Live the village life at CLAYTON MARKET
Mosaic Homes introduces mixed-use residency with Surrey row home project
Increasingly, builders are experimenting with mixeduse concepts, where homes are built over top of street- level retail space. At Clayton Market, a 44-home development in Surrey’s Clayton neighbourhood, Mosaic Homes is creating a variation on that theme by putting row homes next door to that retail space, rather than above it.
“What’s new is the mixed-use concept combining village-style retail with townhome living,” says Geoff Dyker, Mosaic’s senior vice-president, marketing. Mosaic, which retains ownership of the retail village, sees mixing retail and residential as a trend that is here to stay. “As Metro Vancouver matures, more and more new homebuilding opportunities involve incorporating some form of retail,” he said. “When done well, we think it’s a great asset for neighbouring homeowners.” The retail village space also has an area set aside for other community activities, including the potential for a farmers’ market.
It would seem that Mosaic has a winning formula. In its first two weeks marketing in March, Mosaic sold 18 of the 44 homes.
Priced from $309,900, Clayton Market has proven particularly attractive to first- time buyers, says Erin Towns, Mosaic’s Clayton sales co-ordinator, adding there have also been a few investors and some downsizers in the mix of buyers.
“I think a lot of people in the neighbourhood have really been watching us because we have been building here for a while before opening,” she said. “The homes look very different. They are very striking architecturally and the saltbox style is new to this neighbourhood.”
The row homes are grouped in six buildings around a central lane and are separated from the retail village by Watkins Drive. Each home has its own entrance, with a handsome fulllength translucent glass panel that allows lots of light into the ground level of the three-level units, and a garage, where owners can park one car inside and another vehicle in the driveway. Each home is given a distinct identity through alternating white and black facades and shingled grey fronts. The traditional design is mixed with modern touches, including a front entrance that sports a cable-suspended metal canopy. The look is completed with a peak gabled roof that gives the top-floor master bedroom suite a nine-foot cathedral ceiling.
Just inside the front entrance is a powder room and a flex space that could be used as a home office or study, or kids’ playroom. Also incorporated on the ground floor is a laundry room with stacking washer and dryer, complete with shelving space. All units have entry-level closets for coats and cleaning equipment.
On the main living level, buyers can choose between the “Fillmore” plan, with an island kitchen situated between the living and dining areas, or the “Fitzroy,” with a peninsula-style cooking area at one end and the living and dining areas side-byside.
All kitchens feature contemporary style, flat-panel cabinetry in light or dark schemes. Counters come with standard laminate countertops with quartz as an option.
All homes come with a generously spaced balcony that allows room for four good-sized chairs and a barbecue.
A particularly attractive architectural feature usually reserved for more expensive homes is the open-riser stairway leading to the top level of the row home, which with the cutaway stairwell and oversized windows, allows a surprising amount of light into the main level and entryway.
On the top level are the master and second bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. The style was an instant hit for veterinary technician Natalie Giles, her boyfriend Deryk, an elevator mechanic, and their dog Brixton.
“We weren’t ready to move very far away,” she said, adding the couple currently live at Deryk’s parents’ home about a five-minute drive away from their new home.
“We also love the area,” said Giles. “I personally love that they are going to be putting that little market there. And for a brand new place to be that price was pretty reasonable.”