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KING EDWARD VILLAGE Address: 1432 Kingsway, Vancouver Developer: Tri Power Developments Inc. Architect: Rostitch Hemphill and Associates Size of project: 206 units, including nine townhomes Price and size: One-bedroom, 561 square feet for $173,900 ($310/sq. ft.) to a 1,113-square-foot penthouse for $399,900 ($359/sq. ft.) Strata fees: About 20 cents/sq. ft. Rentable: Yes Construction: Concrete Warranty: 2-5-10 years, from St. Paul Guarantee Telephone: 604-873-8137 Website: www.kingedwardvillage.com Presentation centre: 1432 Kingsway, Vancouver; open daily 12 – 6 p.m., except Fridays King Edward Village, a large condominium/townhome project on the southeast corner of Knight and Kingsway, may well be a major catalyst for a neighbourhood that many people agree needs a facelift. Because of that, the 206-unit development — the first phase of a project that will ultimately include about 400 homes — is one of those housing developments that has great local support in the surrounding Kensington-Cedar Cottage community. “Usually people line up to oppose [these projects],” says Vancouver Coun. Anne Roberts, a supporter of King Edward Village and former chairwoman of the Kensington-Cedar Cottage CityPlan Committee, which negotiated with the developer to ensure the neighbourhood got what it needed. “There were maybe one or two people who expressed concern [at the public hearing], but in general most people supported it and still do. The community very definitely supported this.” King Edward Village, which includes a 12-storey tower in the first phase and a 16-storey tower in the second phase, is going up on a site that included a derelict Safeway store that closed more than a decade ago. Another problem had been that the city zoning prevented the community group and a series of potential developers from agreeing on a project that both liked. There was also a flea market on the site, which Roberts said did little for the community and attracted an undesirable element. “Many thought it was a place to sell stolen goods.” But the people who live around Vancouver‘s Kingsway and Clark intersection wanted to see the area become the kind of village-like neighbourhood centre that now exists in Kerrisdale and along Commercial Drive. In addition to a pedestrian-friendly environment and several blocks of continuous retail, the neighbourhood’s vision included building more dense housing around the retail area to support it. The city rezoned the site to help create the neighbourhood that residents said they wanted when they went through their CityPlan “visioning” process several years ago. After that process, the city entertained proposals — and that’s when Tri Power Developments stepped up to the plate with its King Edward Village plan. Roberts said Kensington-Cedar Cottage is a very active community that got involved from the beginning on the King Edward Village plan. She said the developer understood that an expanded public library — which will occupy much of the project’s street-level space — was central to the residents’ needs and that the community was not opposed to more density. “That would give us more amenities and street improvements, with more retail,” said Roberts. “And from the beginning, (the developer) was very respectful of the community. It worked out very well.” She said a laneway through the King Edward site helped “pull it away from the traffic and made it a more pedestrian-oriented site. And the central lane is open to the public. It definitely can never be a gated community.” She said the area is still a “little depressed,” but that King Edward Village should entice new investment and prompt other landlords to work together to improve the area. “It’ll be an increasingly desirable location.” Burnaby resident Brad O’Connell, the 39-year-old owner of Beyond The Grape, an on-site beer and wine making shop, recently purchased a two-bedroom, 871-square-foot condo at King Edward Village for $295,000. “I’ve looked at other buildings and this was one of the best I’ve seen,” said O’Connell. “And I own a small business in the area, so I wanted to be closer to work. I think this (project) will have a positive impact on the area, which is changing.” O’Connell said the price was a big factor in his decision — King Edward Village is about $100 per square foot cheaper than a comparable West End condo, according to the sales agent — and he’s looking forward to a view of downtown Vancouver and the North Shore. “I walked in here and said I found a place I wanted to buy. This is my first purchase.” Another attraction for the six-foot-tall O’Connell was a ceiling height of eight-and-one-half feet — six inches higher than the standard eight-foot ceiling. “The taller ceilings certainly caught my eye. Other condos felt small and this felt larger.” He said noise from Kingsway and Knight — both are six-lane highways — was a concern at first, but not anymore. “It’s got double-pane windows.” A walk around the area reveals a neighbourhood that needs some sprucing up. There’s a small department store at the intersection and several smaller restaurants nearby. Many shops have metal bars on windows and doorways and there’s a tiny library and a discount burglar alarm supply store. King Edward sales agent Gail Lepore says the King Edward project, which will be ready for occupancy in the summer of 2006, will be a catalyst for the area and that new business will set up shop in the neighbourhood. Buyers recognize that, she added. “This will definitely bring up property values,” she said. “When you put up something beautiful, it will force others to change. Landlords will definitely have to pick up their socks.” Lepore noted that 35 per cent of the units are now sold and that there are no other apartment buildings in the immediate area. She said there are plenty of buyers from Kensington-Cedar Cottage, but also others from elsewhere in the Lower Mainland, including New Westminster, Coquitlam, Richmond and downtown Vancouver. “This is the hub (of the Lower Mainland). It’s only eight minutes to downtown.” Lepore said the project has several amenities nearby, including Trout Lake, the Kensington Community Centre and shopping and restaurants on Main Street and Commercial Drive. The display suite is an 810 square-foot two-bedroom unit, with each bedroom on each side of the living/dining area. There’s a storage area that can substitute as an office, a balcony, frosted glass cabinets, washer/dryer, wall-to-wall carpeting and tile (in the entryway, kitchen, bath and ensuite), and eight-foot, six-inch ceilings. Granite kitchen cabinets and marble vanities are also standard. Lepore said the only option is stainless steel appliances. Not available is a fireplace — an amenity that O’Connell said he would have liked. Each suite has one parking space and a storage locker. Other features include wiring for high-speed internet access and halogen lighting in the entry and kitchen. Of the traffic noise on Kingsway and Knight, Lepore said it’s not a factor with most buyers. She noted the building’s concrete construction — “they’re more sound proof” — and that noise is not a problem for buyers on Georgia Street. Meanwhile, Roberts said there are plans to encourage row housing and townhomes in Kensington-Cedar Cottage, an area that’s primarily single-family residential now. As well, she said, the city’s looking at ways of enhancing Kingsway and Knight with more trees and possibly dampening noise from traffic and trucks along Knight by using a different type of paving material. “What can we do to make it safer, less polluting and more livable?” © The Vancouver Sun 2004 |
