Dockside Condo Living Is The New Cottaging In Gananoque

Many Ontarians remember going to the Thousand Islands and Gananoque when they were young, but more often than not, they do not remember the finite details of their trips. Or at least I didn’t. But, over the years, this area has changed into a lovely and livable community of about 5,200 people. When invited on a recent journalists’ trip, I was curious to learn how it has changed. 

I also wanted to view the site of Stone & South Condos, a new condominium development down by the water in Gananoque being built by Kingston, Ontario-based CaraCo Development Corporation. I was excited to revisit a place I remember having fond memories of growing up, and I was not disappointed.

Gananoque is situated just past Kingston, about 15-20 minutes outside of Kingston, depending on how fast you drive, 45 minutes if you get caught for it.

Unlike some unromantic cities around Toronto, Gananoque has some meaning to it’s name. Some debate that Gananoque means “Town on two Rivers” (the St Lawrence River and the Gananoque River), while others say, “meadow rising out of the water”, or water flowing over rocks”. How romantic, right?

Some locals and visitors will pair the aboriginal rooted name of Gananoque to more of the popular water masses that surround it, the Thousand Islands, and both will be synonymous with each other, much like a Kitchener-Waterloo situation. However, you really can’t have one without the other. Over one million tourists travel to both places for different reasons. For Gananoque, it’s a small city in the making with good restaurants, craft beers, live theatre entertainment, and Thousand Islands, is a place you go when you want to enjoy a really nice day on the water, island hoping to radically different sized islands.

It is popular to take a boat through the Thousand Islands along the St Lawrence River. On our tour, we found this particularly beautiful. With some boat tours, you will need your passport, because they go out to waters and areas past the USA border.

So, what brings us to such a natural beauty?

Stone & South Condos is making this it’s new destination for it’s new condo development, but, in a prime spot, right on the water. This development offers you the best of both worlds, condo and boating life, together.

The development has two buildings, separated by a corridor, spanning the property. We took a walkthrough of the property ourselves and found that the ground level (which is rare) actually has a nice view facing the water at a great height. It’s expected to feel like a level that feels above ground floor, almost like a home with a back split.

Construction is slated to begin at the end of this year, with occupancy in early 2020.

The Boating Lifestyle

Whether it’s heading through the Thousand Islands or visiting one of your favourite park islands, there are plenty of boating experiences you can have, and spend hours enjoying them.

For guests and incoming new boater friends that you make in the community, there will be a BBQ area at Stone & South Condos that you can not only enjoy the waterfront calmness, but you can do so with food. You will be able to boat up to a BBQ area (or come down from your unit) and you can enjoy the waves passing by with good, grilled food and relaxed new friends.

If you are a boater, you have many options. First off, when you buy into a unit here, you are privy to the decision of adding a boating dock to park your watered prize possession. After all, parking docks are the new parking spots.

Boaters are always concerned about what’s around, where to fill up, where to dock, and with this project, you can dock and get gas for your expensive water cruiser only 5 minutes away.

There are some maintenance involved with them, but with a small fee (usually smaller than what other public marinas are charging in the area), you can park your boat, have the dock maintained and through the executive concierge, you can arrange to have your boat stored for the winter time. You can choose from a 30’, 35’ or 40’ dock based on how much presence you want on the water.

So, when we say the property is on the water, it’s as close as you can get to the water without it being a boathouse. We have been looking for a condo/cottage combination for a long time, where you can get all the beautiful amenities and care-free living that condos bring, but immediate access to the water that a cottage brings, Stone & South Condos is just that project.

But, not to worry, CaraCo is very much a local to the area, in fact, this builder is almost as local as you can get. CaraCo, as a local area family business, has a long history of successfully developing in the region, building many single-family homes, townhome projects and even condominium projects, 20-minutes away in Kingston.

The Stone & South Condominiums

Let’s get to brass tacks about the two buildings.

Stone & South Condos features big floor plans. No bachelors, 1-bedroom suites or 1+1 anything.

The building starts out with hearty floor plans, 2-bedroom + 2 bath suites and they go up to 3-bedroom + 3 bathroom suites. As we said, big units.

They really made a point by having a lot of the units views out to the water, with beautiful views of the islands. Some units have balconies, some have bigger terraces, just depends on the one you pick, but both generously sized.

Check out the video below that outlines the exterior of the project.

Would it be great to have a cottage with condo-style amenities?

Well, now you can.

At Stone and South Condos, you’ll find a well-sized party room with billiards table and a second floor gym to stay active on rainy or cold days.

The Bottom Line

After spending a little bit of time in Gananoque, one thing is for sure: the Stone & South Condos project will make an important statement from the boats on the water and from the roads in-town. The 6-storey structure will not only provide fantastic views to the St. Lawrence River, but it will also be a prominent change in the area. This mixed with some other big projects happening within the area will develop a new energy to Gananoque (or ‘Gan’ as the locals say).

Sure, you may not be on an island. You may not have that rustic cottage feeling. However, what you do gain is an experience you can live in all year ‘round if you wanted to. Gananoque won’t be a place that you head to when you are you are younger once, just to say you did. It’s going to develop into a community that we think will get better year-over-year. Stone & South Condos will be a great landmark for the area, a catalyst for change and a beautiful place to live. This will become a great spot for those who are tired of maintaining an big place and hoping to better use their time enjoying views from their balcony and enjoy watching the boats go by while thinking about the next destination they want to take theirs.

For more information about Stone & South Condos, be sure to visit their website or call 613-876-2524. The Milborne Group-managed project starts with units from $488,900 for a 2-bedroom plus 2-bathroom unit.

Photos: Stone & South Condos