OPEN HOUSE
Plans at Delta Gardens designed to create a seamless sense of flow.
Residents of Delta Gardens may well imagine one day how incredibly convenient it’s going to be to join a curling team, relax in the outdoor pool or take the grandkids skating at the North Delta Recreation Centre without having to move the car from their condo’s secure underground parking.
Michelle Des Rosiers, senior project manager at Fifth Avenue Real Estate Marketing, says it’s not just Vancouverites looking for more affordable housing who are attracted to the area.
“You may be surprised to learn that it’s people who want to downsize, but already live in the community because they just love it here and don’t want to go anywhere else,” Des Rosiers says.
There is just nothing comparable in the area for people who want to downsize and stay in their community.
Of the 122 one-, two- and threebedroom condominiums built by Peak Construction for developer Maple Leaf Homes Ltd., all but 26 have been sold, including 12 townhomes. Construction begins this fall with move-in projected for the spring of 2019.
Delta Gardens is designed to reflect a West Coast contemporary feel with cedar soffits and gables offsetting the post-and-beam slanted rooflines.
“The use of cement fibreboard and wood on the exterior of the two lower floors ties in directly with that used on the North Delta Recreation Centre addition to ensure continuity of the properties,” says architect Maciej Dembek of Barnett Dembek Architects in Surrey.
“We’re really excited about these spacious condominiums because there is just nothing comparable in the area for people who want to downsize and stay in their community. We’re hoping that it will spur on the city for more residential development of this kind,” Dembek adds.
A large private garden space with seating and landscaped meandering pathways provides an enclave for those walking through the Delta Gardens pavilion entrance. Gardening gurus can also cultivate their own piece of heaven using plots within the community garden.
“You know the consumer is always looking for interior design elements they may have enjoyed in a single-family home and still want in a multi-family development, and I think we nailed it at Delta Gardens,” interior designer Donna Russell, with Coquitlam’s Collaborative Design Studio, says with a laugh.
“The first thing we wanted to ensure was that the floor plans were spacious and designed with entertaining in mind to incorporate conversational living spaces: the kitchen island for entertaining, an electric fireplace in the living room and functional outdoor spaces like 10-foot-by-10-foot covered balconies and garden patios,” she says.
Light streams through expansive windows in the open-concept kitchen and living room, and Russell’s choices of a subdued colour palette — Silver Satin walls by Benjamin Moore — and light wideplank (or optional dark) laminate flooring create a seamless flow throughout the home.
Kitchens feature reverse Shaker cabinetry accented with a flat panel, quartz countertops — including the island — and KitchenAid appliances with five-burner gas oven, french-door refrigerator and a dishwasher.
“Delta Gardens is really attuned to the environment, and soon garburators will be a thing of the past,” Russell says.
“Instead,” Russell adds, “there’s an option for a customized odourless green waste container in the kitchen built right into the countertop beside the double stainless steel sink.”
The master bedroom can easily accommodate queen- and kingsized beds with a walk-in closet and neutral plush carpeting throughout. A spacious ensuite includes a five-foot frameless glass shower, double vanities and, in secondary bathrooms, a deep soaker tub.
“Maple Leaf didn’t skimp on finishes and storage,” Russell says, “with under-cabinet and recessed pot lighting and designer pendants throughout each condominium, including the powder room.
“And, you step into the convenient in-condo laundry room that allows for the Whirlpool washerdryer to be placed side by side with great overhead space for extra shelving and room to fold your laundry.”
The North Delta Recreation Centre just parallel to Delta Gardens is a major community hub and has attracted buyers who have access to everything from the hockey arena, basketball, pottery and art studio, the pools and fitness centre and free Wi-Fi.
“Residents are paying a fraction of what strata fees would cost here for all those amenities,” Des Rosiers says.
A performing arts centre is already in the planning stages on the same grounds, for which Maple Leaf Homes donated $1 million toward its construction.
“It’s got everything,” says Joseph Pighin, who, with his wife Marie Ann, recently purchased a 1,243-square-foot two-bedroomplus-den Grand Series condo.
“We’ve lived in North Delta in a large house for 20 years and felt it was time to downsize, but didn’t want to leave the community or live in a cubicle-size condo,” he says. “We were so impressed with how spacious the rooms will be and we all use the facilities at the recreation centre.
“My wife also meets friends at the Kennedy Seniors Centre just five minutes away and several large shopping centres with restaurants, Superstore — anything you need are also nearby.”