Upper Princess St. Area - Good choice for living?

[Guest MD Hammer]

Hi everyone,

 

I have been in the hunt for single apartments - so far, the only place I have found is at Victoria and Princess. Is this area far from first year classes? Is it possible to walk from here? What sort of businesses are located in this area? I vaguely remember the layout of Kingston, but did not really have a chance to explore during interview weekend because the weather was a bit dodgey. Any help would be much appreciated!

 

Thanks,

Hammer

[Guest 007]

Hmmm that is a bit of a hike from campus (I think it's about a 25-30min walk from Botterell), but there are people who live further. It is also the not-so-nice end of Princess Street, but I do know of people who live in that area and walk to campus.

 

I'd definitely come take a look if you can. Kingston housing really varies in terms of quality from one house to the next. And try to see the place both in the daytime and at night to decide if you're comfortable and if you'll be comfortable walking home from the anatomy lab at 9pm.

 

Sorry, this was a bit of a wishy-washy post. Personally, I'd prefer to live closer and in an area that I felt more comfortable walking through (I'm female).

 

Edited to Add: Have you checked the Queen's Apartment and Housing Listing Service? This is the link:www.notes.queensu.ca/ALSWeb.nsf

 

A lot of Kingston landlords post on there. Anything owned by Daphne Dean is pretty much guaranteed to be nice, but she does have REALLY strict rules for living in her places.

[Guest nextstopmd]

I agree with 007 about that area. There are some hits around there, but there are a whole lot more misses. I would pass on this place as I think it's too far of a walk (think -20 degrees in the winter) and the neighbourhood isn't the best, although some people from my class do live around that area and have been fine.

 

The ALS service really is good. Make sure to check the zones so you can tell how far places are from campus. Just take note that Botterell Hall is at the far southeast of campus, so you'll have to add on a few minutes walk from anywhere north to walk through Queen's itself.

 

nextstopmd

[Guest MD Hammer]

Thanks for the advice guys! I don't know anyone in Kingston, so, I am a bit in the dark for apartment hunting. I wanted to get a place through Homestead Landholdings - since I heard through this forum that it has pretty well kept places - and the only single available was in that area. However, the ups of having a place by Homestead are offset by the @#%$ neighbourhood. I'll keep searching online and call a few places from the Queen's housing listings.

 

Just a question for 007 - do you live in a Daphe Dean building? I saw her listings on the Queen's site, but there is no contact information - do you, by chance, have any contact information for her? If you do, could you PM over to me?

 

Thanks again for all your help - it's been very insightful!

 

Hammer

[Guest linds999]

Hammer: If you're from out of the province, I don't think you'll have any luck with Daphne Dean -- I think one of her strict rules is that you have to be an Ontario resident. Don't know why. I'm from BC and was shot down pretty quick a couple years ago. Inquire first before getting too interested in a place, because I don't think she'll budge on the issue.

 

In terms of location, I did my undergrad at Queen's and I personally think that the best location is around Bagot Street, between campus and Princess. It's close to Botterell, close to downtown (most of the bars/clubs/stores are on Princess between Division and King), and on the bus route for those really cold days.

[Guest flainechiu]

Hi guys,

 

I did my undergrad at Queen's and lived in a Daphne Dean house for 2 years. She has many properties in Kingston and is one of the better-known landlords. I will say that there are both advantages and disadvantages to living at one of her places. Her places are generally very nice (and reasonably priced considering their location/quality) and she is very attentive to things that need to be fixed around the house. However, she can be quite strict as a landlord, and imposes quite a few restrictions. Some people find this to be too much to bear, while many others are able to put up with it just fine. Anyway if anyone has any questions about her rentals, I'd be happy to answer them.

[Guest 007]

Hey Hammer,

I never lived in one of Daphne's houses so I don't have her contact information. It's not given on the ALS because she gives a date and time to meet if you're interested in a property. If you are looking at Homestead, look at the downtown central or waterfront listings before the upper Princess ones. I checked the Homestead listings and those Upper Princess ones are actually that much further than I remembered. Once you get up to the top of Princess the city really spreads out. The walk could be even more than 30min from there and there is no direct bus from there to campus.

If you have more questions, don't hesitate to ask!

007

[Guest MD Hammer]

Thanks for all the replies guys! It's been really helpful - I was this close to taking one of those Upper Princess St. apartments - as No-Apartment-Panicus began to set in. Since I am also from BC and probably will not have a chance to see the place I take, I'm probably not eligible for one of those Daphne Dean apartments - thanks for the notice, linds999!

 

I am looking at a few places through Keystone Properties - anyone ever rent from these folks or have friends with places through Keystone? They seem pretty professional and their places are fairly close to campus.

 

Thanks again for all the help!

 

Hammer