Menu Home / News Harper government set to sell Miami mansion in bid to find ‘more appropriately sized’ diplomat housing Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Email Ian MacLeod, Postmedia News Tuesday, Jul. 1, 2014 Last week, the Harper government began the task of finding a Miami-area realtor to market the Coral Gables property at 3801 Riviera Dr. Zillow OTTAWA — A posh Miami mansion is going up for sale as part of the Harper government’s initiative to move ranking diplomats into “more appropriately sized” accommodations. The 7,500-square-foot luxury home in suburban Coral Gables is the official residence of Canada’s Consul-General in Miami, Louise Léger. It has an unofficial estimated value of US$5.2 million, according to the online real-estate site Zillow. That’s a 273% increase over the $1.9-million Canada paid for the property in 2003. It’s a tidy potential profit for a government that vowed in the 2012 federal budget to save $80-million by selling off a dozen official residences in the United States and Canada and relocating senior diplomats into “more practical and economic” housing, John Babcock, a foreign affairs spokesman, said by email. Since taking power, the Conservatives have sold more than 80 diplomatic properties around the world for more than $720-million. Many were embassy buildings and official residences of ambassadors and high commissioners in world capitals. Others included staff quarters for diplomats abroad and the odd piece of foreign land. Some analysts and retired diplomats say the sale of official residences sends the wrong message by downsizing what’s considered a symbol of Canada’s relationship with the host country. Foreign affairs defends the effort. “Under the strategy, high cost, oversized and/or poorly located housing is being replaced by more appropriately sized and located properties,” said Mr. Babcock. “The replacement of diplomatic properties abroad in no way affects either the status or the importance Canada attaches to its relationship with the host country.” Last week, the department began the task of finding a Miami-area realtor to market the Coral Gables property at 3801 Riviera Dr. The 2003 custom-built Spanish Revival-style residence sits on a corner, half-acre lot on one of Coral Gables’ most prestigious streets. The neighbourhood has long been favoured by diplomatic consulates and official residences. It has six bedrooms, 6.5 baths, marble floors throughout, expansive gourmet kitchen, separate staff quarters and an inviting in-ground, saltwater pool surrounded by a meticulously landscaped yard, the real-estate website says. “Coral Gables is a beautiful city with lots of trees, mostly older homes and most anybody who’s a diplomat lives there,” and works in nearby Miami, said Linda Tartak, a local broker associate with Coldwell Banker She said the Zillow estimated $5.2-million asking price sounds high. “My guess is it’s going to be realistically listed at $3-million, maybe $3.5-million.” The median selling price in that area of Coral Gables is about $750,000, she said. The department has an undisclosed appraised value and says the house is ready for immediate sale pending Treasury Board approval The department has an undisclosed appraised value and says the house is ready for immediate sale pending Treasury Board approval. The Miami consulate is responsible for consular services in Florida, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands. Ms. Léger has been consul general there since September 2009. Details about the planned new residence are not known. Meanwhile, several other official residences are under conditional agreement for sale, including two in Washington, for $2.4-million and $1.6-million, Detroit ($800,000), and Seattle ($2.2-million), Oslo and Brussels. The former residence in Mexico City recently sold for $3.1- million. Other residences in Bridgetown, Helsinki, and a second residence in Brussels also are on the market. In March, the government finalized the sale of the 150,000-square-foot Macdonald House (High Commission), in the swanky Mayfair District of London, to an India-based developer. It’s part of a government plan to consolidate its diplomatic presence at Canada House in Trafalgar Square. Postmedia News, with files from Jason Feteke Posted in: News Tags: Canada, World, Coral Gables, Europe, John Babcock, Miami More on this Story Fight brewing over sale ‘exorbitant mansion’ serving as residence for Canadian ambassador to Italy Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Email Home / News Top Home Financial Post News Canada World Israel & The Middle East Holy Post Toronto Graphics Photos Editors Blog NP Today Lottery Results Comment Personal Finance Investing Tech Sports Arts Life Health Homes Driving Jobs Subscribe Mobile Version | Switch to Standard Version © 2014 National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited.
Posted on: Wed, 02 Jul 2014 19:17:32 +0000
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