point to ponder: Are you ready to live to 100? Just when you start thinking about a long retirement, suddenly it may be getting even longer. “The 100-plus age group is the planet’s fastest growing,” says Dr. Eric Plasker, a Georgia chiropractor and author of The 100 Year Lifestyle. “85,000 people in the U.S. are over 100, and none of them planned to get there. You may not have a choice about getting there. Your 100th birthday just may show up one day.”

Check out the full post here:

http://www.celebratedliving.com/tabid/3097/tabidext/4739/default.aspx

Guess at IT! Week 1 - Answer: William Reid!

2010-03-05T13:04:00.000-08:00

GUESS AT IT! WEEK 1: Who owned IT? (Hint: Initials are W.R.) Correct! The Lofts at 359 Water were previously owned - and operated - by one "William Reid". View full details about Mr. Reid HERE http://359water.blogspot.com/p/call-and-win.html

Sunkissed and Magical! February 2010! We're almost there!

2010-02-15T14:13:00.000-08:00

Summerside Supports our Own, Olympian Heather Moyse!

2010-02-15T12:33:00.000-08:00

We believe in you, Heather!

Bayside Builders and Ipax Property Management, along with the Journal Pioneer, Moving Designz, Harbour Terrace and Revolution Media support our own Island Olympian, Heather Moyse! Check out the sign on the Harbour Terrace building downtown!

PEI Voted Top 10 Islands to Live!

2010-01-26T07:38:00.000-08:00

Frommers has voted Prince Edward Island in the top 10 of the 500 most extraordinary Islands in the world! (We include an excerpt from the article below. For the full article click HERE!)

Choose Your Escape

"Our new book 500 Extraordinary Islands began to take shape as sort of a life list -- how many islands have you been to, and which have you always dreamed of seeing? As our final list evolved...we found ourselves broadening the definition, expanding our concept of what makes an island alluring. But our main criterion was simple: We wanted to offer the 500 islands you'd most want to visit -- or perhaps stay on forever. Here are 10 of the most interesting.

Prince Edward Island, Canada: Beyond Green Gables

Sometimes all the Anne of Green Gables hoopla around Prince Edward Island gets to be a bit much.

How can a century-old series of children's books define an entire Canadian province? Drive around PEI's low rolling hills blanketed in trees and crops, and that bucolic past celebrated in Lucy Maud Montgomery's books makes sense after all. Beyond the jagged coast with its inlets and historic fishing villages, you'll discover that small farms make up the island's backbone...."

The lovely Prince Edward Island welcomes you to your own home here...to visit or to stay forever!

Wait - What Happened to the old "Co-Op Feed" Building? Would you like to take a peek?

2010-01-21T12:55:00.001-08:00

Beautiful front face of the Lofts building.
Dormers and sideview show where beautiful windows will soon be!
Stunning balcony views will grace a northeastern side.
Southwestern entryway door with gorgeous window detailing.
A southwest facing view with dormers and garages.
Indoor parking garages taking shape!

Interior shots of the beautiful loft windows.

Powerful foundational beams support our structure.

President of Bayside Builders now President of Downtown Summerside, Inc!

2010-01-19T08:03:00.001-08:00

NEWS

Last updated at 5:54 PM on 18/01/10

	Local developer Peter Brown, president of Bayside Builders, took over as interim president of Downtown Summerside Inc. in December. Brown's vision for the downtown area includes more housing development to draw people who will eventually build up the business sector. Stephen Brun/Journal Pioneer

More people, more business seen as keys to downtown's future
Peter Brown takes over as interim president of Downtown Summerside Inc.

STEPHEN BRUN
The Journal Pioneer

SUMMERSIDE - If you bring them here, they will build it.
That's Peter Brown's philosophy when it comes to drawing new residents and businesses to Summerside's downtown core.
Brown took over the volunteer position of interim president of Downtown Summerside Inc. after the resignation of Nelson Snow in December.
"My motivation is to get more people living in the downtown area while the city's motivation is getting people to work downtown," said Brown. "If you bring the people here, they'll create the jobs. We're hoping to have some sort of balance in working toward both those aspects."
He would prefer to see condominium development to help attract empty-nesters and retirees to the downtown area.
Brown is president of Bayside Builders, but said his ideas aren't motivated by his business agenda.
"There are so many useable buildings in the city and many businesses have second storeys that are underutilized," he said. "We could have six to eight additional development companies come into Summerside. There is some value in the bones of these older buildings and you can marry that with new development."
While there are opportunities for younger people in sectors such as e-health that already exist in Summerside, Brown said, he'd also like to focus on making part-time residents permanent fixtures in the city.
During Snow's eight years as Downtown Summerside's president, businesses grew from 203 to 218, and employee numbers rose from 1,976 to 2,206.
But some businesses and employees have also left during that time. And while the west-end boardwalk, and Credit Union Place have been completed, other projects like the revitalization of Water Street have not.
"We need the business community to invest and buy into the base we've created," said Brown. "It's frustrating for business people because the customers aren't there."
Brown will remain president at least until the organization's annual general meeting in April.

