Somerset Reach caters to those who enjoy seeing lake, surroundings

Michael Bernard
The Vancouver Sun

Marlene Miller has loved the view from her house ever since she arrived in the Okanagan lakeside village of Peachland from Norway 13 years ago.

“My view is very expansive,” she said, describing her 4,200-square-foot waterfront home on about an acre of land just south of the community. “I can see all the way from the Mission Hill Winery in West Kelowna to Naramata (near Penticton). I am thinking of selling, but one thing that would be very difficult to part with is the view.”

So when she started hearing about Somerset Reach, a new townhouse development of 56 homes perched on the hills overlooking Peachland, she was all ears.

Catering to people like Miller who appreciate the view is exactly what developer Norris Boyd had in mind when he purchased the former single-family-home property a few years ago.

“I’m very sensitive to views. You can have the nicest house in the world, but if it isn’t looking out on to something nice, it is something less,” Boyd said.

“I insisted that we design the site so that everyone had a good view and nobody had to look at anybody else. The topography of the site means that from every rooftop and every living area window, you do not have anything in front of you except the view of the lake.”

Another major feature is that all the homes have an eastern exposure, which means occupants will get to enjoy cooler temperatures in the late afternoon and evening. Adding to that comfort are Low-E energy-efficient windows.

Boyd said he had a variety of people in mind when the project was launched, including locals who wanted to downsize and Metro Vancouverites looking for a second home.

“The site is very compact so there is not a lot of maintenance to worry about. And I think it is ideal as a second home with oversized garages for storing toys like bicycles and kayaks.”

Boyd also noted that the site is within walking distance to Peachland’s waterfront, where one can buy groceries or relax in one of the restaurants or coffee shops on the strip.

“The site also really appealed to me from the point of view of a Lower Mainlander because it is at the end of the Coquihalla Highway and is about 45 minutes closer than places on the east side of Okanagan Lake near Kelowna.”

The wood-frame development will offer both two- and three-bedroom homes with flex space in an Okanagan contemporary style. There are 35 units with a walk-out and 21 walk-up designs. All homes will come with roughed-in elevator shafts for buyers who want to “age in place.” The two-bedroom units have living space ranging from 1,984 to 2,010 square feet, three bathrooms and a rooftop terrace of 266 square feet.

Three-bedroom units have indoor living spaces from 2,534 to 2,548 square feet and rooftop terraces of 360 to 376. All homes have three bathrooms and two-car garages with storage spaces.

For Miller, downsizing is an important element in considering a move to Somerset.

Her current large home has a steep driveway (think snow shovelling), a big lawn to maintain and a hedge of 100 cedar trees to prune annually, she said.

“What is attractive to me is the view and I get to have a much smaller, more modern and easy-to-maintain property,” she said. “And I still get to stay in the Peachland area, where I have all the things I am familiar with and all the friends I have come to know and love since coming here.”

Perched on the west side of Okanagan Lake, Peachland is no stranger to residential development. The tiny settlement was started in the 1890s when James Moore Robinson formed his development company — Peachland Townsite Co. — to attract orchardists from other parts of Canada to form a community that had a moderate climate well suited to growing peaches.

Today, the lakeside community of 5,400 boasts that it is the home of Ogopogo, Canada’s own version of the Loch Ness monster, and the birthplace of Canada’s first bottle of ice wine, crafted in 1972 by German immigrant Walter Hainle.

Somerset Reach homes willl have open-concept kitchens with waterfall islands with bar stool seating. Countertops are quartz with undermount sinks and modern pendant and recessed lighting overhead.

All homes will have come with high-quality stainless-steel appliance packages. Flooring is hardwood or textured wood-grain laminate.

Bathrooms feature ‘floating’ vanities with dual undermount sinks and single-lever faucets.

Another bonus is that Peachland is scheduled to be excluded from the provincial speculation tax, said Manuella Farnsworth, who is overseeing the Macdonald Realty Kelowna sales team.

Prospective purchasers can register for further information and updates at the development’s website, while the presentation centre is scheduled to open at the beginning of October.

Somerset Reach

Project address: 6026 Highway 97, Peachland

Project scope: A total of 56 two- and three-bedroom townhomes with flex space. Units range from 1,984 to 2,548 sq. feet, all with panoramic views of Okanagan Lake. Rooftop patios with water and gas outlets and the option for a built-in summer kitchen. Walking distance to grocery store and shops

Price: From $650,000 for two-bedroom homes and from $800,000 for three-bedroom units

Developer: NBD Holdings Ltd.

Architect: New Town Services

Sales centre: Opening October 2018. Registration begins Monday on the website below

Sales Phone: 250-258-0111

Hours: By appointment and website registration

Website: www.somersetreach.com

Completion Date: First three phases of about 27 units completed by spring 2019

© 2018 Postmedia Network Inc.

