Couple ends their months-long home hunt at Abbotsford?s Residences at Gateway
CLAUDIA KWAN
The Vancouver Sun
Project name: Residences at Gateway
Project location: 33553 Marshall Road, Abbotsford
Project size: 48 homes in a six-storey wood frame building in Phase I
Residence size: 1 – 3 bed, 703 – 1,238 sq. ft.
Prices: starting from mid $200,000s
Developer: Boulevard Group
Architect: Focus Architecture
Sales centre: #101 – 2031 McCallum Road, Abbotsford
Hours: noon — 5 p.m. daily, closed Tuesdays
Telephone: 604-855-8116
Website: www.boulevardgroup.ca
Sales began: late May 2016
Occupancy: Phase I Fall 2017
When Alana and Bud Hansen began planning for retirement, they knew they wanted come back to Canada from the U.S., and to stay in the Pacific Northwest. The Canadians – originally from Montreal – had been living and working south of the border since the early 1980s, but felt it was time to return north from their residence in Bellingham, Wash. In planning the move, they were working toward the timeline of Alana’s retirement in mid 2017.
“We started looking months ago, and did the drive up (to Greater Vancouver) almost every other week,” she explains. “We looked at North Van, PoCo, Coquitlam, Langley… the trip was starting to get a bit old!”
They were initially drawn to some newer developments in Langley, but were put off by the thought of having to line up for a unit during such a hot real estate market, or of potentially only having a short time frame in which to decide whether to purchase. By chance, as they were driving around Abbotsford, they spotted street-side signage advertising the Residences at Gateway project. After a detailed phone call, they made an appointment at the sales centre.
“I was totally impressed by the way they presented the project – the quality of the homes, and all of the amenities in this new midtown area, like shopping at the Cabela’s, the walking area, Mill Lake Park, and being able to ride on the bicycle trails,” she says. “The streets are nice and quiet, too – I like the model of living a little bit more ‘in the country’ with access to the city, the way I have in the past. And most importantly, the building allows two pets, where a lot of others restrict owners to just one. Our dogs are our kids.”
When Phase I is complete and the Hansens move in, they will find themselves between downtown Abbotsford and the University of the Fraser Valley’s Abbotsford campus. The Abbotsford Veterinary Hospital will be less than 10 minutes away if anything comes up with their dogs Sparky and Annie. The McCallum Junction shopping centre – which includes the 70,000-square-foot Cabela’s location – should be able to address most day-to-day needs. The 700-plus-seat Abbotsford Arts Centre will be nearby, offering a range of performances and community events. And when it comes to visiting friends back in Bellingham, they will have the option of zipping through the Sumas/Huntingdon border crossing, or driving 15 minutes to the Abbotsford airport.
Location aside, there are the homes themselves.
“This is the finest apartment building in Abbotsford,” Brandon Trent of project marketer Fifth Avenue Real Estate Marketing asserts. “The homes are fully air conditioned, with high-end appliances, like a Bertazzoni range and oven, Fisher & Paykel refrigerator, and Bosch dishwasher. There are hotel-inspired bathrooms with heated floors, frameless glass showers, and 36-inch-deep soaker tubs. These homes have everything – you can also add a gas fireplace to the living room.”
Since sales began at the end of May, 30 of the 48 homes available in Phase I have been snapped up. Trent says many are seeing the benefit of being in a more boutique-style development. (Phase II will contain 50 homes.)
“You get to know your neighbours, as opposed to the 150 or 200 unit buildings where people are coming and going and you don’t know anything about them,” he points out. “We’re seeing in a lot of downsizers trading in their single-family homes, and interest from all over Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Langley, Surrey, Coquitlam, Maple Ridge – even one person making the move from Vancouver.”
Homes include storage space adjacent to parking spots, which can serve as workshop areas or garage storage. Trent says downsizers still want much of the convenience associated with single-family homes, such as properly sized kitchen pantries, rooms where grandchildren can sleep over, powder rooms for guests, designated laundry areas, and enough space to store cleaning supplies and coats and other sundry goods; they just don’t want to be saddled with unnecessary space. He styles it as ‘single-level living’, where all of the necessary functions of a downsizer’s life are streamlined conveniently on one floor.
In the design process, the team decided to only have eight units per floor; strategically placed recesses in the overall design of the building means each home almost functions as a corner suite. That means a lot more light coming in through the windows, and generally more privacy for outdoor areas. There are natural gas outlets on the decks for ease of barbecuing, and individual gas meters for each home. Nine-foot ceiling height is standard on each floor, rising to 10 feet on the penthouse level.
Developer Boulevard Group is also offering purchasers the option of adding additional storage to laundry areas, and millwork in for a TV cabinet or adjacent to kitchen wine racks.
The high level of demand means work could get underway on Phase II of the development soon.
The Hansens are also planning ahead on what life will look like on this side of the border. Bud is self-employed, and can continue with his business if he wishes after Alana retires. After having lived in Montreal, Toronto, Honolulu, Atlanta, Boise, Seattle and Bellingham, they have no fear of moving to a new community and establishing a new community of friends. The motor home will be coming up north as well, for jaunts all over B.C. and into Alberta.
“This is going to be a fun adventure,” Alana says firmly. “We’re really looking forward to it.”
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