CAN’T BEAT THE VIEW
Somerset Reach caters to those who enjoy seeing lake, surroundings
Marlene Miller has loved the view from her house ever since she arrived in the Okanagan lakeside village of Peachland from Norway 13 years ago.
“My view is very expansive,” she said, describing her 4,200-squarefoot waterfront home on about an acre of land just south of the community. “I can see all the way from the Mission Hill Winery in West Kelowna to Naramata (near Penticton). I am thinking of selling, but one thing that would be very difficult to part with is the view.”
So when she started hearing about Somerset Reach, a new townhouse development of 56 homes perched on the hills overlooking Peachland, she was all ears.
Catering to people like Miller who appreciate the view is exactly what developer Norris Boyd had in mind when he purchased the former single-family-home property a few years ago.
“I’m very sensitive to views. You can have the nicest house in the world, but if it isn’t looking out on to something nice, it is something less,” Boyd said.
“I insisted that we design the site so that everyone had a good view and nobody had to look at anybody else. The topography of the site means that from every rooftop and every living area window, you do not have anything in front of you except the view of the lake.”
Another major feature is that all the homes have an eastern exposure, which means occupants will get to enjoy cooler temperatures in the late afternoon and evening.
Adding to that comfort are Low-E energy-efficient windows.
Boyd said he had a variety of people in mind when the project was launched, including locals who wanted to downsize and Metro Vancouverites looking for a second home.
“The site is very compact so there is not a lot of maintenance to worry about. And I think it is ideal as a second home with oversized garages for storing toys like bicycles and kayaks.”
Boyd also noted that the site is within walking distance to Peachland’s waterfront, where one can buy groceries or relax in one of the restaurants or coffee shops on the strip.
“The site also really appealed to me from the point of view of a Lower Mainlander because it is at the end of the Coquihalla Highway and is about 45 minutes closer than places on the east side of Okanagan Lake near Kelowna.”
The wood-frame development will offer both two- and three-bedroom homes with flex space in an Okanagan contemporary style.
There are 35 units with a walkout and 21 walk-up designs. All homes will come with roughed-in elevator shafts for buyers who want to “age in place.” The two-bedroom units have living space ranging from 1,984 to 2,010 square feet, three bathrooms and a rooftop terrace of 266 square feet.
Three-bedroom units have indoor living spaces from 2,534 to 2,548 square feet and rooftop terraces of 360 to 376. All homes have three bathrooms and two-car garages with storage spaces.
For Miller, downsizing is an important element in considering a move to Somerset.
Her current large home has a steep driveway (think snow shovelling), a big lawn to maintain and a hedge of 100 cedar trees to prune annually, she said.
“What is attractive to me is the view and I get to have a much smaller, more modern and easyto-maintain property,” she said.
“And I still get to stay in the Peachland area, where I have all the things I am familiar with and all the friends I have come to know and love since coming here.”
Perched on the west side of Okanagan Lake, Peachland is no stranger to residential development. The tiny settlement was started in the 1890s when James Moore Robinson formed his development company — Peachland Townsite Co. — to attract orchardists from other parts of Canada to form a community that had a moderate climate well suited to growing peaches.
Today, the lakeside community of 5,400 boasts that it is the home of Ogopogo, Canada’s own version of the Loch Ness monster, and the birthplace of Canada’s first bottle of icewine, crafted in 1972 by German immigrant Walter Hainle.
Somerset Reach homes will have open-concept kitchens with waterfall islands with bar stool seating. Countertops are quartz with undermount sinks and modern pendant and recessed lighting overhead.
All homes will have come with high-quality stainless-steel appliance packages.
Flooring is hardwood or textured wood-grain laminate.
Bathrooms feature ‘floating’ vanities with dual undermount sinks and single-lever faucets.
Another bonus is that Peachland is scheduled to be excluded from the provincial speculation tax, said Manuella Farnsworth, who is overseeing the Macdonald Realty Kelowna sales team.
Prospective purchasers can register for further information and updates at the development’s website, while the presentation centre is scheduled to open at the beginning of October.