DEVELOPMENT OFFERS BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
Close to Kelowna, Granite at McKinley Beach has lake views
Those who buy a townhome or condo apartment at Granite at McKinley Beach will have the best of both worlds. Their country world is perched on a solid granite hill facing west with panoramic views of Lake Okanagan, while the urban world lies just 20 minutes down the road in the bustling, growing city of Kelowna.
“This is for people who like to have state-of-the-art urban architecture and its features but like to be a little closer to the wilderness,” says developer Greg Bird of Acorn Homes. “It’s more of the fresh-air experience.”
Bird was co-developer of the McKinley Beach property, a 572acre lakeside parcel devoted to the construction of single-family homes, but he saw an opportunity to sell his share to a Calgary firm and keep 5.2 acres, what he calls the “crown jewel” for his Granite residential development.
“Not only do homeowners at Granite get to enjoy living as close to the lake as possible but they also get to enjoy it through the marina and a kilometre of lakeshore,” he said. The homes come with the stamp of approval from TV host and repair guru Mike Holmes under his Make It Right certification program. Holmes, who attended an April 30 project launch, has made a business and career on HGTV of advising people on how to correct renovations gone wrong.
The three-level townhomes, set closest to the water, have three bedrooms with room for more on the lowest level, and range between 2,300 and 3,000 square feet. The two-bedroom condos behind average about 1,100 square feet. They are semi-detached, which means each townhome has windows on their open side.
The entire development is located about 22 minutes by car from downtown Kelowna and about 17 minutes to Kelowna airport. About 50 per cent of the first phase condos and eight of the 18 townhomes have sold so far with buyers falling into three groups: locals wanting a principal lakeside residence, people seeking a second vacation home and investors.
“It makes for a very good investment because we are very close to the University of B.C. Okanagan campus and to the Kelowna International Airport,” he said. “You could easily have a student in the winter renting and then rent it (to vacationers) by the day or week or month in the summer time.
You could easily have a student in the winter renting and then rent it ... in the summer.
“It has quite good rental economics, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more investors in future, but right now they’re a minority,” he said, adding there are no restrictions on rentals for the first five years.
“If you took the most prime areas of downtown, we’re about $100 a square foot less in cost where we are,” Bird said. “The difference between downtown and our product is that downtown is fairly flat and you have to be in a tall building or right on the waterfront to enjoy the lake view.
“At McKinley, you are steps away from the lake, but you also have a lake view from up the hill.”
The property is dotted with Ponderosa pine and Douglas fir, with outcroppings of granite and lava rock. It was homesteaded back in 1896 by John McKinley, who came from Ontario via the U.S. in a covered wagon. He established the landing as a waypoint for CPR Railway boats that ferried materials up and down the lake. Crews would come ashore to collect wood for the steam-driven ships’ furnaces.
The townhomes are built on three levels with the 1,350-sq. ft main level featuring a great room, kitchen and dining room. Folding glass doors provide an unimpeded floor-to-ceiling view of the lake and access to a glass railing balcony. The lower level features three bedrooms, while more could be built on the lowest level, which opens onto a walkout patio.
Farther up the hill, the condo apartments are one-level two-bedroom-and-ensuite homes with a glass curtain front more typical of commercial rather than residential buildings in the Okanagan, giving them a highly urban feel, Bird said. All homes have balconies and there are four larger penthouses.
Both the condos and the townhomes feature hardwood floors with carpeting in the bedrooms and porcelain tile bathrooms.
Condos come with a stainlesssteel kitchen package, which can be upgraded, while townhome owners can choose their own appliances.
Homeowners can also enjoy a swimming pool at ground level, plus a hot tub and outdoor barbecue kitchen on the roof of the apartment.
Bird said Acorn is also purchasing watercraft for the six slips Granite owns in the lakeside marina, which the homeowners will share in their own “yacht club.”