Elements of comfort and style displayed at Cressey?s Chelsea

Kathleen Freimond
The Vancouver Sun

Project: Chelsea

Project address: West 31st Avenue and Cambie Street

Project city: Vancouver

Developer: Cressey Development Group

Architect: IBI Group

Interior designer: Insight Design Group

Project size: 79 units

Bedrooms: Studio, 1-, 2-, 3-bedrooms, penthouses and townhomes

Unit size: 461 — 1,733 square feet

Prices: 2-bedrooms from $1,269,900; 2-bed-and-dens from $1,699,900; 3-beds from $1,749,900; townhomes from $2,050,900; penthouses from $2,149,900 (plus GST for all)

Construction: scheduled for completion 2021

Sales centre: 3130 Arbutus Street, Vancouver

Sales centre hours: by appointment only

Phone: 604-736-3898

Website: chelseabycressey.com

Chelsea, Cressey Development Group’s low-rise residential project at West 31st Avenue and Cambie Street in Vancouver, is part of the exciting transformation of the Cambie corridor that is seeing more multi-unit developments in the neighbourhood.

The city’s Cambie Corridor Plan is a long-term framework to guide change and growth in the neighbourhood and allow for higher-density development close to the area’s rapid transport services.

Chelsea comprises two six-storey buildings with 79 units (45 in the north building and 34 in the south building) in a range of sizes including studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom townhomes and penthouses.

True to Cressey’s philosophy of focusing on livability in all its developments, the team spent a lot of time working on furniture placements and the floor plans, says Jason Turcotte, the company’s vice-president of development.

“We always design with the homeowner in mind, so whether the person is in their thirties and buying for the location, is new to the market or moving out of a single-family home in the area, the range of homes all have a comfortable scale,” he says.

“Chelsea is immediately across from Queen Elizabeth Park and being toward the top of the rise as Cambie climbs the hill, it affords great views towards the city, ocean and mountains in the distance and the western-facing units have views across to the park,” Turcotte adds.

The presentation centre at 3130 Arbutus Street shows an example of a Chelsea home with two bathrooms, two bedroom and a den. Homebuyers can choose from two colour palettes created by Insight Design Group: the lighter Uptown scheme – used in the show suite – or Parkside, with its darker floors and finishes.

A distinctive wide-plank hardwood floor laid in a classic herringbone pattern makes an immediate impression.

 “We see floors like this [herringbone design] in some old character homes, but in those instances, it is often a narrow plank in yellow oak. At Chelsea, we have used a wide plank in a brushed finish, a light oak for the Uptown palette and a darker oak for Parkside. It’s a nod to tradition, but done in a contemporary way,” says Linda Gallo, associate at Insight Design.

Gallo says the unusual floor adds value and creates visual interest.

“As soon as you enter the home, the space has character, before you even put in a stick of furniture.”

The major kitchen appliances are by Wolf and Sub-Zero. The refrigerator and freezer drawers are behind integrated panels, while the cooktop is installed flush with the counter with the knobs on the front face of the cabinet panel and not on cooktop itself, Gallo notes.

The cabinet doors in the kitchen have a raised panel detail with a fine edge that’s set back.

 “We wanted to have detail in the cabinetry, rather than flat panel, but in a refined way,” Gallo explains.

A large pantry cupboard complements the other storage space in the kitchen, including the popular Magic Corner unit with its slide-out shelves, enabling access to the ‘blind’ corner cabinet.

While most kitchens feature polished countertops and backsplashes, at Chelsea the countertops will be a matte finish, ensuring the polished porcelain slab backsplash gets plenty of attention.

In the show suite (the Plan D1 floor plan) the eight-by-three-foot peninsula with a waterfall edge is an elegant design feature that provides a large working surface that also doubles as a place where the family can pull up a few kitchen stools for a quick meal.

Potential homebuyers can also see two of the available kitchen upgrades in the suite: a built-in Wolf coffee maker is a good fit above the wall oven, while a wine fridge conveniently opens on the dining room side of the peninsula.

In the ensuite bathroom, elongated hexagonal tiles on the floor of the shower extend up the wall in another modern interpretation of a traditional feature. The shower has a bench covered with the same stone as the bathroom counter, while a linear drain and rainshower head give the space a sophisticated ambience.

The vanity, with double sinks and polished chrome Kohler faucets, is raised on a black frame. This black accent, also used to frame the glass partition in the shower, is repeated in other places, such as the door between the second bedroom and den, to enhance the feeling of continuity between different spaces.

Turcotte says the premium finishes reflect the significance of Chelsea’s location.

“During the planning process, I visited the area and took walks in Queen Elizabeth Park. It was a reminder how amazing it is and how fortunate we are in Vancouver to have such a fantastic amenity in our city,” he says.

In addition to enjoying walks and summertime picnics in the 52-hectare park it’s also a popular vantage point to admire the views across the city and to the mountains on the North Shore. The park, named for Elizabeth, the Queen’s mother, is also home to the famous Bloedel Conservatory, the Dancing Waters fountain, the spectacular Quarry Garden and the Rose Garden planted in 1967 to commemorate Canada’s Centennial.

