Condo-blogger Ben K. has posted his initial thoughts on Rollin Street Flats after going on a hard hat tour today:
Overall, the build quality and finishes met expectations, definitely an upgrade over Veer Lofts.
Based on the model unit at the Discovery Center and marketing materials I was anticipating the homes would be a bit more refined with large open layouts. With the exception of the two-bedrooms, the layouts were not too dissimilar from other recently completed condo developments. To me, the layout as well as the sterility of the exposed concrete walls and ceilings were quite reminiscent of Mosler Lofts. The decks seemed a bit too narrow, probably wide enough for potted plants and a bistro set, but not much else. The “shotgun” units on the alley side don’t seem receive a lot of ambient daylight, mostly due to the depth of the units, something to keep in mind if you like bright and airy living spaces.
Here's my favorite part of the whole thing:
Rollin Street’s common areas are impressive. On the lower level there’s fitness center and a full-sized basketball court that also serves as a volleyball and badminton court...
A full-sized basketball court!? I had no idea. Rollin Street buyers, let's talk.
And, in case you didn't know, there's now a bright side to not selling a lot of units:
Currently, Rollin Street is approximately 35% sold. They aren’t offering any incentives at this time (Vulcan is probably the one developer who can weather the downturn). Interestingly, they are using the low sales rate as an inducement. The development won’t be turned over to the association until it’s 75% sold, therefore, owners will not have to pay HOA dues in the interim (Vulcan covers in the meantime). So, they say, if you buy today you likely won’t have to pay any HOA dues for another 9 months. A nice way of saying they aren’t expecting to reach the 75% sold rate until well into 2009. And, no, they are not considering converting to apartments.
See the rest
here. Another related piece on the same blog you may want to check out is
the comment thread on this Veer Lofts post. Several commenters are calling the craftsmanship at Veer into question—any Veer buyers
mind sharing?
