Garneau, Edmonton | Neighbourhood Profile

 

Garneau At A Glance

Homes in Garneau

• Average Asking Price (2011): $349,000
• Asking Price Range (2011): $160,000 to $1,249,000
• Average Home Size (Approx):  1060 ft²
• Size Range (Approx): 430 ft² to 3900 ft²

Garneau Real Estate Market

• Hot Market Index (2011):  *45.8 °G
• Absorption (2011): 47.4%
• Buyer Willingness (2011): 90.6%
• Desirability Score (2011): 95.7/100 (Excellent)
• Dilapidation Score (2006) 9.8% (Good)

Amenities

• Accessibility Score: 168 homes per point of access.
• Parking: Poor, pretty much everywhere.
• Transit: 20 bus stops
• Parks: 4 with direct access to the river valley and biking trails at multiple points.

 

Location & Description

Annexed in 1912 as a part of the Town of Strathcona,  the neighbourhood of Garneau is not very large, partly because the University of Alberta has bought up a number of lots in the area over the past few decades for its own expansion. Garneau is currently located between the river valley to the north and University and Whyte ave to the south. The east side of Garneau ends at 107 street with a jog over to 109 street and the west side runs up to the University. Although there is an Area Redevelopment Plan in place that discourages further encroachment by the University and University Hospital, my guess is that the boundaries of Garneau will continue to shrink over time as the University requires more land.

There is a redevelopment plan in place for the Garneau area and is available here.

 

Garneau is located in Edmonton real estate zone 15 along with Strathcona and Windsor Park.

As with most areas of the city, Garneau had a rush of construction in the 1970s, but because values are so high, there was also a bit of a boom in the 2001-2006 period as well. Many houses are left how they are because the owners are investors, and typically University students are comfortable with the older homes in the area. The newer construction from the 70s on has mainly been higher density apartments being built – the value of the land is just too high to replace houses with houses. Through all of this change, Garneau has become a bit quirky over the years. A mix of pre-war homes, post-modernist tower blocks and new contemporary construction gives Garneau an interesting look and feel. More information on how Garneau has changed through the years can be found at here.

A high percentage (62%) of all the homes in Garneau are highrise apartments. It doesn’t take many highrises to tip the scales in such a small neighbourhood, though. Also, part of Garneau being on Saskatchewan drive pretty much guaranteed highrise apartments would be built. The views of downtown from Saskatchewan drive apartments  make for very valuable units indeed. Because land values are high, Garneau doesn’t have that much space for houses, so only 9% of the community is free-standing homes. These are typically older homes that have been around since the early part of the century – and they are slowly being replaced by higher density stuctures. Lowrise apartments account for almost a quarter of all the units in the area as well. There are a few duplexes in the area, and a small number of row houses, but predominantly Garneau is a neighbourhood of apartments.

Condos in Garneau

There are quite a few condominiums in Garneau for such a small area. They are:

The Andross – 10827 85 Av
April – 8304 107 St
The Caledon – 10810 86 Av
Campus Court – 8619 111 St
Chelsea – 11038 86 Av
Claridge House – 11027 87 Av | A concrete high-rise built in 1979
Electus – 10710 84 Av
Faculty Court – 8108 109 St
Faculty House – 10731 84 Av
Garneau Court – 10933 82 Av
Garneau Estates – 8606 108A St
Garneau Gates – 11025 83 Av
Garneau Gates – 11039 83 Av
Garneau Lofts – 10711 83 Av
Garneau Manor – 10732 86 Av | Addition built in 1984 over an underground parking garage
Garneau Mews – 11140 83 Av
Garneau Place – 11011 86 Av
Garneau The – 10728 82 Av
Garneau Trendz – 10745 83 Av
Hampton Village – 11180 Av
High Level Crossing – 8631 108 St
Hycourt – 11016 86 Av
Manhattan Lofts – 10855 Saskatchewan Dr
Mountain Ash Manor – 10883 Av
Newport Court – 10720 84 Av
Norfolk on Whyte – 8149 111 St
Properties on Whyte – 11111 82 St
Riverwind – 10731 Saskatchewan Dr
Riverwind – 10721 Saskatchewan Dr
Rutherford Place – 8503 108 St (Adult Only)
The Rutherford – 10809 Saskatchewan Dr
Sherwood Glen – 10726 84 Av
Strathcona House – 10883 Saskatchewan Dr | 222 units – ~80% 1-bedroom, ~20% two-bedroom
Suffolk on Whyte – 8125 110 St
University Place – 8488 111 St
University Plaza – 11109 84 Av
Varscona Tower – 11007 83 Av
Victorian in Garneau – 10754 85 Av

Schools

Elementary:

Garneau School | 8530 101 Street – 780 439 2491

Junior High:

~ None in this neighbourhood

High Schools:

~ None in this neighbourhood

Other Schools:

St. John’s Institute Ukrainian Immersion School | 11024 82 Avenue – 780 439 2320

University of Alberta |  85 Avenue 116 Street – 780 492 3111

Parks & Recreation

Garneau only has 4 parks within it’s boundaries but it has direct access to bike trails and hiking trails in the Edmonton river valley on its north border.

There are many little shops and businesses that operate in Garneau. Recently, the Garneau Theatre changed hands and has been Recreationally, Garneau is close to the University of Alberta, which has many facilities for sports and entertainment.

For more information on what’s happening in the neighbourhood, check out the Garneau Community League website.

Access & Parking

Garneau doesn’t have much parking for anyone – residents or visitors. Because the streets are narrow and parking is sometimes only allowed on one side of the street and also because parking is heavily restricted in the area because it is so close to the University parking can be a little trouble. For visitors to Garneau, it’s usually easier to park in Strathcona and walk over, because there won’t be much available.

Parking and access aren’t a huge deal for most of the residents of Garneau, because many can walk to wherever they are going.

Access in Garneau isn’t too bad, but traffic is heavy in the morning and afternoon because of students coming to and from  the University. Whyte avenue is also quite busy as is Saskatchewan drive, so be prepared to wait a bit to enter and exit the area. There are 168 homes for every point of access, which approaches a density of homes per exit/entrance that is much like downtown. This would usually be a problem, but since many residents are students, it mostly doesn’t affect those who live in the area and attend school there as well.

Transit

There are 20 bus stops located inside Garneau – giving a Transit Score of 227.8 (lower is better). Again, this could be a problem if residents of the area were travelling elsewhere, but not if attending the University of Alberta is the primary reason for living in the neighbourhood.

There is no specific LRT access in Garneau, but University Station (located underground at 114 street and 89 avenue) is directly adjacent to the neighbourhood at the University. There is also a street level LRT station located at the University Hospital called the Health Sciences/Jubilee Station. Both of these stations are within reasonable walking distances from Garneau, or could be reached with a short bus ride.

* Source: 2006 Census of Canada, Statistics Canada

by +Alan F Macdonald REALTOR® | Copyright © – gimme-shelter.com

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