Well-equipped units start at just under $150,000
The headlines have long been telling us that the Greater Vancouver real estate market is among the least affordable anywhere. Out in Langley, however, there is a different story is being told.
The Sandhill Development project will eventually be comprised of 393 apartments on a seven-acre site blocks from the Willowbrook Shopping Centre. The first of those homes hit the market just weeks ago - starting at just under $150,000.
"In terms of first buyers, I think in our real estate market, people may think that it's not tangible to own,"
"We hear so many stories about how our market is the most expensive in the world, and maybe Vancouver specifically . But I think what is great about a project like this is that, you don't have to be making over $100,000 [to own a home] ...
"Real estate can be affordable . I like that message. It's a price point that works for people."
The smartly outfitted entry-level studio suite will be no slouch in terms of finishes, and fitted with the touches many would come to expect in new homes priced much higher: Hardwood laminate flooring, a Whirlpool stainless steel appliance package, granite countertops and pendant lighting.
When complete in four to five years, The complex will consist of studio suites and one-and two-bedroom apartments in six four-storey wood frame buildings. Of the 75 homes in the first of those buildings - to be finished a year from September - 30 sold in the space of six weeks.
"The concept is that we want to appeal to a buyer who has a higher level of sophistication with interior design,"
"Normally, they do that in developments that are located downtown. But we thought: 'There are people who live out here in Langley because they love Langley, and they are those buyers who appreciate high-end design and high quality. So why save that only for people who are downtown?' "
Exteriors will be fitted with brick and HardieBoard siding and finished in an earth-tone palette. Interiors, meanwhile, will be finished in one of two colour schemes - copper or nickel - and include such higher-end touches as double-bowl stainless steel sinks and porcelain tile flooring in the kitchens and motion-sensor undercabinet lighting in the bathrooms. All these homes will include groundlevel patios or decks, the largest of which will measure some 300 square feet.
Where the two show suites are concerned - a 446-square-foot studio and a 563-square-foot one-bedroom home - attention was paid to the thinking of "sacred geometry," notes Danielle Lareau, principal of the Giraffe Design Group.
"Everything is symmetrical and designed in terms of shapes and forms," Lareau says. "If you look at design today, everything is too square . To have balance in a home, you need the straight lines and the curves. The straight lines are more masculine and the curves are more feminine."
To achieve such balance, Lareau opted to juxtapose a square table with a round carpet, and to install a circular wall art motif that contains oblong shapes echoed in the patterns on the living area throw cushions.
Lareau opted for a daybed in the studio suite - by day, giving the unit more of a living room feel - but if buyers so choose, they can opt to have a Murphy bed installed in those homes, Edmonds says.
All homeowners, meanwhile, will be able to enjoy the neighbourhood's ample outdoor areas - a brook will meander through a green reserve to the rear of the project, while the outdoor space in the core of the Elements community will be noteworthy for its illuminated pathways, water features, courtyards and communal fire pit.
Equally noteworthy, says Edmonds, will be the two-level Trilogy Club, an amenity space of more than 7,000 square feet that will include, among other things, a fitness centre, yoga studio, lounge, billiards area, dance floor and media room.
"So you could book this to have your friends come over to watch a hockey game or a movie," she notes.
Edmonds says this developement represents the first large-scale master-planned residential project for Richmondbased Sandhill Developments, and is the only undertaking of its type in the Willowbrook neighbourhood, which is anchored by the mall and the myriad restaurants, big-box outlets and entertainment offerings in and around it.
"We are pretty much one of the only walkable communities in Langley," Edmonds notes. "You could live here without a car, which is rare for Langley."
Still, says Edmonds, Elements' position - it will front 66th Avenue just a few blocks east of 200th Avenue - accounts for just part of its appeal.
"The one-bedroom has been incredibly popular," she says. "The functionality of the size and the price for what you're getting - it's just incredible value. That's another reason why we've done really well. Great location, great interior design and great price."
Contact Vinesdemooy and Associates for more information.