As demand for urban living grows, Woodstock is rapidly becoming the more affordable and trendy alternative to the Cape Town CBD and City Bowl suburbs.
Two duplexes offering three bathrooms, modern kitchens, open plan living areas and secure parking are on the market for R3.695 million through Seeff.
This is according to Craig Algie, Seeff’s agent for the area, who says creative, young professionals started moving into the area a few years ago, renovating, revamping and setting up shop, and slowly other professionals, tourists and buyers have followed them to this new property hotspot.
He says the global emergence of a creative economy to largely drive small business growth has in no small part emerged here. The gentrification of Woodstock is strongly led by a creative flavour, yet most of the development fits in well with the historic character of the area, he says. Some of the city’s trendiest building makeovers can be found in the area - on the outside, some of the buildings might not look like much, just a bit of a facelift, but once inside, he says these have been transformed into an urban loft-style interior that can compete with the best in New York, London and Berlin.
Algie says while the Old Biscuit Mill remains a top attraction, the area is also where you will now head to if you are looking for trendy décor, art and furniture. The Woodstock Exchange is a hub of creativity and myriad of ateliers, boutique-styled shops and quaint street cafés along Roodebloem Road add to the attraction. What was once a rundown, lower-middle class suburb is gradually transforming into a hip, new urban area as buyers discover this gem of the city.
The suburb’s location on the fringe of the CBD, stretching up from the docks to the lower slopes of Devil’s Peak, make it a convenient alternative for those looking to live close to the city and the Atlantic Seaboard, he says. The lower Woodstock end, nearest to the docks, is where you will find the Old Biscuit Mill and other attractions. From here, narrow roads lined with little old Victorian Row Semis, freestanding houses and apartments, priced upwards of around R600 000, wind up towards the N2 Nelson Mandela Boulevard. Larger homes range from R950 000 to around R1.8 million.
Above the N2, towards Devil’s Peak, are Walmer Estate and University Estate closer to the Groote Schuur Hospital. These two areas in particular have seen a flurry of buyers snapping up older homes and renovating, he says. Older homes still sell for upwards of R2 million while renovated modern homes can range up to around R3.5 million.
Developers have also spotted the potential, and there are trendy new apartments selling for upwards of R600 000 for a one bedroom unit to R1.4 million for two bedrooms. Other developers have remodelled the old homes into trendy new city pads such as two new duplex townhouses in Chester Road that have been launched for sale to meet the demand for chic urban living, he says.
The homes are spacious, with about 220 square metres in floor space and have three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a guest bathroom, modern kitchen and an open plan living area that opens to a terrace with stunning views over the harbour and out over the ocean as far as Robben Island. There is also secure parking and the properties are priced at R3.695 million each.
