The Grand at Willow Creek takes an amenity-rich location in Aldergrove
Simon Briault
The Vancouver Sun
The Grand at Willow Creek
Project location: 27358 32 Avenue, Langley
Project size: 47 one-to-three-bedroom homes ranging in size from 668 to 1,240 square feet and priced between $288,800 and $541,900 until Feb. 15 (After Feb. 15, homes will range from $288,900 and $552,400)
Developer: Apex Western Homes
Architect: Jordan Kutev Architect Inc.
Interior designer: Creative Design Works – Mae Suffron
Sales centre: 27358 32 Avenue
Hours: noon to 5 p.m. on weekends; Mon — Fri by appointment
Sales phone: 604-857-1866
Website: http://www.willowcreekaldergrove.com
The lack of affordable housing options in the Lower Mainland is no longer news. It’s a problem that has been spreading throughout the region in recent years, with families, businesses and communities all feeling the effects.
But Ray Vesely, principal owner and CEO of Apex Western Homes, believes he’s found an affordable neighbourhood in Aldergrove in the Township of Langley.
It’s here that Vesely is building The Grand at Willow Creek, an apartment building of 47 one-to-three bedroom homes. There are 12 different plans to choose from, with homes ranging in size from 668 to 1,240 square feet and priced between $288,900 and $552,400.
“My personal background is that I’m a glazer and a carpenter by trade,” Vesely said. “I used to do framing and all that and I’ve been in the construction industry for more than 30 years now.”
“Apex Western Homes has been around for 20 years or so,” Vesely added. “We’ve been doing custom-made houses for the last 10 or 15 years and I have been having real struggles with staffing issues because of the lack of affordable housing: it’s just too expensive for many people to live here. I’ve also been on the planning commission for the City of North Vancouver and so I know that affordable housing is really a crisis for this region.”
Vesely said it was his first-hand experience of affordability issues that led him to expand his business into multi-family housing, starting with an apartment complex in Mission that is a 10-minute walk to the West Coast Express train station. He cited public transit as one of the key factors in the development of new affordable communities.
“We don’t want to kill the housing industry, we want to make it affordable for people to get to downtown or wherever they need to go,” Vesely said. “Transit is really the key to affordability.”
“The other thing apart from having good transit links is just to find somewhere that’s offers value for money,” Vesely added. “(Aldergrove has) a great little village atmosphere. I love it. It reminds me of places like Edgemont Village in North Vancouver or Dunbar on the west side of Vancouver.”
The Township of Langley has big plans for the area and has been busy building up the community’s range of amenities, including a new recreation centre and the proposed redevelopment of Aldergrove Mall.
The Grand at Willow Creek offers easy access to grocery stores, shopping, parks and green spaces, two elementary schools, a community centre and multiple dining options. These include Station House Pub & Grill, Fox & Hounds Pub Restaurant, Hirame Sushi, Brick Alley Restaurant, Pho Nguyen Vietnamese and Cactus Club. There’s also a dental clinic, a medical clinic, a yoga studio and a gym nearby.
The homes at The Grand at Willow Creek feature wide-plank European laminate hardwood flooring and high-efficiency Whirlpool stacking washers and dryers. All homes will be fully pre-wired for in-home security systems. The building will also include gated and brightly lit underground parking with video surveillance, as well as ample and convenient visitor parking.
Kitchens feature cabinets in white Shaker style or wood-tone European style, as well as quartz stone countertops with coordinated ceramic tile backsplashes. The Samsung stainless steel appliance packages feature french door refrigerators with bottom-mount freezers, slide-in convection oven ranges with five-burner ceramic cooktops and microwave hood fans. There’s also pot lighting with modern classic pendants over islands or eating bars, under-cabinet task lighting and built-in waste and recycling bins.
Main bathrooms and ensuites have square-edge cabinets and quartz countertops, snow white tiled surrounds and large-format floor tiles. Ensuite bathrooms feature five-foot frameless glass showers, water-saving dual-flush toilets and wall-mounted light bars.
Luxury finishes and local amenities aside, Vesely comes back to the issue of affordability as one of the key benefits of The Grand at Willow Creek, particularly for young families who are looking to get into the market for the first time.
“Affordability is one of the most attractive things about it for sure,” he said. “The stress test [federal guidelines introduced in 2018 to cool the Canadian residential mortgage market] has brought everybody down. People are having to lower their expectations from what they used to be able to qualify for in terms of mortgage financing. Whatever people used to be able to afford, it’s now one or two hundred thousand less. They’re looking for more affordable options and we’re able to provide that here.”
The sales centre for The Grand at Willow Creek is located on site at 27358 32 Avenue and is open from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays and by appointment from Monday to Friday.
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