Hazelview Properties has begun pre-leasing and model suite tours for Story of Willett West, a 530-unit rental community in Halifax’s Clayton Park neighbourhood that will be one of the city’s largest apartment complexes. 

Story of Willett West is comprised of two 17-storey buildings at 210-214 Willett St., each with distinct designs. 

Hazelview has owned the property for over a decade. It was formerly occupied by an older high-rise apartment building and some low-rise housing, managing partner and head of development Michael Williams told RENX.

“We assessed that the apartment was at the end of its useful life in terms of building technology, envelope and heating and cooling,” Williams explained. “So instead of continuously investing in something that requires a lot of capital and wouldn't have much return by way of benefit to the residents, we started to look at how we could redevelop the site.

"Through that process, we came up with an opportunity to incrementally improve the amount of units.” 

After an approximately three-year planning and approvals process, existing buildings were demolished in September 2021 and construction of the new towers began soon after. 

Story of Willett West’s unit mix and sizes

Story of Willett West will provide options ranging from bachelors to three-bedroom apartments, all at market rents.

Sixty-six of the units have one bedroom or one bedroom plus a den that’s large enough to accommodate a double bed and can be used as a second bedroom. 

“This gives people an ability to grow up in that unit before they mature into a larger two-bedroom, which ultimately would cost them more money,” Williams said.

Thirty per cent of the units have two bedrooms or two bedrooms plus a den. There are also 12 three-bedroom units and five bachelor units.

“If you look at vacancy rates across Canada, the demand for bachelors has really dropped off for two reasons,” Williams noted. “One is that the condo market traditionally had a lot of bachelors that would end up in the marketplace as a shadow market supply of rental. 

“And two, it's where costs have gone to have a bachelor unit. Even at 300 or 400 square feet, they can become pretty unaffordable for a single person.” 

The average unit size at Story of Willett West is 775 square feet, broken down this way: 680 for a one bedroom; 750 for one bedroom plus den; 875 for two bedrooms; 1,100 for two bedrooms plus den; and 1,300 for three bedrooms. 

“These units are a little bit larger than what we typically build because that's the Halifax market,” Williams said. “However, they're probably not as large as we've seen traditionally built in Halifax.”

Amenities and programming

Well-amenitized and programmed apartment buildings are relatively new to Halifax, according to Williams, so he believes Story of Willett West’s offerings will appeal in part due to these features.

The buildings will feature two levels of underground parking, a combined 12,000 square feet of indoor amenity space and 15,000 square feet of rooftop terraces and outdoor gathering areas. Amenities will include: fitness and yoga studios; social lounges; children’s play areas; chef’s kitchens; and rooftop terraces with barbecue stations and seating. 

“We've designed these buildings to be complementary of each other, but to provide a little bit of variability in design finish and some of the suite layouts, which allows us to make sure that we're supplying units to a wider range of prospective residents,” Williams said.

Smart technology will be provided by a digital operations platform from VTS that enables secure keyless access and provides a seamless way to connect with building management through an interactive mobile application.

Partnerships with outside companies

Residents will also enjoy exclusive benefits and discounts from national and local partners — from appliance brands like Whirlpool, to furnishings from EQ3, to Casper mattresses and more.

“We look at the things people are using day to day and how we can help impact lowering that cost for them,” Williams said. “It's a little bit farther and a little bit deeper than what the typical approach is.” 

Story of Willett West is located in close proximity to retail, service providers, schools and the Lacewood Terminal transit hub.

Halifax’s population has been growing. According to RentCafe’s third-quarter Renter Interest Report, it’s Canada's second-most sought-after city for renters drawn by its job market, lifestyle appeal and expanding housing options.

South Tower will welcome its first residents in January, followed by North Tower in April. About 20 leases were signed in the first month and stabilization is expected to take more than a year.

Other Hazelview apartment developments

Developers that formerly focused on condominiums are now moving into purpose-built rental apartments after the crash of the condo market, but Williams believes Hazelview’s experience and track record will serve it well despite potentially increased competition.

“Our national platform sits at around 3,000 units under construction,” Williams said. “From a cost perspective, we've moved into an area that’s a lot healthier than it was two or three years ago — albeit we still need to do some work around development charges, taxes and fees, and some of the supply costs could still come down a bit.

"But it's getting into an area where there's a rare opportunity to try to get things in the ground.” 

Hazelview’s highest-profile apartment development involves 856 units as part of a master-planned mixed-use community at the corner of Bloor Street West and Dufferin Street in Toronto. 

The project includes 34- and 38-storey towers connected by a seven-storey podium. There will also be an eight-storey building with 56 purpose-built rental units to be conveyed to the City of Toronto exclusively for public affordable housing.

Williams said the development is ahead of schedule and leasing should begin next summer.