Victoria developer heralds project as fractional- ownership and construction firsts for Canada
SUZANNE MORPHET
Sun
Green inside out and right back in again, the Parkside property is replete with indoor gardens and eco-friendly construction.
The lobby in the Parkside in Victoria is a warm, welcoming enclave, as are each of the 126 one and two-bedroom units that are all furnished units with upscale appointments in the kitchen, bathroom and living room.
Parkside Victoria Resort & Spa
Size: 126 fully furnished, designer suites in two seven-and eight-storey towers, joined by a three-storey glass garden atrium
Prices: $149,900 — $249,000 per quarter interest
Telephone: 1.877.444.9386
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: parksidelifestyle.com
Developers: Andrew Pearson, Aviawest Resort Group
Architect: The Hulbert Group International Inc. — Richard Hulbert
Interiors: The Interior Design Group Inc. — Lana Mac Rae
The Victoria Film Festival was looking for a unique venue for this year’s opening gala, something that would upstage its previous galas. Festival director Kathy Kay says when they saw the atrium and lobby at the new Parkside Victoria Resort and Spa, they knew it would be perfect.
“I loved the furniture, the rock work and the ponds, it’s both serene and elegant,” she says. “We got the best feedback after the opening gala and it’s going to be hard to top it [next year].”
But it’s not just the atrium and lobby that are catching people’s attention.
Parkside Victoria is Canada’s first fractional ownership property in an urban setting and also the first resort hotel in Canada to be built to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design) platinum standards, the highest “green” building rating available. (The company is still waiting for certification.)
That’s not all. The family-owned property won two gold medals at this year’s American Resort Development Association Convention in Las Vegas. Parkside took both the “resort design” and “plan design and utilization” awards.
Jim Pearson, chief executive officer of Aviawest, the company that developed Parkside, was thrilled with the recognition in Las Vegas.
“It’s really quite surreal to reflect on where we have come from to where we are now. To be a small family business through the financial crisis and to win these awards when we’re up against the best in the world is really special.”
Aviawest got its start in 1991 when Pearson’s parents purchased a campground on a stretch of beach in Parksville and built six vacation homes on it.
That development — Pacific Shores –is now almost built out, with 108 units, some fractional ownership as well.
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