The Yates on Yates by Chard Development will feature 116 units of varying sizes
Kathleen Freimond
The Vancouver Sun
Project: The Yates on Yates
Project address: 848 Yates Street
Project City: Victoria
Developer: Chard Development
Architect: Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership
Interior designer: Proscenium Architecture + Interiors Inc.
Project size: 20 storeys; 116 residential suites and ground floor retail
Bedrooms: Studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom
Unit size: 342 to 1,761 square feet
Price: Two-bedrooms start from $645,900
Sales centre: 102 — 608 Broughton Street, Victoria
Sales centre hours: noon to 5 p.m., Sat — Thurs
Phone: 250-590-9940
Construction: early 2018.
Website: http://www.yatesonyates.com
As part of its ongoing commitment to contribute to the revitalization of downtown Victoria, Chard Development is adding its ninth residential mixed-use project to the capital city with The Yates on Yates, a 20-storey tower.
“We have been very strong on [supporting] a more vibrant downtown Victoria. Residents in Chard developments have helped keep restaurants, shops and services more vital,” says the developer’s president and CEO, David Chard. “By bringing in these new residents, it’s really helped to make a more vibrant and sustainable city.”
The Yates, like many of Chard’s other developments in Victoria, will be built on the site of a parking lot. Chard says about 15 years ago he understood the City of Victoria wanted to see fewer surface parking lots and more residents living in the downtown. “That’s what we’ve done, purchased parking lots and developed a multitude of mid-rise, mixed-use projects,” he says.
The Yates has 116 residential units, including studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom options and street-level spaces for shops and services.
The building will include three levels of parking below grade, including 65 spaces for commercial parking.
“One of the things we’ve seen as we’ve developed on these parking lots is the need for additional commercial parking to keep the retailers and restaurants vital,” Chard says.
While there will be views from the upper floors, he notes the major benefit of the location is the proximity to downtown Victoria.
“Downtown Victoria is quite compact. If you work downtown, you’re going to walk to work whether you’re in the high-tech sector, service industry or working for the government,” he says.
The location also makes sense for people choosing to live an urban lifestyle.
“We hear from people who have bought in other buildings we’ve developed in the downtown that people love being able to go out for dinner without having to worry about driving,” Chard says.
The Yates is attractive to downsizers and young professionals, says Sandi Chih of Proscenium Architecture and Interiors, and the design appeals to both these groups.
“It’s important for us that we’re actually designing to meet the needs [of potential buyers] and what the area is calling for. We find the buyers in the neighbourhood are very trendy and design-aware,” she says.
The result is a West Coast contemporary design with a Scandinavian influence, explains Chih.
“We went for a very clean and minimal design palette and brought in the complexity through the use of textures and subtle design details like the really nice edge on the countertops that elevates the kitchen that little bit further,” she says.
Buyers have the choice of two palettes, simply named Light and Dark. The Light scheme includes white oak high-performance laminate floors, light Caesarstone countertop with matching one-piece backsplash and flat-panel cabinetry with a modern horizontal wood grain with a matte finish.
The Dark option includes a grey teak laminate floor with charcoal grey wood-grain cabinetry and marble-inspired Caesarstone countertop and backsplash.
The integrated Fisher & Paykel refrigerator/freezer and pantry cupboard frame the kitchen in the sales centre at 102 — 608 Broughton Street in Victoria. The electric induction cooktop, built-in wall oven and the dishwasher, located in the eight-foot six-inch by three-foot three-inch island, are also by Fisher & Paykel. The island also accommodates the stainless steel sink and a Grohe faucet with pull-out sprayer and an under-counter wine cooler.
The bathrooms feature the same cabinetry as the kitchen and the vanity has a recessed kick to give it the appearance of floating, enhancing the clean look of the overall design. The bathroom also has a feature wall of large-format 24 by 24-inch marble-look tiles. Frameless glass swing shower doors have polished chrome hinges to match the Grohe bathroom faucets and rain shower heads. In cooler weather, buyers will appreciate the underfloor heating in the main baths or ensuites.
Chih says to support the modern esthetic, she avoided surface-mounted sconces in the bathroom and selected recessed Piccolo lights above the vanity.
There are also recessed pot lights in the kitchens and in the bedrooms and dining rooms in-ceiling electrical boxes will be ready to accept light fixtures.
Chih says one of the standout features of the units at The Yates are the laundry closets. One-bedroom units have a stacked washer and dryer and millwork, including adjustable shelves, that enable the space to also be used as the entry closet, while the two-bedroom/two-bathroom units have a side-by-side washer and dryer. Millwork in these laundry closets contributes to overall storage space in the unit, Chih says.
Chard notes that like the other buildings the company has developed, The Yates will also feature rooftop patios and terraces.
“The rooftop terrace will have barbecues, a sitting area, washroom and garden plots. That’s proven to be a signature for us and has been very popular,” he says. “Whenever I take people through our completed buildings, that seems to be what really captures everyone.”
Other amenities include a dog-wash station with hot and cold water, and an easily accessible bike storage and maintenance bench.
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