All units at Chelsea include a parking space and some buyers will have the opportunity to add a second parking stall, Turcotte says.

Amenities include a gym and a social area to host gatherings and an outdoor area for barbecues.

© 2018 Postmedia Network Inc.

High levels of growth cause enormous costs for infrastructure

Elizabeth Murphy
The Vancouver Sun

Most new housing construction is unaffordable and involves demolishing older building stock that former occupants could afford but who are then displaced. More new supply doesn’t make things more affordable — quite the opposite.

After more than a decade of high levels of growth in the city of Vancouver, we can now see what that is achieving. The results are record homelessness, an affordability crisis, inflated land values and unsustainable demolitions. But on top of that we are only now being given a peek under the hood at what the costs of servicing that growth will be. And it is enormous.

In July, the city approved a report on city-wide utilities financing growth strategy and a Cambie corridor utilities servicing plan. It disclosed, in somewhat of an opaque and incomplete way, anticipated growth and the costs to service that growth that is in the billions of dollars. It also posed some significant environmental sustainability issues that had not previously been raised by the city and puts in question the current growth agenda.

The report does not disclose full population and unit growth, so it doesn’t show the whole picture. But it is enough to identify that we have a huge deficit in utility servicing capacity for the projected growth, where unit development and zoned capacity is far exceeding population increases. It will take billions of dollars to cover the required upgrades to water, sewer and drainage systems, as well as other services for this growth, most of which is unaffordable housing.

Staff said that just for the Cambie corridor planned growth alone it would cost $750 million in utility upgrades. Only a portion of this is included in the billion-dollar estimate to cover city-wide growth from 2017 to 2026. The costs are proposed to be split in half between development fees and property taxes. But with fee exemptions for new rental projects, the majority of costs will need to be covered by property taxes.

Where more transparency is particularly required is on the actual growth numbers, which do not line up with the rhetoric from those who claim that the city lacks supply. We are in fact building more units than population growth would justify, with zoned capacity that is already many times greater than needed for expected growth and way beyond current utility servicing capacity.

The issue of lack of utility capacity to meet anticipated growth is staggering. This has huge implications for environmental sustainability, increased property taxes, city debt and affordability, at which we are only getting a small peek.

Every smaller building that is replaced by a bigger building with more units adds waste and resource consumption. The building generally has a bigger site coverage with less impervious areas that generates more water runoff. Deeper basements and underground parking garages have groundwater intrusion issues, putting more pressure on combined sewer drainage systems. More extreme weather from climate change further stresses risks of flooding and reduced water capacity for firefighting, drinking water and domestic uses.

A project manager, who builds large multi-use projects in multiple countries, confirmed he has seen this all before. Many cities worldwide build way beyond the carrying capacity of the infrastructure systems that then have to be upgraded later at great public expense. These costs are carried by taxpayers, renters and future development fees.

To assess this properly, first we need a clearer picture of what anticipated growth looks like. The city has lately been building significantly more units than what would be justified by population growth and has existing zoned capacity well beyond what is the city’s portion of regional growth. This also has regional impact on major infrastructure such as sewage and drinking water treatment plants, electrical grid, roads, bridges, transit systems, daycare, parks and recreation.

Metro Vancouver, formerly the Greater Vancouver Regional District, adopted the Liveable Region Strategic Plan (LRSP) in 1996. But the focus has since shifted from liveability to growth objectives when the LRSP was replaced by the Regional Growth Strategy (RGS) in 2011.

Here are the growth numbers that are not included in the city report.

The recent update to the RGS in 2017 has the City of Vancouver growth from 2011 to 2041 to be an additional 148,000 people and 97,000 units.

However, census data shows that 28,600 people and 22,700 units had been added from 2011 to 2016. The city’s projections for the 10-year period of 2017 to 2026 is for an additional 70,000 people and 52,200 units. When you add the 22,700 units already built from 2011 to 2016, this comes to 74,900 units by 2026. That leaves 22,100 units for the following 15 years from 2026 to 2041.

Of the units added by 2016, the census shows there were 25,500 unoccupied units that had increased by 3,300 units from 2011. The city is continuing to build well ahead of population growth. No lack of supply there.

The city has also known since at least the city’s Coriolis consultant’s report in June 2014, that there was already enough existing zoned capacity to meet future growth beyond 2041. Yet it continued to rezone Grandview and other areas, while approving record numbers of new units in development permits.

Vancouver’s existing zoned capacity is now already many times what is needed to meet population growth and the city continues to avoid giving a full breakdown of all zoned capacity.

The July city report said it only counted most of the new residential growth as anticipated in the West End, downtown, Cambie corridor, Marpole, Mount Pleasant and Killarney (East Fraser Lands), consistent with these area plans. The growth in the Cambie corridor alone is estimated by the city to accommodate 50,000 people.

© 2018 Postmedia Network Inc