Next year, Mr. Edgar plans to begin construction on a purpose-built rental project located three blocks west from Maclab’s The Parks, in downtown Edmonton. Capitalizing on the City of Edmonton’s
investment to revitalize Warehouse Park, Autograph Group’s
proposed 300-unit building would cater to the higher end of the rental market.
“We’re looking at CMHC’s MLI Select program,” Mr. Edgar says. “That program is really propping up the purpose-built rental business. It’s very challenging to make the economics work on these apartment buildings without utilizing CMHC financing right now, just due to the costs and the revenue model.”
Mr. Edgar’s vision, however, is significantly different to the initial plan for the site, which
included two high-rise towers and 780 rental units. “We just feel that [300 units] is a more appropriate level of density to build on the site,” he says. “With the demand we’re forecasting, we feel really optimistic about the success of a building of that size.”