Simon Fuller is a consummate sailor, used to navigating choppy waters and riding out nasty storms.
His skills have come in handy during the past five years as he has tacked through disbelief, irritated neighbours, and a recession while developing Tall Ships Landing, a luxurious condo tower, hotel and marina planned for Brockville's waterfront.
Construction is set to start next spring on the 20-storey tower which will have a posh hotel on the lower floors and a neighbouring Marina Discovery Centre, detailing the rich history and commerce of the St. Lawrence River.
The first residents will be moving into condos in the spring of 2012. For now, buyers can walk through an impeccably decorated condo in the sales centre or rest in one of the chairs on the recessed balcony overlooking a marina and the family-owned Brigantine Fair Jeanne, which was gently bobbing on the water during a recent visit.
Fuller picked every piece of furniture for the model and designed every nook, even ensuring the windows were low enough so residents sitting on a couch in the living room or lying on their bed in the master bedroom could see large merchant ships navigating through the Thousand Islands. The view is magnificent.
Some might say he's obsessed with the multi-million dollar project launched when the economy was booming and based on the concept of luxury living in this water playground.
The plan was to draw buyers from Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa with a passion for the water and deep enough pockets to pay prices that start at $305,900 for a 995-square-foot condo looking over Brockville and rising to $995,900 for a penthouse and 1,8994-square-feet of living space and a huge view down the river.
"I am a sailor and used to adjusting sails and changing course when
needed," Fuller says during one of his frequent trips down Highway 416 to the Tall Ships sales centre, which is tucked behind one of the town's marina.
The ambitious project is a natural fit for Fuller who loves the water and can trace his architectural roots back to 1859 and his great-grandfather Thomas Fuller II, who with Chilion Jones, designed the original Centre Block and Library of Parliament. Fuller was named chief architect of the Dominion of Canada in 1881 and his son Thomas Fuller III held the same position in 1927.
Family roots are also deeply imbedded in Brockville, with a sign outside the stern stone Dominion Post Office and Custom House at 14 Court House announcing its lineage: The Thomas Fuller Building.
Fast forward to 2005 and Simon Fuller is investigating the possibility of developing a luxury set of condo buildings on the waterfront.
It took three years to get the proposal through city council and a neighbour renting an apartment in a nearby building didn't like the idea of losing a river view, so took Fuller to the Ontario Municipal Board. The board backed the project, but Tall Ships was delayed and sales of the 82 condos lagged.
Then last fall, the economy crumbled and the first wave of older buyers didn't want to wait for work to start on the first tower.
Fuller is philosophical about the challenges, taking a new focus on younger buyers who are two or three years away from retirement and able to count on a pair of indexed pensions from the government.
Ray and Judy Saunders fit the Tall Ships' profile exactly. They are in their 50s, senior professionals in the government, and a few years from retirement. "We usually take our time making a decision, but we saw an ad in the newspaper, visited the website and went down to visit the full-scale model on a Sunday. We bought on a Thursday," says the construction project manager, who harbours a love for antique boats and a membership in Manotick's Classic Boat Club.
The Saunders raised three children in a large, two-storey home in Beacon Hill North filled with hefty furniture inherited from their families. "It was important that the condo have a full-sized dining room to take my wife's walnut table," he says.
The Saunders will be downsizing when they trade their four-bedroom home for life on the 19th floor and a 1,616-square-foot condo in 2012.
It's not a big deal because their children have already laid claim to a lot of the furniture.
Location was key because the Saunders want to keep their doctors and dentists, stay close to their friends, and regularly attend the National Arts Centre. "Brockville is a nice little town. It has lots of conveniences, outdoor cafés and a market. And it is an hour away. Kingston is a little too far, especially if you are driving home after attending the NAC," says Saunders.
"It's also the right distance for friends to come and visit," says Saunders, who says they will likely head south for four to six weeks to escape the winter. "We are very blessed."
Ian Coristine, a former race car driver, pilot, photographer and owner of a small house on Raleigh Island, west of Brockville, also feels blessed to live in the Thousand Islands and buy into Tall Ships.
Initially, Coristine bought a corner condo on the 11th floor as an investment, but a few weeks ago decided it would be a permanent address.
He's not going to give up his island, partly because there is a slip just large enough to accommodate his light, float plane. Instead, he plans to sell the large property he shares with his wife, Mary Coristine, in Hudson, Que.
"I am only going to be able to keep a few precious possessions, but you know, I don't need a lot of space," says Coristine, who discovered the Thousand Islands and Brockville when he took a right turn out of Hudson 15 years ago and decided to fly up the St. Lawrence River.
"Brockville is a secret place. It is a magical little city," says the 60-year-old Coristine, who has published a series of photographic books on the Thousand Islands. He has buzzed Brockville capturing early mornings on the river and views he will see from his corner condo come the spring of 2012. Then a morning coffee will be all he needs to fuel his imagination.
Sheila Brady is the Citizen's Homes editor. You can reach her at sbrady@thecitizen.canwest.com .
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