VANCOUVER I Bob Rennie seeking neighbours for eastern adventure
Michael Sasges
Sun
The East homes will be located in a new building at the right in the photo, and Bob Rennie’s corporate offices and art gallery will be located in the heritage buildings at the left. Photograph by : Glenn Baglo, Vancouver Sun
The block on which East will rise commands deep cultural and commercial loyalties. Across the street from the new-home project is the Chinese Cultural Centre and beyond it the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden. On the same side of the street is the original Ming Wo store (below top) opened in 1917 and representing newcomers to the block Funhauser Decor (below bottom). Photograph by : Glenn Baglo, Vancouver Sun
EAST
Presentation centre: 69 East Pender, Vancouv er
Telephone: 604-781-8189
Hours: Noon – 4 p.m., Sa – Th
Web: chinatowneast.com
Project size: 22 apartments, 2 buildings
Residence size: 1 and 2 bedrooms, 680 sq. ft. – 1,050 sq. ft.
Prices: From $329,000
Developer: Jameson Development Corp.
Architect: Walter Francl Architect Inc.
Interior design: mcfarlaneGreen Architecture + Design Inc.
Construction completion: February, 2007
David Polinsky divides his year between Miami Beach and Vancouver. He and a partner have just spent more than $1 million on two of the bigger upper-storey apartments in the East new-home project in Chinatown.
(Stay a newspaperman in one town long enough and the improbable and unimaginable will inevitably show up in your opening paragraphs . . . “divides his year . . .” and “$1 million on two . . . apartments . . . in Chinatown.”)
Polinsky, a San Francisco native, is 44 years old and retired, “from high-tech.”
“My biggest current hobbies are sailing, skiing and investing in real estate.”
Ownership in a previous collaboration between the Walter Francl architectural practice and the Jameson development company, Shaughnessey Mansions at 15th and Granville, was one factor in their East decision.
Bob Rennie, one of North America’s most successful real-estate agents, was another.
About Jameson, Polinsky comments: “I think they always do creative projects which are a real cut above the mostly cookie-cutter condos which you see from other, larger downtown developers.”
About the architect, he reports: “They do very clean and practical floor plans, with modern, European styling in the kitchens and baths. At the same time the building exterior should blend well with the existing structures on the street, which include some of the oldest, and best preserved, buildings in downtown Vancouver.”
In fact, the oldest building in Chinatown is right new door to the East project, the Wing Sang building, erected in 1889 and subsequently added on to.
(opening paragraphs . . . “divides his year . . .” and “$1 million on two . . . apartments . . . in Chinatown.”)
Polinsky, a San Francisco native, is 44 years old and retired, “from high-tech.”
“My biggest current hobbies are sailing, skiing and investing in real estate.”
Ownership in a previous collaboration between the Walter Francl architectural practice and the Jameson development company, Shaughnessey Mansions at 15th and Granville, was one factor in their East decision.
Bob Rennie, one of North America’s most successful real-estate agents, was another.
About Jameson, Polinsky comments: “I think they always do creative projects which are a real cut above the mostly cookie-cutter condos which you see from other, larger downtown developers.”
About the architect, he reports: “They do very clean and practical floor plans, with modern, European styling in the kitchens and baths. At the same time the building exterior should blend well with the existing structures on the street, which include some of the oldest, and best preserved, buildings in downtown Vancouver.”
In fact, the oldest building in Chinatown is right new door to the East project, the Wing Sang building, erected in 1889 and subsequently added on to.
The owner of the Wing Sang property, Bob Rennie, sold the East apartments to Polinsky. (“We’re wearing many hats when we sit in this block,” Rennie underreports.)
Rennie intends to locate his corporate offices and his private art collection in the older building. Jameson will manage the conversion.
The peace of mind generated by the presence next door of the guy who sold you a home, or two, sounds like this, when David Polinsky is the speaker: “East is unique in that it is the first new development in many years in this section of Chinatown. Also, this part of Pender Street is one of the most culturally interesting blocks in the city. And with the advent of Woodward’s and the Koret Lofts, as well as Rennie Marketing’s gallery next door, the neighbourhood is only going to get more dynamic over the next few years.”
Bob Rennie attributes the uniqueness of the East new-home project to the history of the property on which the two East buildings will rise. It has been either empty or awaiting re-development since the Ho Inn was destroyed by fire in 1987.
“It’s the only new development that can happen on this street because it has sat as a vacant lot, waiting for development and, then partial development for the last 15 years. There are no other new developments coming on this block,” he says.
“And the next block [100 East Pender] is either built out or [has] some heritage restoration
. . . going on, similar to what we’re doing next door [in the Wing Sang building].”
Rennie acknowledges that joining him in Chinatown is not for everyone. “. . . if you’ve lived in Vancouver all your life, and someone says to you, ‘I’m moving to Woodward’s or ‘I’m moving to Chinatown,’ you will raise eyebrows because these areas are questionable. They’ve been forgotten; they’ve been let go. God knows why.”
The East homes will be located in a new building at the right in the photo, and Bob Rennie’s corporate offices and art gallery will be located in the heritage buildings at the left.
About the insertion of a new-construction facade into a historic streetscape, Rennie comments: “The goal was to complement what’s on the street. It’s new, you can’t pretend this is the heritage building. The building next door is the heritage building. I think the newness of this shows off the heritage restoration of the building next door.
The block on which East will rise commands deep cultural and commercial loyalties. Across the street from the new-home project is the Chinese Cultural Centre and, beyond it, the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden. On the same side of the street is the original Ming Wo store (below top), opened in 1917, and, representing newcomers to the block, Funhauser Decor (below bottom).
STONE AND STAINLESS
In the East homes, the features and amenities the developer is offering reflect a belief in the acumen of the new-home buyer, Rennie says. “Just because you’re doing a Woodward’s or a Chinatown, and the cost of entry has a lower land cost, doesn’t mean the consumer wants inferior product.”
Stone slab will top the kitchen counters and bathroom vanities. European cabinetry will hang above and below them.
AEG will provide the gas cooktops and wall ovens, both in stainless steel; Bosch, the dishwashers, in stainless, and the stacking washers and dryers; and Panasonic, the microwaves, again in stainless.
The developer has selected a 24-inch refrigerator from LG, in titanium, for the standard package and is offering a Liebherr 24-inch in stainless as an upgrade.
“There is a philosophy that, if you’re buying ‘cheap’ land, you will offer ‘cheap,’ inferior product,” Bob Rennie says.
“But I think the consumer is too smart, especially the consumer who understands areas are emerging in a city.”
SHARED SECURITY COST
One amenity missing from the East package, but found in other new-home projects downtown is a concierge.
“A 22-unit building can’t afford a building manager on its own,” Rennie says. “The maintenance fees would be too high.”
East’s developer and Rennie have decided he and the eventual owners of the East homes will share the cost of a resident manager, who will look after his office and gallery and their homes.
“It’s no different than on Burnaby street [in the West End] . . . three buildings sharing night-time security of a patrolman on a bike who goes through the parkades.”
© The Vancouver Sun 2006
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