The Highpoint condos development in Saskatoon, which will be built by Urban Capital and Victory Majors. (Courtesy Urban Capital/Victory Majors)

The developers of a successful condominium project at the River Landing mixed-use development in Saskatoon are teaming up for a second condo project in the city.

Toronto’s Urban Capital Property Group and Saskatoon-based Victory Majors Development Corp. will build the 17-storey, $60-million Highpoint condo tower across the South Saskatchewan River from their 20-storey No. 1 River Landing project.

Highpoint will include 112 condo units, 8,500 square feet of ground-floor retail space, 15,000 square feet of office space on the second level and 3 1/2 levels of underground parking.

Condo sales are slated to kick off this fall. Construction is scheduled to begin in late 2020 with the building completed two years later.

“Saskatoon has been very good to us,” says Taya Cook, development director of Urban Capital Property Group. “When we launched River Landing a few years ago, we were blown away by the response. We pretty well sold out in the opening weekend.”

The demand at No. 1 River Landing was so strong plans were changed to add additional floors and condo units.

Aside from the condo development, River Landing includes the Alt Hotel and the 18-storey Nutrien Tower, now under construction. It’s next to the new Remai Modern museum.

“River Landing has become this landmark in the city,” Cook says. “We’re quite proud of that building.”

Highpoint to be built on Broadway Avenue

Highpoint will be built on a long-vacant parking lot on Broadway Avenue at the top of the Broadway Bridge. Broadway, a popular retail strip, “is happening. There are so many amenities in the area and it’s incredibly walkable,” says Cook.

When the site became available, “it seemed perfect,” Cook adds. “We’re happy with the way these two buildings are going to talk with each other across the river. It’s really the yin and yang that we’re looking at putting together.”

No. 1 River Landing “is a very black, industrial-feeling building” while Highpoint “is very white and airy. It’s the perfect counterpoint to our River Landing project right across the water. Being able to have a site on either side is really ideal.”

Highpoint will be the tallest building in the surrounding Nutana neighbourhood.

It’s being designed by Architects Alliance of Toronto and Saskatoon-based Aodbt. Aodbt was also the local architectural firm for No. 1 River Landing, for which Montreal-based architectural firm LemayMichaud was the design lead.

Cook says the project has been getting a lot of buzz in terms of online registration, people reaching out to the sales team and even from purchasers of No. 1 River Landing “who want to make sure they’re being kept in the loop in what’s happening in this project.”

No. 1 River Landing had a mix of buyers – from first-timers to downsizers – and she expects the same to happen at Highpoint. It will have suites of up to 2,000 square feet to accommodate a range of families and individuals, she says.

Urban Capital and Victory Majors

The Highpoint condos development in Saskatoon will feature an outdoor terrace and heated saltwater pool. (Courtesy Urban Capital/Victory Majors)

The partnership with Victory Majors has been positive and mirrors a strategy Urban Capital follows across the country, Cook says.

“Every time we go outside of Toronto, we always partner with a local firm.

“We think it’s important to not only better understand the local language, understand the local market, but also to have somebody who really has their feet on the ground and is looking out for the best interests of the project.”

Highpoint prices start at $239,900 for a studio. Indoor and outdoor amenity spaces on the third floor will include a party room, gym, yoga space, lounging areas with fire pit, barbecues and a grove of trees.

There will also be a large heated, outdoor salt-water pool, “something we’ve really shifted toward doing in the last couple of years. A salt-water pool has an extra level of luxury to it. It’s very nice to get away from the chlorine.”

Located near the Meewasin trail network, the condo will have bicycle parking and storage, but will not provide bikes. Urban Capital tried to provide a shared bike system in other projects but the plan did not work.

Cook is hopeful Highpoint will be as popular with buyers as was No. 1 River Landing. 

“No. 1 was a success that the city really hadn’t seen before. It was a shock to everybody. It’s definitely something we would want to point back to.”