Family-friendly townhomes with chef-inspired kitchens at The Hillcrest
Michael Bernard
The Province
The developers of The Hillcrest knew they wanted the kitchens in their 17-unit townhouse complex in central Vancouver to be the most efficient they could build, so they called in award-winning chef David Robertson to review their initial designs.
Robertson, whose Dirty Apron restaurant has been a hit since opening in Vancouver in 2009, has learned a thing or two about what makes a kitchen work well after watching more than 10,000 students pass through his cooking schools.
“I looked at what the Hillcrest designers had there from a practicality point. At one time they had a full (peninsula) so you couldn’t get in and out accessibly. Then they capped it off with a sideboard at one side and that boxed in things.” He ultimately recommended they go with an island providing easy in-and-out access, a layout they adopted.
“If you have a few more people over then your whole island becomes an ultimate prep station. I am a fan of Wolf and Sub Zero (high-end appliances) but I don’t think that was in the budget. Ultimately, they went with a really good model of Bosch. These are not massive kitchens but I always say less is more in the kitchen. You don’t need to have things in there that don’t make sense.”
One of the things he particularly liked was a pull-out overhead venting system. “I don’t like microwaves in plain sight in the kitchen either, so I recommended they go with one in the island.”
Kitchens are equipped with a premium Bosch appliance package with a 30-inch integrated fridge, 30-inch five-burner gas cooktop, 30-inch wall oven and a 24-inch integrated dishwasher. The cabinetry is flat panel style and countertops with undermount large single sinks are made of durable quartz lit by under-cabinet lighting.
Robertson, who has written two books on cooking, says he also came up with the concept of planting a communal herb garden in the central courtyard between the two buildings to which only resident families have access.
According to Graham Carter, principal and co-founder of Vertex Developments, bringing in Robertson was a very conscious move to target specific demographic groups in marketing The Hillcrest, the company’s first project. Young families are the company’s prime target group.
“We call (Hillcrest) the Upsizer. We thought of someone with a child in a condo downtown who wants to stay within their social network in the area. We see it as a great opportunity to get into a three-bedroom townhouse.”
That target also explains why Vertex has skewed its space allocation to larger units: of the 17 homes, 15 are three-bedroom units between 1,064 square feet and 1,284 square feet; one is a two-bedroom unit measuring 933 square feet; and one is a one-bedroom home of 579 square feet. The stacked townhouses are located in two buildings constructed around a fully-secured courtyard with fob access for families to enjoy.
Carter, an engineer by training, said he also put himself in the shoes of those in the market he seeks to serve. “We’ve got one (model) which is two level but with the master bedroom on the ground floor and two bedrooms above. So, to me as a dad, I want my kids above me, but I don’t want them below me. It is more comfort and security.”
He said the homes are not “super-sized” in a city area where land prices are high, which means space had to be carefully thought out. “For instance, cupboards go to the ceiling when others might stop them half way up the wall. We have also gone with nine-foot ceilings in the main areas wherever we could.”
Vertex also thought about the financial needs of young families. “We think a lot of buyers are going to be using the bank of Mom and Pop, which is why we are offering to pay eight per cent interest on the deposit people put down. Mom and Dad might be paying five or six per cent interest on a line of credit on their own house, so by paying them eight per cent interest, it gives them a bit of a buffer.”
Young families aren’t the only ones that Carter wants to draw to the development. Some of the three-bedroom homes are on one level, which should prove attractive to downsizers who don’t want to negotiate stairs as they grow older, he said, “so we think we have covered both ends of the spectrum.”
Carter, who purchased the almost 20,000 square-foot parcel, the former site of two single-family homes, says its location is a very strong feature for both demographic groups. “It is 460 metres to the King Edward SkyTrain station and it is right between the Cambie and Main shopping centres. And the Hillcrest Community Centre and Queen Elizabeth Park are right on the doorstep. It is one of the most accessible sites to downtown and the airport through transit and vehicle.”
Interior flooring is a mix of hardwood oak engineered floors and wool blend carpeting. Large window and recessed pot lights provide both natural and warm light. Modern bathrooms feature a full-height mirror, an elongated pendant light, wall-mounted faucets and water efficient dual flush toilets. Floating vanities have spacious oak veneer storage drawers and under-cabinet lighting and large format porcelain tiles on the floor and ceiling.
Ensuite master bathrooms come with seamless glass showers featuring mosaic tiled basins and Aquabrass rain shower fixtures and handheld wands, heated towel racks and Nu-Heat electric heated flooring throughout. The homes come with combination heating and air conditioning and are built to the demanding standards of a “Low Emissions Green Building.”
The underground garages feature lockers for additional storage, storage for bikes, and roughed in charging systems for electric vehicles.
The Hillcrest was also rolling out a system whereby people interested in seeing suites could view them remotely from the comfort of their own home and be able to ask questions of sales staff at the same time as they view the suites.
The Hillcrest, Vancouver
Project address: West King Edward Avenue and Columbia Street
Project scale: 17 stacked one, two and three-bedroom woodframe townhomes in two buildings separated by a common courtyard. Homes range from 578 sq. ft. to 1,284 sq. ft. Ground-level homes have ample patio space while stacked townhomes have raised entries and private rooftop decks. Centrally located, close to Canada Line, Queen Elizabeth Park, and shopping on Cambie and Main streets
Prices: Three-bedroom townhomes from $1,479,900
Developer: Vertex Developments
Architect: Formwerks
Interior Design: Area3 Design Studio
Sales centre: Suite 301 – 1508 West Broadway, Vancouver
Centre hours: By appointment only
Sales phone: 604-394-2088
Website: https:// www.thehillcrest.ca
Completion date: Summer 2021
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