18/01/10

Ah, thank you, Summerside, for such glorious sunset glow

2009-12-21T12:06:00.000-08:00

Oooo, more dormers! Snazzy...

2009-12-21T12:01:00.000-08:00

Cloudy November evening sees us peeking inside...still hard to picture yet though!

2009-12-21T11:14:00.001-08:00

The sunsets promise to be stunning. So, we forge ahead to make good on the Lofts too!

2009-12-21T10:59:00.000-08:00

The stunning harbour view from inside the dormer window, third floor of the Lofts.

The view from the soon-to-be screened in room on the third floor of the Lofts. Beautiful!
The Bayside Builders construction team building the front roof.

A great side view of the Lofts with harbour in background.

Where the parking garage will go up...any day now!
A view of the interior: original timber beams that will give the Lofts their flare!

One of the indoor garage spaces in the works.
Where a garage door will be - soon!
Our Bayside Builders team at last taking a well-deserved coffee break!
Beautiful late Autumn views will become even more beautiful Summer views!

Hmmm...one man's junk is another man's treasure...?

2009-12-17T10:35:00.000-08:00

A beautiful shot of the Lofts under construction, from across the street.

Our Bayside Builders team hard at work!

Side views of the Lofts with a view of the harbour.

Sure, she may still look like the old "Co-Op Feed Building", but looks can be deceiving...

2009-12-16T14:51:00.000-08:00

The Lofts at 359 Water still retaining the original roof.

Shots of the indoor parking garage foundation.

Journal Pioneer: Former Feed Building to Get New Lease on Life

2009-05-29T08:57:00.000-07:00

Below we post an article printed in the Journal Pioneer, May 29, 2009. Excitement builds at the prospect of gentrifying this beloved heritage building!

NANCY MACPHEE
The Journal Pioneer

SUMMERSIDE – The building may not be much to look at now.
But that will change this fall when the former west-end warehouse’s transformation into a million-dollar multi-unit condominium complex is complete.
Peter Brown and Mike Fraser are converting the old Co-op feed building at 359 Water St. into mid-scale condos and commercial space.
“We saw some value in adaptive reuse of the building,” said Brown.
The building’s been vacant Atlantic Co-op Country Store’s closure in July 2008.
The condo project received approval in April from the city’s planning board.
Since, the developers have stripped the structure to its “bones”.
The timber-framed two-and-a-half-storey building on the east corner of Water and Cedar streets is structurally sound, built around 1870 by local shipbuilders.
“We took off all of the additions that went up over the years,” said Brown. “We are going to retain in the interior, as much as we can, any of the exposed beams.”
The foundation, built to commercial standards in 1949, is also solid, he added.
Brown’s been involved with two other city condo projects.
Harbour Terrace, above the Journal Pioneer, was his first project and was more “upscale high-end” — in the $300,000 to $400,000 range per unit. The Suites on St. Stephen, across Second Street from Valu-foods, houses “entry-level” condos, at around $120,000 and up.
The Lofts at 359 Water is somewhere in between.
“We’re the only developers doing condominiums in Summerside. We have to provide a mid-range product, both in size and in price point,” said Brown. He sees the potential tenants as those in their 50s to early 60s.
“We see it as much more attractive to the local market who is ready to get rid of their house and the maintenance.”
At Harbour Terrace, four units are for sale while at Suites on St. Stephen, six units of the 12 units
have sold and two have offers pending.
Each 1,500-square-foot condo at Lofts of 359 Water starts at around $200,000.
When complete, the building will almost double in size to 7,500 square feet.
“We’ll be adding four dormers to the west. Then there will be a four-bay garage to the north,” explained Brown.
A single-bay garage will be added on the southeast section of the complex.
On the east, patios will face downtown with the front facing west.
The complex’s main floor will consist of residential and potential commercial space while the basement and top floor will house condos. In total, five condo units will be constructed.
It will include a geothermal heating system with compressors in each unit.
Already there’s interest in residential and commercial space.

To view the original article, go to:

http://www.journalpioneer.com/index.cfm?sid=255741&sc=118