Brookpark Gardens

Initially built as a rental development in 1979, the 102 apartments in these five frame buildings were condo converted in 1989 by Porter Armstronge Holdings, and have since seen owners contribute to catch up on maintenance and improve the buildings. The large property has enough parking for everyone and some for visitors and still leave room for some lawns and a small playground. The location and affordability of the homes draws people with a child or two, who take advantage of Southland Leisure Centre across the street and nearby South Glenmore Park.

Suites in the three-storey buildings have broad living room windows, a wood-burning fireplace, and a patio or roomy balcony with a storage closet (in all but four cases) to supplement the in-suite storage area. The buildings have no basements or out-of-suite storage. Buildings A and B facing onto the Boulevard have 18 and 12 suites each, while buildings C, D, and E facing the parking courtyard are identical with 24 suites each.

Among the 102 suites are seven floor plans. One-bedroom homes are 655 or 664 square feet, two-bedroom homes are 853, 864, or 883 square feet, and the three-bedroom homes are either 1,071 or 1,076 square feet each. The original finishing of suites was modest and did not include in-suite laundries, although a few added that feature and there's coin-op on the main floor of each building. Well-behaved pets are allowed within a weight limit set by the Board.

The Brookpark Gardens ondominium plan allocates unit factors to suites in proportion to their sizes, and I keep the plan on file.