COMMUNITY ADDITION
Tsawwassen’s townhouse stock gets a boost with the introduction of CityHomes
CityHomes at Northgate Project location: Tsawwassen Project size: 41 one-, two- and three-bedroom townhouses Residence size: 700 to 1,900 sq. ft Developer: Century Group Architect: Peter Dandyk Interior design: Portico Design Price: one-bed $289,900; two-bed $359,900; three-bed from $439,900 Sales centre: 1708 55A St., Tsawwassen Telephone: 604-948-2345 Sales contact: Doug Lucier — 604644-2099 Hours: noon to 5 p.m., Sat to Thurs Website: cityhomesnorthgate.ca Occupancy: February 2016
The 41 residences now being constructed just blocks inside the entrance to Tsawwassen represent a relative rarity for the South Delta community.
While there’s a preponderance of single-family homes in town, as well as a good number of apartments — most of them clustered near the centre of Tsawwassen — townhouses are somewhat scarce.
By early next year, not so much. Taking their place on 55A Street, just one block west of the main drag and a short distance from Highway 17, will be CityHomes, the townhouse component of the Century Group’s new mixed-use Northgate development. (Also being constructed on the site is The Wexford, a four-storey seniors’ community, and a commercial building that will house a mix of retail and office space.)
Will it be a much-needed addition to Tsawwassen? Absolutely, says Doug Lucier, who is handling the sales and marketing for CityHomes.
“It fills a need that we have in Tsawwassen,” he says, noting that for the younger set and those with families, the townhouses represent an attractive middle ground between a condo and a (perhaps unattainable) detached home.
“This does fill a niche. This is, for younger people, much better, I believe, than a condo. It is absolutely a great entrance into the market.”
Not surprisingly, then, a good number of buyers who have purchased homes belong to that demographic.
“We’re getting a lot of young people, young families,” says Lucier, adding that singles and some downsizers have rounded out the mix. Twenty- seven homes in two of three blocks have so far been made available (the remaining 14 in the third block will likely come to market in September), and close to half have sold, primarily to individuals from the area.
Residences have one, two or three bedrooms, with singleand multi-level configurations on offer. Given that the project has underground parking, and that some units are stacked one on top of the other, CityHomes can also be seen to be somewhat of a hybrid of townhouse/condo living, notes Joanna Kwan, Century Group’s vice-president of real estate development.
“We offer five different unit types, from single-level one- bedroom to three-level threebedroom plans, all with their own street entry — yes, even the one-bedroom — and underground parking, and yes, even the one-bedroom,” she says, echoing Lucier’s comments about the need for this type of residence.
“It’s true that the housing options in Tsawwassen have been primarily single-family detached homes and condos,” Kwan says, “while demand has grown significantly for townhouses.”
Among the younger folks attracted to the project were first-time buyers Lee and Nicole Zirk, Tsawwassen residents who bought a three-bedroom unit.
“We were drawn to the townhouse-style home, rather than a condo, (because of) the idea of our own front door,” says Nicole, 26, who works as a booking clerk in the radiology department of Vancouver General Hospital.
“This townhouse gives us two levels and 1,440 square feet that a condo cannot provide. We knew we wanted to live in Tsawwassen, but could not afford a detached home at this time.”
Among the features that appealed to Nicole and husband Lee, a 30-year-old mechanical engineer, were the hardwood floors, the quartz countertops and the KitchenAid appliances.
Visitors to the CityHomes sale centre can check out such features courtesy of five suites open for viewing, two of them fully decorated. These range from a 700-square-foot unit with one bedroom and den — it sells for $289,900 — to a 1,900-squarefoot handsomely outfitted residence with two private outdoor areas, three-and-a-half bathrooms and three good-sized bedrooms, one of which has been imagined as an enormous toplevel media room. This home, which sells for $679,000, also has direct in-suite access to the parking. (Occupants of the other units will be able to access their parking stalls — one or two, depending on the size of the unit — by stairs or elevator.)
Every home will have a patio or deck — and in some cases, two. Large windows on two sides (or three in the case of the six end units) allow for air flow and plenty of natural light.
Ceilings rise to nine feet in the open-concept homes, which have oak engineered hardwoods in the main living areas, carpeting in the bedrooms, and porcelain tile flooring in the bathrooms.
Kitchens feature two-tone cabinets, mosaic tile backsplashes, stainless steel undermount sinks, Panasonic microwaves, and KitchenAid Architect Series refrigerators, dishwashers, wall ovens and gas cooktops.
Bathrooms, meanwhile, feature quartz counters, laminate wood vanities and polished chrome faucets and hardware. Ensuites have large walk-in showers with porcelain tile surrounds.
Residences — which are but a stroll to transit, shops and restaurants, as well as the South Delta Rec Centre and the highly regarded private Southpointe Academy — have Brownstonestyle exteriors, with stone, stucco and HardiPlank accents.
Tsawwassen, says longtime local Lucier, has changed in recent years — and for the better.
“Before, there was no shopping, there were no (private) schools, and it was hard to get here,” he says, noting that several developments have tweaked that picture — or will in the near future. Among them; the coming bridge that will replace the George Massey Tunnel, the enormous malls being constructed on Tsawwassen First Nations lands, and the fairly recent openings of the South Fraser Perimeter Road and the new Southpointe Academy campus.
“You’ve got the school, you’ve got the shopping, you’ve got the access,” he says. “And it’s the sunniest spot in Greater Vancouver.”
Little wonder, then, that the community is attracting homebuyer attention, Lucier says.
“The values are spectacular here, compared to anywhere else with this proximity to Vancouver,” he says.
The Century Group’s Kwan agrees.
“Affordability is a hot topic in Metro Vancouver, especially for single people and young families that are finding it difficult to enter the market or afford the kind of housing that meets their needs for more space,” she says. “In that regard, Tsawwassen is a great option because it is a well-established community, it’s safe, it offers an active outdoor lifestyle, while the housing market is still relatively stable and affordable.”
That’s an observation that resonates with Nicole Zirk, who was born and raised in the community.
“The townhouse was a great fit,” she says. “We also love the idea of moving into something brand new, (and) with the limited townhomes available in Tsawwassen, we were going to have to start looking at other communities as a condo was too small and a detached home was too expensive.”