The Seville is a building in the Victoria Crossing district that was once exclusively devoted to providing assisted living for Senior Citizens. Although they still offer assisted living for those who need it, times have changed and they’re now opening the doors to everyone, especially the gay community.
GayCalgary.com spoke to David Sprague, the current Manager of the Seville, who is openly gay himself, and gives his assurance that tenants in the building are free to be themselves around their gay-friendly staff. "Gay people...don’t have to come here and be in the closet and hide and pretend they’re not who they are. ...There are a lot of gay people who have an uncomfortable relationship with their landlord because they’re nervous."
One of the main benefits of living in the building is its central location – they’re within walking distance of practically anywhere you’d want to go downtown, and failing that, the C-train station is not too far away. At the base of the building there’s a convenience store, hair stylist, a nice little Vietnamese restaurant, and the Old Y Center is just around the corner!
The studio suites come in 3 flavors: base, upgraded, and renovated. These are around 300 square feet – a little snug, but perfect if you’re just starting out on your own without an excessive amount of furniture. But if that’s too crammed for you, there are also single bedroom suites available. The rental price includes 3-tier cable and all other utilities except telephone, which leaves little hassle when moving in – especially if you already have a cell phone! Finally, each room comes with a fridge, and depending on the suite, a selection of microwave oven, toaster oven, and 2-burner hotplate.
Leasing apartments at the Seville is handled on a month to month basis, which lends itself well to short-term rentals and allows you to upgrade or change suites as need arises. At the price of a single night stay in an up-scale hotel, travelers coming into town for business or pleasure can easily rent a suite for the whole month (after buying a couple items of furniture from IKEA, naturally)!
The building is a safe, secure, and quiet environment. The front door is equipped with an intercom entry system for use during daytime hours, and key access is required past 8pm. David Sprague regularly patrols the hallways during the daytime to ensure nothing is amiss, but you’ll often see him engaging in friendly conversation with tenants he bumps into in the hallways.
If you are interested in renting a suite, make sure you bring in a copy of GayCalgary.com Magazine. Show them their ad on page 21 to receive $100 off your first month’s rent!
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Contributor Rob Diaz-Marino |
Locale Calgary |
Topic Business Review |
