If you build a condo, will they come?

So far, condominium development in Weyburn has brought quite a bit of growth and construction activity to the city, with one being built, a second about to begin construction and a third new condo building now being presold by local realtors.

A 22-unit condo building is currently under construction at 122 Government Road, with all four floors now framed and the doors, windows and roof trusses to arrive within the next couple of weeks, said Leslie Smith, a realtor with Royal LePage. This building, called Signature Estates, is 100-per-cent sold out, and "we'll be moving people into their homes in January of 2008. Everything is on schedule so far, and it's gone very smoothly."

The parking will be at grade, with three stories of condos or homes above that, and they range in size from 812 to 1,808 square feet. The second and third floors will have eight condos each, and the top floor will have six.

"There are a significant number who purchased in this building who are moving here from rural areas," said Smith, adding the split is about 60-40, with around 60 per cent made up of city residents who are selling their homes to move to a condo.

Not only has this building brought in some new residents to the city, but there were more names interested than they had room for, thus the realtors are now planning to build another condo on the vacant lot at the corner of First Avenue and Government Road, adjacent to the Weyburn fair grounds and Tom Laing Park to the west.

This will also be a 22-unit condo building, about the same size as Signature Estates, with the same range of condo sizes. Preselling has begun on this building, to be called Sunset Estates, and if this process goes well, construction will begin this fall, said Smith, with construction to take roughly nine months from start to finish.

The city will be rezoning this piece of land at their next council meeting on Aug. 13 to enable construction of this building, which will sit east-west, with the front doors facing Government Road.

The building permit for Signature Estates was worth some $2.5 million to the City of Weyburn, and for the new condo building to be constructed on Souris Avenue, the building permit was issued as of the end of July worth close to $5 million for a 23-unit building, said Doug Mulhall of the city's building department.

After some initial difficulties, as their first contractor passed away, the developers are preparing to get into construction soon, with the units about 85 per cent sold.

"It's a high-end condominium that will be built in one of the best locations in the city, and it will be proceeding soon," said Don Schlosser, one of the owners of the development.

He was not able to say when the startup of construction will be, but said, "I'm fully confident people will be living in it by this time next year, in fact they will be in before then. We'll have no problems selling it out."

This development, City View Premier Estates, is being represented by Weyburn Security.

The 45 multiple-family dwelling units these two condos will have are in addition to the 25 new single-family dwellings as of the end of June, and the 51 residential lots sold by the city. A new update on building permits and construction will be given at the Aug. 13 council meeting.