GEORGE trades on livability and value
Simon Briault
The Vancouver Sun
GEORGE
Project location: 3010 St. George Street, Port Moody
Project size: 173 condos and 73 townhomes with one to three bedrooms; 657 to 1,292 square feet; condos starting from $489,900, townhomes starting from mid $800,000s
Developer: Marcon Developments
Architect: Shift Architecture Inc.
Interior designer: Gannon Ross Designs
Sales centre: 3001 St. Johns Street, Port Moody
Hours: noon — 5 p.m., Sat — Thurs
Telephone: 604-469-4036
Website: marcon.ca/george
Occupancy: spring/summer 2020
It’s no secret that Vancouver is regularly rated as one of the most livable places in the world, with breathtaking scenery, big city benefits and easy access to the great outdoors. As a result – and this is also no secret – it can cost you a good chunk of money to own property there.
But Nic Paolella, director of development at Marcon Developments, the company behind a new multi-family development in Port Moody, believes there are other options outside the city that offer similar levels of livability at a much more affordable price.
“People think that as you move further out, you get fewer amenities and things to explore and in some cases that’s true,” he says. “But Port Moody is one of those places in Metro Vancouver that has a unique character and identity that makes it a really livable place. It’s really starting to emerge as a community that has a lot to offer.”
“It starts with the advent of rapid transit,” Paolella added. “Port Moody has always been a small municipality with some great attributes, but the transit options like the new Evergreen Line for SkyTrain have really improved the accessibility of that community for young people and families.”
Marcon’s GEORGE is a new multi-family 246-home project located on either side of St. George Street. The development will consist of two six-storey condominium buildings with a total of 173 homes and 73 townhomes with one to three bedrooms.
“Being outside the city, it’s of course much more affordable,” Paolella said. “It’s also super livable. You have easy access to lots of different parks and opportunities for outdoor recreation. Within a few minutes, you can get into an amazing network of trails for hiking and biking. The core of Port Moody itself has some vibrant retail and commercial amenities already and that’s only going to increase, particularly in the Moody Centre neighbourhood where our project is located.”
The amenities, restaurants and stores already in place include Saint Street Grill, Rocky Point Tap House, The Boathouse Restaurant, Port Moody Station Museum, Starbucks, 7-Eleven, Namoo Sushi, Oxygen Yoga and Fitness, Aroma Indian Restaurant and Cake-Ya. GEORGE will be within walking distance of a brand new middle school and an elementary school.
“With the way the city of Port Moody plans to grow, you’re actually going to have more low-rise condos and townhomes a lot closer to transit stations than you see elsewhere,” Paolella said. “In Coquitlam and Burnaby, the lower-density homes are further away from transit because they’re prioritizing highrises near to the stations. It’s pretty unique that you can be living in a townhome and walk right out your door and be at the SkyTrain station in just a few minutes.”
Port Moody’s Rocky Point Park is also a short stroll away. Amenities include a recreational pier, a seasonal outdoor pool, a skateboard park, a playground, a spray park, wildlife viewing areas and opportunities to watch local artists doing their work. (Port Moody is known as ‘the city of the arts’.)
Paolella said he expects many more commercial offerings to be added to the Port Moody mix, along with more multi-family housing from high-end developers.
“We’re totally renewing the streetscape of St. George Street and at the same time, we’ll be doing a significant enhancement to Dallas Creek, which runs through the centre of the block,” he added. “This will involve restoring the creek and creating a preserved riparian area. With that, we’ll also be putting in a public pocket park as well.”
The homes at GEORGE will include all the luxury finishes and amenities you’d expect from a big-name developer. Buyers will get three colour patterns to choose from, nine-foot-high ceilings and laminate flooring throughout kitchens, dens, living and dining areas. The condos will have stacked, front-loading washers and dryers. In the townhomes, they’ll be side by side.
Kitchens feature appliance packages by Samsung: 32-inch refrigerators, 30-inch ranges with convection and self-clean ovens and 24-inch Energy Star dishwashers. There are three cabinet styles to choose from, quartz countertops, matte black faucets and under-cabinet recycling units. Bathrooms include Chelini under-mounted sinks, deep soaker tubs, frameless glass shower enclosures and solid quartz countertops.
Prices at GEORGE start at $489,900 and homes range in size from 657 to 1,292 square feet. Completion is expected in the spring/summer of 2020.
“Port Moody is so worth exploring,” Paolella said. “In today’s climate, where people are doing some careful research to find out what makes sense for them, this community has a lot going for it. Right now, I would genuinely tell people that if you’re looking for a home that has great value in a place that’s really livable, you should look no further.”
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