The west side comes to Burnaby
Interest is especially strong for the larger units at Ivory Mews
Ivory Mews Project location: 7250 18th Ave., Burnaby
Project size: 27 townhomes
Residence size: 533 to 1,123 square feet
Price: $289,900 and up
Developer: Otivo Group
Architectural design: Robert Cuccozzi
Website: ivorymews.com
Sales centre: 7385 Edmonds St. at Fulton
Hours: Noon to 5 p.m. Saturday to Wednesday, Thursdays and Fridays by appointment
Phone: 604-528-6935 Occupancy: Fall 2016
A new boutique townhome development in East Burnaby has been attracting plenty of attention, with a third of the units snapped up by buyers soon after they hit the market.
Ivory Mews in the Highgate area is a two-building project offering one-, two- and threebedroom homes. Sales began earlier this month, and as of mid week, 10 of the 27 units had been bought.
The larger units have been drawing the most interest.
“The demand for three-bedroom townhomes in Burnaby is huge, and there’s not much product, especially brand new,” sales representative Nathalie Jabour said.
The stacked townhome concept in one building at Ivory Mews consists of garden flats and twolevel townhomes, accessible by stairs. The second building is made up of 10 three-level townhomes — with three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms — measuring more than 1,100 square feet.
“We did a couple of stacked townhomes in the Metrotown area, and they were a success,” said Don De Cotiis, president of developer Otivo.
“The main homes are three bedrooms — for families. The exterior isn’t your typical exterior. We’ve upped the ante. it’s more rich, I guess more west side.”
The garden flats come in three floor plans, including five units in the smallest plan, a 533-square-foot home with one bedroom and one bathroom. There is also one two-bedroom-two-bath unit, and one home with one bedroom, one bathroom and a den.
The garden flats and threelevel townhomes have patios, while the stacked townhomes have balconies.
The exteriors are warm and reflective of cottages, with gabled roofs, cladding and arched entranceways. The developer has also taken care to incorporate large areas of green space in and around Ivory Mews.
The project is on a quiet treelined street, but still close to such urban amenities as fitness centres and restaurants. The Edmonds SkyTrain station is a 10-minute walk away.
“It’s in a very quiet residential neighbourhood, everybody knows everybody, it’s easy to bike and there are trees all over,” Jabour said.
“That’s why we’re seeing success. Where else can you find something so quiet, and you are two seconds from Kingsway, Metrotown, a community centre.”
Anchored by Highgate Village Mall, the area is also home to a new library. Also nearby are parks, shops, a community centre and schools. These include Taylor Park Elementary, Byrne Creek Community School, Cariboo Hill Secondary and St. Thomas More Collegiate. And new developments are going up rapidly.
“I’m excited about the neighbourhood because it’s up-andcoming,” De Cotiis said. “There’s a lot of development coming up in the next couple of years.”
Jabour said the Edmonds area is one of the fastest developing in the Lower Mainland. She said an Edmonds Street Value Village, located near the project, is about to be demolished to make way for residential and commercial towers from Cressey.
“Everything is under rezoning, and developers are interested in buying land,” she said. “It has huge potential.”
Meanwhile, residents of Ivory Mews’ townhomes and garden flats will be able to enjoy contemporary interior design and modern fixtures.
Main levels have nine- foot ceilings and laminate flooring — there’s plush carpet in bedrooms and upper floors — and large living spaces with noise barriers. Large windows allow for plenty of natural light.
Bathrooms are outfitted with tile-surround deep tubs, dual-flush toilets, feature lighting and custom-designed flat-panel cabinetry with undercounter soft- close drawers. Countertops are composite stone with a matching backsplash and undermount sink. The polished chrome bath and shower faucets are by Grohe.
Kitchens also feature composite countertops, with fullheight imported porcelain backsplashes. The appliance package is from Whirlpool and includes an Energy Star dishwasher, microwave hood combination and front-load stacking washer and dryer.
“The kitchens are modernlooking,” De Cotiis said. “We tried to get as much storage in there as we could, and to make the homes as big as we could.”
Other features include contemporary halogen track lighting, double-bowl stainless steel sinks and single-lever faucets with a pullout vegetable spray.
Kitchens also have a five-range gas stove and an electric cooktop with convection oven. A french door Energy Star refrigerator with a lower drawer freezer leaves lots of room for groceries.
With the floor plan and the size of the appliances, the homes have been designed with families in mind, Jabour said.
“It’s like living in a single detached home, but you don’t have to worry about shovelling the snow or taking care of the garden,” she said.