Lumen’s lures: Much to stay home for, much to go out for

Sun

LUMEN

Project location: Kitsilano, Vancouver

Project size: 62 apartments

Residence size: 466 sq. ft. – 808 sq. ft.

Prices: studios, from $369,900; 2 bed, from $599,900

Sales centre: 1679 West Third

Hours: noon – 6 p.m., Sat – Thu

Telephone: 604-731-9199

Web: lumenvancouver.com

Developer: Bucci Developments

Architect: Hywel Jones Architects

Interior design: Portico Design Group

Occupancy: August, 2009

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With Granville Island, Kitsilano Beach and the shops and restaurants of West Fourth steps away, the Lumen location defines prime location.

Certainly, location was the main draw for buyer Sean Courtenay, a 34-year-old construction manager.

“It’s an up-and-coming area and the product looked good. The finishes were well done and the layout was a good one. I’m not a big fan of the U-shaped kitchen, which most condos have. This one is linear.”

Courtenay, the owner of three previous Vancouver condos, should know what works from his first-hand experience living in different projects. His last condo was in Kitsilano, but after selling that a year ago he’s been living at his parents’ condo in downtown Vancouver at Robson and Cambie.

Wanting to get back to Kitsilano, Courtenay has now bought a two-bedroom at Lumen.

The 62-condo project is located in a mostly commercial area on West Third Avenue, between Burrard and Fir, but Bucci Developments was able to make a deal with the city to create Lumen, says MAC Marketing Solutions’ Cameron McNeill, organizer of the Lumen sales and marketing campaign.

“The city definitely wants the commercial area protected,” says McNeill. “It’s a great location but the city isn’t allowing much residential in that area. It’s one of the few chances to be close to Granville Island, which is just a couple of blocks away.”

McNeill explains the developer, who owns the adjacent commercial property to Lumen, was able to “dedicate it in perpetuity” as commercial in exchange for the right to create the residential project next door.

The location is going through a revitalization and its residents will have easy access to the sea wall and transit.

“We’ve had a lot of interest from people who want to be in the heart of Vancouver. But they want a quieter area. It’s a nice alternative to the Yaletown experience with all the hustle and bustle and nightclubs at your doorstep.”

Most of the buyers (half of the condos have been sold to date) have been young professionals and mature buyers.

“They are looking for access 24/7 to the things they do — their work and play. It’s all accessible from their location.”

The buyers also share a sense of being “design and fashion forward conscious,” says McNeill.

And to that end, Lumen is offering high-end, incredible interior finishings, including a Bosch stainless steel appliance package, trendy wood and lacquer cabinetry with soft-close detail and custom cutlery drawers, stone countertops and glass panel backsplash.

“It’s almost a loft feeling,” says McNeill.

“Most of the spaces are open spaces. It’s probably more of the open spaces and the linear kitchen layout that gives it that loft vibe.”

Buyers will also have access to the rooftop patio with barbecue and stunning views of downtown.

And with today’s emphasis in new homes on going green, the developer has opted to make the project geothermal.

According to its marketing brochure, the geothermal heating could reduce the annual heating bill by $400 to $800 compared to natural gas and $700 to $1,800 compared with heating oil and propane.

Those figures are based on its heating system alone. The geothermal system also doubles as an energy efficient air conditioning system during the summer.

© The Vancouver Sun 2008

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 6th, 2008 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Real Estate Related. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.